I anticipated it would happen…as soon as the last big events were done, I would fall ill.
I watched friends get the seasonal flu, or even H1N1 while I was prepping for the festivals and hoped hard that I would dodge the bullets, knowing full well in the lull before Christmas that I had no where left to duck. So it hit me this weekend, and although being sick sucks, at least it is not a terrible flu. It’s also -30C outside, and so I’ve taken the weekend to sleep and read - how often do I want to do that and never get the time, eh?
I do miss skiing right now, and physical exercise, but I figure I’ll hit the climbing gym and the Nordic loops just that much harder when it warms up in a few days.
In the meantime, I have an opportunity to dig up a few thoughts on the topic that is interesting me more and more: the future of storytelling. Now that I’m done the big book project, and have been enjoying working on very short stories (this is what the Alipinst said of my latest):
Subscribers may remember the short fiction piece in Alpinist 28 entitled “Last Ascent.” The story, one of the most poignant and imaginative philosophical tales we’ve published, was written by Jerry Auld, whose debut novel was shortlisted for the Boardman Tasker Prize this year. Hooker and Brown is a romp through the Canadian Rockies that follows a geology student who becomes fascinated by the myth of two imaginary 16,000’ peaks. Though fictionalized, the basis for this historical mystery is a true story.
and I’ve had the ability to read a lot more diverse works and to look at different perspectives. What a cool time to be an emerging writer! So much could be changing and there is the opportunity to be in the forefront of that. As well, I truly believe that the reports of publishing’s death are overstated, and in fact the industry will come out stronger - albeit with much trimming and painful change. Check out this stat on where people get their words from:
There were some interesting articles that I have come arcoss lately. The first is this one about book trailers, kinda funny. Money quote:
The conventional wisdom is that we’re living in the era of the death of the book. This is, of course, ridiculous. We live at a time of unprecedented literacy. People love to read. They read all the time. You are, right now, in the middle of reading this.
But I have to say, after seeing the following “book trailer,” I’m starting to feel like the death of the publishing industry is long overdue:
Then there is this one, which I want to stress, is sort of revealing but not at all how I think things should work. When the editors hire the publisher.
For me, I see the future increasingly in partnerships, and I think that is, at heart, what the intranet is opening up and pushing creators and publishers towards.
