Comments on: The Writer & the Witch

By: ami

ami — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 01:22:19 +0000

Wonderful — seeing the transformation of the writer and watching him mature over time. He must have had that seed of wisdom in him — else why would the witch ‘bless’ him at the beginning (perhaps she saw some hint of his potential), and how could he learn to create a whole world in his little circle? loved this fable.

By: Hilda

Hilda — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 10:22:47 +0000

Robin: you are my new favorite person today. I loved this story, it reminded me of Three Tales by Flaubert and all the fables and fairy tales I read as a child (so many of them). I will keep a copy for my little girl who is too young to understand it now but I’m sure will love it later.

By: Sue

Sue — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:36:29 +0000

After recent life-altering events in my life, and the lives of all my loved ones, I decided to curl up in a ball and pretend I didn’t exist. I imagined I was alone, with no one to hurt and no one to hurt me. I was like your writer, alone, sitting perfectly still in one place, just trying to be as little as possible–and occasionally, not wanting to be anymore.

But life is like a road, travelled by multitudes of people from everywhere on the spectrum from good to evil. But the road by me brought people who cared, people who wanted me to not just to be, but to live, to move, to swim in the river, to travel the road.

It takes time to go from hopeful non-existence to one who joyously looks forward to the dawning of each precious morning. My son sent me this story as I am starting to take those steps along the road by the bridge beside my river. Thank you for helping me move along that path with your touching story. I truly believe that if each person who lives can help just one being along the way, with food or water, a smile, a kind word, then his life has fulfilled the purpose of his existence.

Words are immortal. Thanks again.

By: robin

robin — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 17:36:07 +0000

“Robin Sloan is not a slavish mimetic computer.” I’m going to remember that line, and use it in the future :-)

By: Brew

Brew — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 15:39:27 +0000

Story is not code, this is not a kludge.

I’m fairly amazed at comments (here & amazon) insisting on a kind of stringency of narrative. I would remind those who are happier nitpicking than enjoying this story that fiction, especially in a traditional fabulist form, is loose. There is space for versions (Sisyphus is a fine example) and for unexplained details.

Even Penumbra & Annabel have space in them. Robin Sloan is not a slavish mimetic computer. We’re not counting rendering hexagons. Hopefully, we are the Writer. We observe, yet hold our tongue when the holding outweighs the wagging.

cheers–

By: Erica Jones

Erica Jones — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 19:19:12 +0000

Lovely story. Gripping. Fascinating. Perfect accompaniment to a soon to be stormy Saturday morning.

By: Mark Ross

Mark Ross — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 08:56:24 +0000

@Robin and @eydryan: Well, I thought it pretty obvious that the writer was in fact the seated statue of the ending. He is “really” a statue now as he either died or is as close to death as the curse would allow. Worked for me.

Enjoyed it very much — thank you.

By: Joshua Dance

Joshua Dance — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:20:06 +0000

Great story. Loved how the writer actually chose his fate. Great stuff.

By: Max

Max — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:37:16 +0000

Very nice story.

By: Elinor

Elinor — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 23:56:41 +0000

A tear is falling on my keyboard, which is not something you want to have happen at work but is welcome nonetheless. Beautiful!

By: Peter

Peter — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:22:12 +0000

“Yes, around Concord” — attributed to Thoreau, on being asked if he “traveled much”

By: robin

robin — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 20:46:55 +0000

Wow, @eydryan, I’m impressed w/ your insistence on continuity. You raise an interesting question… Maybe he had one step left, one step still unused, and so the writer is still alive, barely, in whatever tomb they put him in.

Or maybe they put his ashes in the river (that seems more likely) and so somehow he persists, now part of the water itself?

By: eydryan

eydryan — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 20:18:00 +0000

nice story but if you excuse my criticism it ends quite… abruptly. the old man is old, but not dead… technically he cannot die unless he walks until his bones turn to dust.

it’s not a big point, just that the whole story is of a buddha-like person just sitting in one spot and then he just leaps and miraculously dies… a bit too convenient.

and the snake falls out of nowhere too. why was it so big? and so on…

anyway i enjoyed it and indeed you can write but I loved the tech-infused penumbra’s a bit better.

By: Sister Bear

Sister Bear — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 13:58:21 +0000

worth the wait for we kindle-less folks!

By: Matt Penniman

Matt Penniman — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 04:06:05 +0000

I like this even better than Penumbra’s. Fable is a good form for you.