I was thinking yesterday that it would be fun to write a book (ok, ‘fun’ is probably not the right word) in which computers and Internet email groups have magically appeared by the 1860 or a little earlier. A discussion group naturally spawns to discuss Dickens, and members adopt noms from his books. As with some current groups I’ve seen, a spinoff group forms in order to take Off-Topic discussion off the main group....and we see the Civil War through their conversation. The writing could mix the misspellings rife in Civil War letters with some current Internet phrases and acronyms. i think a lot of reading original letters would be required as preliminary research.
Another book would be a love story set *after* the relationship has begun and solidifed -- sort of what ‘Mad About You’ did for TV shows, though I was never crazy about that show. If a story is supposed to solve a problem, as I said yesterday, then here is one; anyone who’s been there knows that maintaining a marriage (or its moral equivalent) is more of an adventure than just beginning one.
Actually, the one author I know of who’s done that very well is Lynn Johnston, the creatorb of the For Better or For Worse comic strip. Maybe that’s why it’s the only strip that can bring me to tears. It’s not just the obvious parts like the dog Farley’s death or Lawrence’s struggles with his homosexuality, but seeing Gordon and Tracy overcome abusive childhoods and doing so well with their own children and business, seeing Grandpa Jim deal with losing the love of his life, and of course just seeing Elly and John continuing to love and to deal with whatever happens from day to day.
Of course, once I go back home at the end of March, I’ll be lucky to write in here and keep up with my email, let alone get anything longer done.
Posted by dichroic at March 14, 2001 12:35 PM