Short(ish)

Well I can't say that I wasn't warned. But the thing is that over the years I have enjoyed the occasional short short story - the sub 1000 word form that seems to have acquired the flash fiction label in recent years. But in the past these very short stories were not all that common. The odd little gem in an author collection or in one of the magazines. Always I looked for and enjoyed them. I suspect it is a phenomenon related to the pervasive nature of the internet, but there are more of these stories around now - hence the trigger for the form to get its own label. The type of subject and story addressed has widened too. That then is the background to why, despite warnings, I bought Flashspec edited by Neil Cladingboel. I should have listened.

The first few stories in this collection are truly dire. I almost didn't read any further. Then suddenly the stories got noticeably better. It is no coincidence that that is the point where the first person narrative stories stopped. Maybe its just me, but first person just does not suit this form. The rest were a mixed bag. Some were pretty good but others were ordinary at best. I think it comes down to execution. The ideas were generally pretty good even if the hidden monster reveal was overdone but they were not always handled that well. This very short form requires hard edged writing. If you will pardon the simile, it has to stab your consciousness like a dagger - too many of these stories were more of a bludgeon. So my advice to anybody attempting these stories - polish and sharpen (repeat). When this happens, perhaps I will read a few more.

Culture

I did manage to read Banana Wings in under the delivery time (context). It made me a little uncomfortable. This may be in spite of or more likely because it is such a fine example of its kind. It is well produced and has loads of good writing - including a piece giving an ABC on how to thin out your book collection should you want to do such a thing. But the thing about a fanzine is that it is about things fannish. I realise that I haven't read such a fanzine in a long time - local club newsletters really do not count. I realise that I have become distanced from the terminology, people and ethos of fandom as represented within. I used to have more of a connection back when I was attending worldcons and especially reading a lot more fanzines. It isn't just me, I think most of the local fan community has separated itself from these traditional aspects of fandom. It might be interesting to examine why this drift away has happened - I suspect that there are lots of contributing factors but a big generational change where a whole group of fans left the scene is going to be very high on the list of causes.

So is this a big deal? Not necessarily. It isn't as if the connections that I have are gone completely. It is just that it is a bit like meeting an old friend that you haven't heard from for a long time. You still know them and they are still your friend, but there is a lot that just seems unfamiliar too. As I said at the beginning, it makes me feel a little uncomfortable. Sometimes when you meet an old friend again, you hook up and re-establish your relationship - sometimes you know that you have drifted too far apart. Uncomfortable because I'm not entirely sure which way this is going to go.