Comments on: CLOUDCUTTER • by Bill Ward

By: billwardwriter.com » Blog Archive » Every Day Fiction: Six Months of Stories

Sun, 21 Sep 2008 06:17:13 +0000

[...] Cloudcutter — Interesting reactions to this story. Many who don’t like science fiction appreciated the lyricism of the language, though some who were not familiar with sci-fi tropes had some trouble discerning what was going on. Charlie is a bit of an unreliable narrator in that he isn’t going to dwell on the obvious parts of his life for the benefit of an audience — just as you wouldn’t go out of your way to describe the face you see in the mirror every day as human. The story is about dreams, really, about how our identity is in large part determined by what we long for. Possibly my favorite story on this list. [...]

By: Nik Hawkins

Nik Hawkins — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 19:30:46 +0000

Another good one, Bill. Admittedly, I had to do a bit of extra thinking (and second guessing) to determine exactly what the protagonist is, but I don’t mind a story that makes me think.

By: B.Teuscher

B.Teuscher — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 04:11:32 +0000

Very nice world you’ve created, Bill.
I disagree with anon’s expectations for what a good story/writer must explain. The best at the craft will paint a picture with graceful strokes, stoking the imagination of the reader, offering a glimpse of worlds which may defy simple explanation.

In short, continue creating worlds. Leave the encyclopedias to academics.

Thanks.

By: Nicholas O

Nicholas O — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 07:06:53 +0000

Nice work, Bill.

My take on Charlie was that he’s a dog who’s been genetically and cybernetically modified.

But I’ll grant that, for readers unfamiliar with the tropes of sci-fi, that’s a pretty big leap to make.