I have a Word file called "Found Writing Tips" where I've been copy-and-pasting interesting snippets from people's dvd commentaries and writing blogs and things. If I ever feel like uploading it, d'you mind being quoted?

I'm nodding along especially to your notes on quoting nursery rhymes and other sources, because that's something that many writers like to do and few do well, but I've never heard anybody meditate on it before. I appreciate what you say about quoting but not obtrusively, tinkering with the quote until it sparks off those memory neurons and chains of thought without pulling you outside the story. The Dr. Who episode I was watching last night had that problem: It was all about Shakespeare, and I spent half the time unpacking all the quoted plays in my head to see how they could relate to the show and trying to predict which quotes would turn up next.

Also cheering along with your "narrator =/= author" reminder. I love your "narrator who went mad" scenario: awesome. I sometimes like narrators who are a little bit flirty or mysterious: Jane Austeny dear readerers or 1st persons who say things like, "I could tell you what I did next, but I'm not going to."

And echoes! One of my favourite gimmicks. I use them all the freakin' time, and not very subtly. You've made me think about that. Thanks for those little notes from your writing class.

I love commentaries, and this one is great. Chomp, chomp, chomp.