Comments on: Linked: The Beatles Never Broke Up!

By: Eli James

Eli James — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 05:43:29 +0000

To be fair, Robinson Crusoe was based on a true story. ;-) Though … in the real story he had sex with goats, amongst other things.

By: V. J. Chambers

V. J. Chambers — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:26:26 +0000

Confusion and uncertainty? You mean like how everyone thought Robinson Crusoe and Moll Flanders might have actually been true stories when Daniel Defoe wrote them?

The telling of a fictional story in a nonfictional format is essentially how the novel came to be, and as such, deeply part of the storytelling tradition in modern fiction. I suppose it could hurt your work if people got mad and said, “Hey, you tricked me!” as in the case of the Blair Witch Project. But with something like this, ultimately, to think it was true, you’d have to be a nutcase.

Like Eli says, he does a good job of seeming nutty. The FAQs are a particularly nice touch, although I wouldn’t be surprised if he actually wrote all the questions himself. :)

By: Mark Barrett

Mark Barrett — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:53:12 +0000

Didn’t download the music. Did happen to update this post today, however:

http://www.ditchwalk.com/2009/11/04/the-beatles/

:-)

By: Eli James

Eli James — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:37:57 +0000

I don’t even think it’s online fiction now, to be honest. A publicity stunt, maybe. Or a complete nutter. Have you downloaded the music, btw? It’s surprisingly good. Really good, in fact.

By: Mark Barrett

Mark Barrett — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:16:00 +0000

I took a look at this and instantly put it in the category of online fiction that leans heavily on confusion and uncertainty to generate interest. I even wondered if it was a scam of some kind.

As noted earlier by me elsewhere in places I can’t at the moment recall, I think this emphasis on uncertainty carries a significant cost. Fiction should not be a tease.