Really late to the party here, but I really liked this one too.
Some notes:
>The Aaron Eckhart switcheroo really got me, should've seen that coming.
>Chris Hansen of all people showing up also got me.
>Love the Scooby reference you threw in with the meddling family.
>That monologue about compassion leading to a castration of anger was too real.
>That final monologue by that old man helped balance the tone a lot. It could've easily felt sappy or just tacked-on, but it didn't, at least to me. I'd be proud of that.
>You decided to name the protagonist after your own name. Why though?
>This one was pretty lengthy; how much stuff was left on the cutting floor? Do you feel like you could've cut more? Or are you happy with it now as it is?
Echoing everyone else here, but yeah, it was nice reading this. Keep it up, Luke!
You're never late, Mr. Reese. Right on time. You took a break while I took a break, as we discussed. Some replies:
> Yeah, the Aaron Eckhart thing was all a set up. I enjoyed writing that bit.
> Haha, as did writing the Chris Hanson bit. Just a fortunate link in the mind really: kids at the pool... Chris Hanson.
> The Scooby reference might have been subconcious on my end. I don't even recall.
> I agree with the old man at the end. This piece was different for me, as I'll discuss in two points time. I didn't really have an arc in my mind, a message, or journey. These were events I really went through (heightened and absurdified as usual). The old man at the end was my mechanism to tie the insanity together and give it a message. Writing this was actually a little tough for me and, as petty as it sounds, at times last year I was a bit lost and wondering wtf? The old man was speaking to me really. He was me talking to myself actually, pepping myself up. I took a break after writing this because I was cooked.
> The protagonist had my name because it was me. I went to hospital, then America. I went to those places. I went to the waterpark with armed guards, that was real. There had been a shooting there the week before. I went to Atcheson. There was a festival on, but the next week.
> Yeah, in terms of length, this was indulgent. As I said above, I didn't have a specific character going through a specific arc or event. If I was to re-write it, I would just start it at the festival and end it where I ended it. The rest I would weave in as context. But, again, this was differnent for me, almost like a journal. Norm Macdonald's memoir was my inspiration: it really happened, but it didn't, but it kind of did...
Thanks as always not only for reading it but for leaving your considered thoughts. I love reading your comments, mate. Seems like we have a similar sense of humour too.
The bit about talking to yourself with an old man - I think a lot of writing can be described like that. A lot of writing feels like its being done for ourselves, not just in what kind of content we want to see more of in the world, but also to comfort ourselves and maybe give ourselves a bit of catharsis.
Like if John Swartzwelder teamed up with Jack Kerouac to write a sequel to On The Road, but starring Tobias Fünke. But 100% authentic Luke Skelton. As always, I found the moving parts moving and the funny parts funny - just like the sage old man at the end. It was not lost on me that the person capable of giving solid advice was a District Wicket Keeper.
"online trolls cannot violate a car rental agreement" really made me laugh for some reason.
Really late to the party here, but I really liked this one too.
Some notes:
>The Aaron Eckhart switcheroo really got me, should've seen that coming.
>Chris Hansen of all people showing up also got me.
>Love the Scooby reference you threw in with the meddling family.
>That monologue about compassion leading to a castration of anger was too real.
>That final monologue by that old man helped balance the tone a lot. It could've easily felt sappy or just tacked-on, but it didn't, at least to me. I'd be proud of that.
>You decided to name the protagonist after your own name. Why though?
>This one was pretty lengthy; how much stuff was left on the cutting floor? Do you feel like you could've cut more? Or are you happy with it now as it is?
Echoing everyone else here, but yeah, it was nice reading this. Keep it up, Luke!
You're never late, Mr. Reese. Right on time. You took a break while I took a break, as we discussed. Some replies:
> Yeah, the Aaron Eckhart thing was all a set up. I enjoyed writing that bit.
> Haha, as did writing the Chris Hanson bit. Just a fortunate link in the mind really: kids at the pool... Chris Hanson.
> The Scooby reference might have been subconcious on my end. I don't even recall.
> I agree with the old man at the end. This piece was different for me, as I'll discuss in two points time. I didn't really have an arc in my mind, a message, or journey. These were events I really went through (heightened and absurdified as usual). The old man at the end was my mechanism to tie the insanity together and give it a message. Writing this was actually a little tough for me and, as petty as it sounds, at times last year I was a bit lost and wondering wtf? The old man was speaking to me really. He was me talking to myself actually, pepping myself up. I took a break after writing this because I was cooked.
> The protagonist had my name because it was me. I went to hospital, then America. I went to those places. I went to the waterpark with armed guards, that was real. There had been a shooting there the week before. I went to Atcheson. There was a festival on, but the next week.
> Yeah, in terms of length, this was indulgent. As I said above, I didn't have a specific character going through a specific arc or event. If I was to re-write it, I would just start it at the festival and end it where I ended it. The rest I would weave in as context. But, again, this was differnent for me, almost like a journal. Norm Macdonald's memoir was my inspiration: it really happened, but it didn't, but it kind of did...
Thanks as always not only for reading it but for leaving your considered thoughts. I love reading your comments, mate. Seems like we have a similar sense of humour too.
The bit about talking to yourself with an old man - I think a lot of writing can be described like that. A lot of writing feels like its being done for ourselves, not just in what kind of content we want to see more of in the world, but also to comfort ourselves and maybe give ourselves a bit of catharsis.
Like if John Swartzwelder teamed up with Jack Kerouac to write a sequel to On The Road, but starring Tobias Fünke. But 100% authentic Luke Skelton. As always, I found the moving parts moving and the funny parts funny - just like the sage old man at the end. It was not lost on me that the person capable of giving solid advice was a District Wicket Keeper.
"online trolls cannot violate a car rental agreement" really made me laugh for some reason.
Another great story, I enjoyed reading it.
Sometimes you have to imagine yourself as an old man, close to death, and ask him how he wished you handled the challenges before you now.