Ha! Yes, I suppose that’s cheating a little bit. Though I like to think the story still resonates on its own, and the title just adds a little extra.
I hope you’ll forgive this minor breach of the rules. It’s fun to come up with titles, too! Hopefully it won’t matter as much once a couple weeks have gone by.
I’m assuming you’ve seen the 6-word stories in this month’s Wired?
Hmm…I think I’ll start a blog reviewing your stories in reverse word order. That is, the first day I’ll review story 1 in 365 words, then story #2 in 364, etc. That way my job will get easier while yours gets harder.
In his latest novel, It’s HappHappening, Frank
Pape may be on to something. Although some would say the plot is rather predictable, I have to confess that I literally couldn’t put it down. Granted, the first act is weak, and the characters are largely standard issue. But by reading between the lines and stepping back, the reader can begin to glimpse into the dystopian vision that is It’s Happening.
SPOILER ALERT! The development of the primary storyline follows a path not unfamiliar to readers of what has become either a well-established subgenre of sci-fi or a trite cliché, depending on the reader’s school of thought. Fortunately for the author, his loyal readers (the majority of whom have taken to calling themselves Papists, much to the chagrin of the Frankophiles) are of the first school. The sub-genre is of course that which concerns itself with St. John described simply as “Big Bang 2:” the end of the world as we know it. Every sci-fi movie with a sufficient budget contains the obligatory scene: stuff blowing up, floods, famine, draught, cyborgs, etc. The brilliance here is that the primal fear and shear suspense is delivered without resorting to the usual warnings by discredited scientists, clever teenagers, or cute droids. Somehow the reader just knows what’s in store for the clueless protagonists, and the dramatic irony makes it all the more poignant.
Unlike other teotwawkists, however, Pape’s treatment of the theme is more subtle, and even at the novel’s conclusion, the reader must make up her own mind as to the conclusion. Upon the narrator’s exclamation “Apocalyps-,” one is left to wander if the allusion is to the literal end of the world (i.e., the Apocalypse), or to Apocalypso, the legendary steel band from Tuscon. The brilliant part is, I don’t know which of these possibilities scares me more.
The characters aren’t really all that more developed than, say, your average Ewok. The setting leaves something to be desired, as well. I mean, if you’re writing about the end of the world, at least spare a syllable or two to making the reader care one way or the other whether the world or the people in it survive.
I didn’t think you would actually go through with it! You, my friend, are true masochist.
An excellent analysis, though I like to think I narrowly avoided the pre- or post-apocalypse story cliche by playing to the less common “during-apocalypse” variant for the entire length of the work.
Yeah, probably would’ve been better off reading about the ballot initiatives last night. Turns out I wasn’t even registered (I think the DMV disenfranchised me for not paying my registration on time). They let me vote at the third polling place, but it turns out Colorado doesn’t keep the blue books handy at the booth like California does, so you have to go in knowing your opinions–not my strong suit.
If you were a real hacker you’d've started with day zero. Then again, I can’t prove you didn’t.
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November 2nd, 2006 at 5:14 pm
Hey…Aren’t you sort of cheating, since the title is part of the story - this story really has 3 words!
November 2nd, 2006 at 5:36 pm
Ha! Yes, I suppose that’s cheating a little bit. Though I like to think the story still resonates on its own, and the title just adds a little extra.
I hope you’ll forgive this minor breach of the rules. It’s fun to come up with titles, too! Hopefully it won’t matter as much once a couple weeks have gone by.
November 2nd, 2006 at 6:34 pm
No worries. It’s a great idea - I read about it on Mefi Projects, and my first thought was, “How in the heck will he pull off Day 1 and Day 2?”
November 4th, 2006 at 1:56 am
I’m assuming you’ve seen the 6-word stories in this month’s Wired?
Hmm…I think I’ll start a blog reviewing your stories in reverse word order. That is, the first day I’ll review story 1 in 365 words, then story #2 in 364, etc. That way my job will get easier while yours gets harder.
November 4th, 2006 at 8:41 am
Yes, I really enjoyed that Wired article. It was at least a partial inspiration for this site.
I think the reviews are a hilarious idea! You just have to promise that the 365th review won’t be “Sucks”. Even if it does.
November 7th, 2006 at 12:47 am
Review #1 (365 words):
In his latest novel, It’s HappHappening, Frank
Pape may be on to something. Although some would say the plot is rather predictable, I have to confess that I literally couldn’t put it down. Granted, the first act is weak, and the characters are largely standard issue. But by reading between the lines and stepping back, the reader can begin to glimpse into the dystopian vision that is It’s Happening.
SPOILER ALERT! The development of the primary storyline follows a path not unfamiliar to readers of what has become either a well-established subgenre of sci-fi or a trite cliché, depending on the reader’s school of thought. Fortunately for the author, his loyal readers (the majority of whom have taken to calling themselves Papists, much to the chagrin of the Frankophiles) are of the first school. The sub-genre is of course that which concerns itself with St. John described simply as “Big Bang 2:” the end of the world as we know it. Every sci-fi movie with a sufficient budget contains the obligatory scene: stuff blowing up, floods, famine, draught, cyborgs, etc. The brilliance here is that the primal fear and shear suspense is delivered without resorting to the usual warnings by discredited scientists, clever teenagers, or cute droids. Somehow the reader just knows what’s in store for the clueless protagonists, and the dramatic irony makes it all the more poignant.
Unlike other teotwawkists, however, Pape’s treatment of the theme is more subtle, and even at the novel’s conclusion, the reader must make up her own mind as to the conclusion. Upon the narrator’s exclamation “Apocalyps-,” one is left to wander if the allusion is to the literal end of the world (i.e., the Apocalypse), or to Apocalypso, the legendary steel band from Tuscon. The brilliant part is, I don’t know which of these possibilities scares me more.
The characters aren’t really all that more developed than, say, your average Ewok. The setting leaves something to be desired, as well. I mean, if you’re writing about the end of the world, at least spare a syllable or two to making the reader care one way or the other whether the world or the people in it survive.
November 7th, 2006 at 1:22 pm
I didn’t think you would actually go through with it! You, my friend, are true masochist.
An excellent analysis, though I like to think I narrowly avoided the pre- or post-apocalypse story cliche by playing to the less common “during-apocalypse” variant for the entire length of the work.
November 7th, 2006 at 5:33 pm
Yeah, probably would’ve been better off reading about the ballot initiatives last night. Turns out I wasn’t even registered (I think the DMV disenfranchised me for not paying my registration on time). They let me vote at the third polling place, but it turns out Colorado doesn’t keep the blue books handy at the booth like California does, so you have to go in knowing your opinions–not my strong suit.
If you were a real hacker you’d've started with day zero. Then again, I can’t prove you didn’t.
November 18th, 2006 at 8:19 am
Good concept.
November 18th, 2006 at 8:19 am
Neat concept
November 18th, 2006 at 8:20 am
Interesting blog !!