June 2011 - The Island of Today

[De Batz]

Now then, it's a bit longer than the regulation 500 words for the competition, but it's on a theme of a journey, so here we go with The Island of Today.

 

I haven't proof-read this (properly), so if you read and and spot glaring howlers then please do let me know.

 

The Island of Today

[Lady Agatha]

Great story, I'd love to know how you got the idea for it! I didn't notice any howlers as I read it, but sometimes you don't when you're into a story. I liked how the narrator continually tried to justify his crazy participation in the scheme and why he went along with it. Just like you do when you know you've gone out of your depth. I would just like to have known how he met the sailor in the first place - where did they meet and under what circumstances?

Lady A

[De Batz]

I suspect that this could be something I keep adding to, expanding as I come up with bits of ideas that fit into it. The idea of the island is from the Umberto Eco book 'The Island of the Day Before' - I make no apology for the wholesale lifting of it, because the whole point is that the unnamed traveller is supposed to be some sort of Don Quixote figure who has read too much modern fiction and goes off in search of all these sort of magically real things that Eco, Borges and whoever else write about. Seeing as how Eco and Borges in particular are both obsessed with Don Quixote, it seems quite fitting to turn their idea round.

 

I struggled with the voice of the narrator; he is supposed to be young or naive, much less worldly than the narrative voice of some of my other short pieces. I'm more used to trying to elevate my writing to the voice of someone cleverer than I am! I'm glad it didn't grate too much... Anyway, thanks for reading and for the positive comments, and for the motivation to write it even if it doesn't fit the competition.

 

Andy