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[Ah so! The author was listed as JJ, the poster was JJ so I just assumed ... BTW your post is formatted much better! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OK SB - get to work! Distill it! ;-)]

Thanks for the formatting compliment. Another poster said this thread's format was easier to read!!! I was crushed, I spent like 9 hours combing over that damn thing. As far as distilling it, I'll try to think about it, but I don't think I know how to do it. I got it down to as few points as I thought possible, but if you start having compound labels for the techniques, then it becomes increasingly complicated to convey the actual trick being used to a reading audience.

Remember, if these tricks the writers use were obvious, then they wouldn't work. That means unraveling them necessitates a certain degree of complexity.

I tried to spread that complexity out across a minimum of number of fundamental techniques, then to refer sharply to them on a case-by-case basis until a familiarity with the whole group built up in the reader.

To have just five would be better, of course, but I don't know how to say in just five examples "There, see what the writer's doing this time?".

But I'll ponder your suggestion, and please be sure to share any ideas of your own on how to distill them further.