Episode 85, In Which Donna Chrissa Again Tilts at Twittermills

Manuscripts are eating holes in my peaceful afternoon, like moths in an untended closet. My brother requested that I finish a short story begun several years ago (and that I restrain my language to an 8th grade level--not sure what that would be) and there is always The Novel About The Dog or a poem or the pulp-influenced short story...a nebulous galaxy of work whose gravitational pull has tossed me unexpectedly straight into the 'net, where time approximates work without every actually becoming work. Am I, therefore, being entertained?

And what about you? Are you reading this at a time when you could be reading a novel (or watching TV or training for the Iditarod)? Will the next several minutes at your computer turn into hours down a YouTube/blogosphere/e-mail rabbit hole in which images and ideas flash past and you grow indignant, happy, worried, relieved with every click? Are you entertained or informed or unable to tell whether there might be a difference?

We've discussed New Media somewhat in our group and I'm continually struck by the way we struggle for control of platform and content, both in terms of creation and in use. I'm particularly leery of the ideas promulgated by people who believe that interactivity (e.g. blogs, twitter feeds) is necessary. Really? Do you automatically check the website of potential authors the way you might for plumbers or business contacts? Do you buy the books or read the available chapters and move on? Have you ever purchased a self-published book? Does the unedited blog post or book bother you? What do you 'expect' from the authors you follow and (bonus question) why do you expect anything other than a good story? Have you every read a novel on your computer?

Perhaps I should alter my reading material from cranky essays on the decline of standards and thought and switch to more cheerful fare this afternoon, before I earn the title Resident Humbug. On the other hand, one always felt Statler and Waldorf had the most fun. :)

-- Chrissa