30 Comments
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Carol Mossa's avatar

My deep thanks to all who voted and especially to those folks who took the extra time to explain the reasoning behind their choice. As of this writing, the results are split almost evenly down the middle, so the rest is, I guess, up to me now. More will be revealed, dear muses, so stay tuned.

Dianne H's avatar

The second. More ownership four us. More individual.

Carol Mossa's avatar

Thank you for voting, Dianne! 😊❤️

Hazel Meredith's avatar

Writer’s. Seems more about the writer than the process.

Carol Mossa's avatar

Thanks for voting and commenting, Hazel!! 😊❤️

Mdtcdwd's avatar

The second seems more inclusive of the entire community.

Carol Mossa's avatar

Thanks for voting and commenting, Jennifer! 😊❤️

Jan-Christine Johnson's avatar

All people are welcomed in the community. Non-Writers and Writers.

Carol Mossa's avatar

So your selection is “writing” community, Jen?

Jan-Christine Johnson's avatar

Carol: Yes, "Writing" community is a good and inclusive word. Thanks from Jan

Jan-Christine Johnson's avatar

Carol, Could you include the word "Writing" ? Some folks may not identify as a "Writer".

Carol Mossa's avatar

Yes, Jan-Christine. Perhaps I didn’t make that clear. Thank you.

Pete Obermeier's avatar

IMO, the distinction only *appears*subtle, changing a few letters at the end of one word. To me, the possessive sounds more “Welcoming,” like it is *our* community (If I will be offered citizenship).

I have to admit that I missed the placement of the apostrophe! *All* of us Writers “possess” *our* community. And, my sister/editor/publicist/heroic figure called me out on that error in a post earlier tonight!

I thought Hillary’s “I’m with her!” sent the wrong message. She was trying to capture the rising tide of women who thought they are “real people.” But it was not as “welcoming” as “She’s with *you*” would have been.

BTW as one who is still transitioning from long-held, but never valid, notions natural to this 80-year-old, former MCP, to those of a Feminazi, watching my peers fail to adjust to the reality that times have changed and not nearly as soon as they should have, is not just a moral failing, but a tragic one.

For instance: A lot of Covid deaths could have been prevented if they hadn’t dismissed the testimony in a huge Zoom meeting, from a woman invited because of her expertise in particulate transmission, when she challenged the notion that the viral particles could *not* be transmitted as aerosols.

A male chair just cut her off because the canon, which had been developed during TB’s heyday, said that any particle larger than TB’s could *not* form aerosols. It took her over a year and a team of men and women from various disciplines to convince the CDC that Covid *could* and did, form and be spread as aerosols. The guidance was changed, without admitting a mistake or giving credit where it was due.

(I have the entire article, but I have too many carefully captured notes and not nearly enough energy to search through them right now. But…it is slowly forming in my brain that it was published in *Wired* magazine, so maybe I will consult my BFF (Google, who sometimes acts more like a frenemy)…

Aha! Senility comes on apace, but sometimes…

The 60-Year-Old Scientific Screwup That Helped Covid Kill

https://www.wired.com › Backchannel › longreads

May 13, 2021 — Those pathogens travel inside aerosols, microscopic particles that can stay suspended for hours and travel longer distances.

More recently, during the J6 hearings it became clear that while a number of older males refused to testify in order avoid saying what a number of young Republican women saw and testified to, from the beginning, that This. Was. Wrong!

At one point, Liz Cheney remarked on that with a hint of “Maybe the wrong bunch have been running this country!”

We don’t know how the heartless (literally) Dick Cheney took that.

(I seem to recall that he has a pump that doesn’t beat, just provides a continuous flow of blood. Probably not something that the GOP would allow Medicare to pay for, so I just got a triple-bypass. Which I am damn grateful for!)

Victoria King's avatar

I like Writing as Writer’s sounds like I would need to be a professional

Carol Mossa's avatar

Thanks so much, Vikki!

Pete Obermeier's avatar

I have considered myself to be a “writer” for years and years. I love to write. I have a compulsion to write. Writing for me is often more like “reading.” I start a sentence with a vague idea in “mind,” but my “brain” makes a brand- new connection and when I read what I have written, I’m like (Roseanne Roseannadanna voice) “Did *that* come out of *me*! (RIP Gilda).

I won’t consider myself to be an “author” until a large number of people are willing to pay for the privilege of reading what I have written.

Besides that, Substack has been helping me overcome my fear of rejection, refuse to be intimidated and form an attitude of “I’m a writer! Hear me roar!” Well, hear me clickety-clack.

Katie's avatar

I’m not feeling the apostrophe. Is it really one person’s community? Writers’ Community? Writers Community?

Carol Mossa's avatar

I’m glad you mentioned that, Katie. I almost put three options in the poll. If it ends up being writers versus writing community, then I will probably move the apostrophe. Thanks for noticing 😊

Pete Obermeier's avatar

The position of the apostrophe just might influence the outcome of the vote.

Lat24lisa@aol.com's avatar

Writer’s because it implies a group of people with common interest and you do other things rather than just write.

Writing implies that is all you will do and that can be a chore to even think about starting. Good luck 🍀

Carol Mossa's avatar

Great comment and much food for thought, Lisa! Thanks so much 😊❤️

Susan's avatar

Less intimidating.

Carol Mossa's avatar

Thanks, Susan. Which one is less intimidating? (I can’t see who votes, only numbers).

Susan's avatar

I prefer “writing” to “writer’s.”

Carol Mossa's avatar

Got it, thank you!

sherri jane margolin aka durga's avatar

I chose Writer's versus Writing because writing implies that the community comes together for the purpose of the act of writing - the doing like a workshop. Writer's community implies an invitation for those of us who call and envision ourselves writers (we put word to paper, or finger to keyboard) to come together and share hopes, encouragement, frustrations, ask questions, network, etc in a safe space.

Carol Mossa's avatar

Thoughtful and insightful. Thank you! 😊❤️

Jamie Howard's avatar

I voted for Writer's, but wondered if it would feel exclusionary to visual/textile/dance or other artists. But I do like its more purposeful tone than a participle indicates.

Carol Mossa's avatar

Thanks, Jamie; it’s a bit of a conundrum. I hope we can speak of it a bit today on the graduate reunion zoom call at 3pm.

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Sep 10, 2022
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Carol Mossa's avatar

Thank you for voting, Elmer, and for explaining your choice.