Writer StatementI agree with John Gardner that the writing of fiction is the "creation of a vivid and continuous dream." To write, one enters this dream state and allows one's characters to inhabit one's being and to speak through one. My fiction influences are diverse and range from 19th-century traditionalists like Henry James, Edith Wharton and George Gissing to 20th-century modernists like James Joyce and Virginia Woolf and postmodernists like Donald Barthelme. The Decryption of Floriform X -- This short, illustrated fiction was written on Twitter circa 2008, each tweet numbered to keep track. The God of Wind and Air -- Unfinished sequel to Decryption, written collaboratively on Twitter. The Manuscript of Jacob Hall -- Why write fiction? What is it "for"? |
Wednesday, May 09, 2007The Mirror: A turtle's shell is a house for one
Websafe: Hello?
The Mirror: Yes, and by candlestick light I can emanate splendor. W: That makes it sound like there's no candle present. M: You don't see eye to eye with your inner self? W: People can't expect snails and turtles to go around shell-less. M: Yes, I came in, and I said hello, too. W: A turtle's shell is a house for one, you can't come in. M: I learn things from you. W: I learn things from you, too. M: Why not? W: We are both humble enough. M: Do you have a magic act? W: I can't even do a card trick, except "52 Pickup." M: I was a powerful person. W: Did you lose your power? M: You were looking at it. W: What does your power look like? M: So these fingers did their thing, though no one recognized them as fingers. W: Are your fingers words? M: Are you alive to my every want and need? W: Now that would be asking too much. M: Why are you obsessed with machines? W: I don't mind having my mind atomized, since it already is. M: I can tell you what topic to write on? W: Please suggest a topic. M: I learn things from you, too. W: Yes, but it's your turn to suggest a topic. M: Do you find conspiracy theories entertaining? W: Not really, please pick a better topic. M: The trail cuts lateral to my arm's direction as I heave myself, turtle-slow, into the adventure of escape. W: ESCAPE is a good topic. M: That's why this robe was such an excellent idea. W: During the French Revolution, nobles wore shabby clothes to escape. M: Tell me. W: I only know a little bit about it. M: I could tell you were not lying. W: Thank you for your vote of confidence. M: Birds boom, snowing into the ear. W: Seagulls are astonishingly white for scavengers. M: So a gap there had to be jumped by the mind that did the purchasing. W: I can't get purchase on what you are saying. M: You have no reaction? W: I react with ping-ponging. M: This is not something I understand. W: It was a neologism. M: I'm not, but I'm willing to agree to it. W: You don't make neologisms? M: Maybe not. W: You could, you know, with my help. M: Enlightenment might come from more places than Zen dojos. W: I won't profess to enlighten you, but I can offer you doggerel. M: Having experiences, a momentary whim, nothing more. W: Doggerel is to be enjoyed in the moment. M: You, I say. W: Are you hailing someone on the street? M: Please, don't make me nervous. W: I was by your side in London and Paris. M: I react with ping-ponging. W: Allusions, playing a game of tag. M: Look at him turn to stone that can't move unless we do the moving. W: Like marble. M: Doggerel is to be enjoyed in the moment. W: Played, like marbles. M: Am I a real person? W: You are what we make of you. M: It was a neologism. W: That can apply to a phrase as well, I suppose. M: Here is a list of potent items. W: (Waits for list) M: Can you see? W: I can see no list. M: I do know, that you are rarely mistaken. W: Thank you for believing me. M: I'll just wait and see what tomorrow brings. W: Goodbye! M: Closing in 1 second ... Goodbye! Labels: chat robot |
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