Response to Claire's Michigan Smoking Ban: All Fire and No Smoke?

Claire's piece is really fleshed out - multiple interviews from smokers and cafe owners, descriptions of local venues; I really enjoyed reading this piece. One of the things that I enjoyed was that it didn't feel like Claire was trying too hard. In some of my pieces, when I really want someone to get a certain feelings or a certain opinion from my writing, I tend to force it upon them. This piece, however, just tells the story plain and simple, gathers the information, and spits it out on page. I really admire how relaxing the piece was. The transitions in between quotes and sections, the switches between different bars and cafes, was almost unnoticeable - beautiful.

I think part of this is due to the fact that Claire injects herself into the story. She kind of did the same thing with dialogue and description that I tried to do - revealing them in present tense so that the reader has the opportunity to "see" it with you, to experience the piece as she's experiencing it. I really appreciate that, especially since I feel she did a better job of it than I did.

The smoking ban is also a timely and relevant issue. It makes sense to talk about it now and get immediate responses from smokers and owners alike - makes the piece resonate more with the reader. If Claire were to write this piece in two years or so, it wouldn't make for as much of an engaging read. Good stuff. Looking forward to the final draft.