Writer's Block

wacky and wonderful

Something I often struggle with when covering public meetings is whether or not to include in my story the odd, off-the-wall or flat-out kooky comments people make. My colleague Chris says no -- it's too distracting for the reader. But sometimes it's pretty hard to resist.

I was recently covering a hearing on an A&B project, when a testifier raised concerns based on sister-company HC&S's practice of burning coal at its sugar mill in Puunene. The pollution causes acid rain, she said, and that kills plants, and that reduces evapotranspiration, and that means less clouds, which means less rain, which depletes the aquifer. The A&B project will require water from that aquifer, she said, therefore: "It's unconscionable that A&B is burning this pollution, causing a drought and turning around and asking for water."

Huh. I loved the logical acrobatics, but Chris pointed out how many inches of copy I would have to burn just to explain her theory. It was a short story, so I left it out. Sigh.