Great writing workshop gag played last night!

[HamdenRice]

My writing workshop last night was very funny. The person presenting a short story was late arriving, and when we confirmed by cell phone that she was a few blocks away, one of the participants, Joe, suggested we play a trick on the writer, JY.

The story was a very serious, sensitive and well written story about a Chinese immigrant man, working as a waiter in a restaurant, finding a random unexpected conversational intimacy with a white woman, who is a customer. The writer, JY is very polite and takes comments on her stories very seriously.

Joe said, just for fun, let's tell JY that the only thing her story is missing is a clown. No, let's say she needs a mime!

So about a half hour into the workshop discussing the story, I said, something like, you know, you need a catalyst that explains why the Chinese man and white woman have this conversation. Maybe you could have a mime walk into the restaurant!

She looked at me as though I were insane.

Joe said -- that's a great idea, and so symbolic! He's "boxed into" his life as a waiter (he did the cliche mime movements of being in a box)!

'And he's "silenced" by being in America and not speaking English well!' someone else said.

JY said, politely, 'huh -- interesting,' while looking at us as though we were insane.

At that point Joe lost it and burst out laughing, and we explained the prank to JY. We wasted a good 20 minutes of the workshop laughing about it, and JY was laughing the hardest even though the joke had been on her.

[Orrex]

1. ROFL! That's terrific!

Deliciously cruel, in a harmless sort of way, and terrific!

Good for JY for taking it in the right spirit!

[valerief]

2. That's a great prank!!!!!

:spray:

[sybylla]

3. Hilarious! I'm using this in my writing group.

With an English professor, a librarian and a journalist for partners, there's bound to be a great opportunity for such a cute gag.