Comments on: Potential

By: Nicolas Papaconstantinou

Nicolas Papaconstantinou — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 10:12:50 +0000

Thankyou, sir! It’s half deliberation, half mischief, half accidental when I pull ambiguous wordplay like that out of the hat, so I’m never actually sure how it’ll go over!

By: Woz

Woz — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 15:14:11 +0000

What a difference one letter can make eh? The plural: ‘Chains’ rather than ‘chain’ really opened up the world of possibilities – from innocuous to ominous – reinforced by the earlier character types. Pure class as ever my friend.

I guess good writing is often about the reader completing the story in their mind’s eye & becoming a part of it?

By: Nicolas Papaconstantinou

Nicolas Papaconstantinou — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 10:46:13 +0000

Glad you liked it, Rivka! You’ve taken away what I wanted from the piece, which is that you can take it however you like.

I can’t remember whether I intended the “chains” to be so loaded, but I like your read on it! I think I was referring to door-chains, so it’s fun to see it take on a life of its own!

By: Rivka Jacobs

Rivka Jacobs — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 02:33:35 +0000

Oh, another nice effort, short but to the point. What I find fascinating is how you’ve tapped in to the anxiety that we all feel when we stand on some strange front porch in front of a strange front door, but the last line reveals the narrator as someone, something else, as I read it. I mean, instead of the narrator being anxious even afraid hearing “chains” dragging to the door, he becomes patient and philosophical. The house will give up it’s secrets, making the reader wonder who is the more threatening, the guy behind the door or the guy outside of it.

By: georgelondon

georgelondon — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 17:16:31 +0000

Exactly. :-)

By: Nicolas Papaconstantinou

Nicolas Papaconstantinou — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 15:44:09 +0000

Aw, thanks, cuz… there is precedent, by the way, for stories based on other’s stories, so I wouldn’t worry about that!

But sometimes an idea just kind of grabs you, huh?

By: georgelondon

georgelondon — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 02:56:59 +0000

I liked this cuz. A stroll through… something… the pace is calm and everyday and… ‘ready’ without being poised to pounce. Well done on not reaching a conclusion for us!

I was actually tempted to pick this thread up with my piece instead of going for something unrelated – perhaps with whoever is inside the house or from your protagonist’s perspective. Felt a bit too presumptive. And then the other idea came and I went with that instead. :-)