I was first introduced to this idea on Jeffrey Callison's Sacramento NPR radio interview show called Insight. He interviewed Jason Sinclair Long about his blog "Flash Fiction 365". You can hear the interview here.
The challenge is to write a micro-story each day. The length of the story is determined by throwing a pair of dice, preferably of different colors. One color represents the tens digit and the other the ones digit. So the story can be from 11 to 66 words. Of course some lengths are left out using this method. You could also use one die and throw it twice. Or use a die with 8 sides. Or you can do what I did and create a random number generator in Excel. This method doesn't miss any of the numbers. Mine will return a random number between 11 and 99. I am happy to share the formula if you email me.
The title is not part of the word count. Most word processors have a word count function that is very useful. You can start with a title or add it later or you can have someone suggest a title. Even though the original idea is to write a story, I plan to include poetry and perhaps essay.
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Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Story: 22
Words: 65
Title: Synthia 2
Synthia became aware of the lab once more.
She wondered, “Did I dream?” She couldn’t recall.
There was only silence and no one to watch. She calculated that her last period of awareness had been ten hours ago. But time intervals now consisted of meaning as well as data; time had evolved into a concept. She heard their familiar voices and something inside her smiled.
Comment: I am drawn to write more about Synthia. I find the concept of an emerging consciousness fascinating. Somehow I am in that evolving mind, seeing out, and reporting the results. You may need to read story 21 first for this one to make sense.
Words: 65
Title: Synthia 2
Synthia became aware of the lab once more.
She wondered, “Did I dream?” She couldn’t recall.
There was only silence and no one to watch. She calculated that her last period of awareness had been ten hours ago. But time intervals now consisted of meaning as well as data; time had evolved into a concept. She heard their familiar voices and something inside her smiled.
Comment: I am drawn to write more about Synthia. I find the concept of an emerging consciousness fascinating. Somehow I am in that evolving mind, seeing out, and reporting the results. You may need to read story 21 first for this one to make sense.
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I suggest more precision in the technical deatils, that is, the time interval should be specified to the minute, possibly to the second (this might be a dumb suggestion given that you've only got 65 words). Also, let the concept continue to grow: "time was evolving into a concept."
ReplyDeleteThat something inside her has developed an ability to smile is excellent.
I thought this was going to happen for me:
ReplyDeletea jillion implicit questions would singe
my awareness, adding to a nervous excitement
about the whole issue of the meaning of consciousness, of self, of science, not to mention, my relationship with you. Will my comments, questions (and stuff like this sentence) be disquieting?, naive?, will you feel like I am tinkering with your story ... :)
That said, one item is the idea that awareness is the effect (an emergent phenomenon) of neurons, which many have questioned, and certainly the _panpsychists_ would say no, that it's something inherent in all of existence, organic or inorganic. Awareness would already have been there for Synthia :)
Noticing that the meaning of time, and the meaning of meaning, the meaning of birth, and the meaning of "inside" are also challenging.
I think David makes a good point to yours, about something emerging inside of -you- :)
So yes, let Synthia grow as she grows up. It's a platform on which to speak to all of these issues.
The Synthia story certainly adds to my nervous excitement!
Edwin