8 Reasons You’re Terrible at Conversation

Esther Ariel

I recently had a conversation with Hugh Silver about why people might be terrible at conversation. The following list isn’t comprehensive, and I don’t know how many apply to you. (I won’t say how many apply to me or to Hugh.) Be forewarned, we brainstormed this in the manor’s conservatory at two in the morning, when we were both exhausted and a bit creeped out by the shadows of the plants in the moonlight. Here goes…

If conversation is an art, some people can fill a canvas with delicate chiaroscuro and angels clothed in lapis lazuli. Others can fill a piece of construction paper with elbow macaroni, glitter and nosebleed drippings.

Even if conversation isn’t an art, or you think that bloody macaroni-covered construction paper can be art (Capillary Red # 4 at the Merriwether A. Rackett Modern Art Museum), maybe this list will give you some insights and directions to consider if you want to improve your conversational skills. Or maybe you don’t want to improve anything, and you will grunt if you need to get your point across to anyone.

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Kilter Street Profiles: Sigrid

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Origins & Appearance

Sigrid, of Apartment 2b, has an ethereal beauty – she’s willowy with white-blonde hair, blue eyes, an aura of calm. She doesn’t say much, and I can imagine that people project a lot onto her (I know I started to, and had to catch myself – probably I’ll need to keep catching myself). They read in her what they want to see. I want to know what she sees.

She manages the arts programs at The Sunny Tortoise Senior Living Facility. Her sense of style tends towards pastels, artistic jewelry, things that are floaty, soft, and colorful.

Around Sigrid’s Home

Her fairy Christmas tree

Four Languages Sigrid Dips Into on Duolingo

Stories Inspired by Sigrid

When Linda Sketched the Dead

Romance Writing Workshop at the Creative Outlet Mall

Esther Ariel

I’ve been poking around the Creative Outlet Mall lately, wondering if I should sign up for a class and if so, what class and for how much, when I saw this flyer for the 16th Annual One-Day Romance Writing Workshop. Too bad I missed it (it took place a month ago, but the organizer plans to run a romance writing class sometime in the coming year)

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City of Possibility Location: The Creative Outlet Mall

Esther Ariel

In the City of Possibility, an old warehouse has been converted into a Creative Outlet Mall. All kinds of creative classes get taught there.

The more popular ones are hosted in spacious seminar rooms with large windows and comfortable chairs. The less popular subjects get taught up in the rafters, in cold and filthy corners.

Events at the Creative Outlet Mall

16th Annual One-Day Romance Writing Workshop

What’s Your Role in an Abusive Drama?

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“All the world’s a stage,” is the opening line from a funny As You Like It monologue on the several roles a man typically plays throughout his life. As he goes from one role to another, little seems to depend on his own thoughts; he slips into each role because of his age and what’s expected of him at any given point in life.

What roles are we playing, and have we accepted them without question?

Let’s take this theatrical metaphor of life and use it for relationships that have an abusive dynamic. Whose stage are we on, what role are we playing, and is it hazardous to our sanity and health? Although they’re painful and degrading, we can slip into these roles relatively easily, and stay in them for years – maybe most of our lives.

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Elana Elisa Dishes Out Some Dirt

Esther Ariel

The elevator’s acting up again, so I take the stairs to my attic studio. On the third floor, I bump into Elana Elisa.

She puts a hand on my forearm. “Do you have a couple of minutes?” she says.

I wait too long for any lie to sound natural. “Sure,” I say.

“I was just going down to get the mail, and I thought I’d tell you some things. Seeing as you’re new here, it wouldn’t hurt to know a little more about your neighbors.”

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