DoctorBanzai wrote:I am wondering about the apparent shift in content. Early stories are very odd, and stray quite far from what would be considered "mainstream" work, but a number of more recent presentations, this one included, have been leaning more and more towards mainstream sci-fi or horror. While I enjoy these, I am wondering if this is an intentional shift in order to appeal to a broader audience, or if this is merely my impression.
The presentation that these are "strange stories" still applies, as sci-fi and horror typically fall into the realms of "strange", but they are by no means really the "atypical" type of stories that the earliest episodes are leaning towards.
Thanks for the feedback! As a fellow listener of the 293 episodes released, and something of an insider, I'll share my perspective.
I do not think that it is merely your impression; I also have observed the shift. To my mind, nothing of it qualifies as an intentional editorial practice, and on no level has there been a mindful move from fringe to center. I would imagine some folks around Drabble'land would go so far as to argue against the existence of a shift completely (
Spidersong,
Pop Quiz or
Betty Flesh are as weird and playful as DC has ever been). But to continue, albeit as a partial devil's advocate, I would ascribe the observable shift to two major shaping trends.
One: fan preference. If you look at the stories that get nominated for year's best, this year and years past, they are 'fuller' more 'dramatic' stories. Stories with a central thread, an 'eventful' plot, like that heard in
(..) Charles Ward or
Judgement Passed, seem most desired. That is not to say such stories are uniform, lack depth, or are without strangeness, but just that similarities are present, and said similarities seem to drive positive reception. More abstract stories, like the wonderful work of Frank Key, or conceptual stories, like say
#233 – A Blade Of Love, or
#246 - Kidney, what I would term DC's 'weirdest,' receive fewer comments, shorter discussions, and are seldom nominated for people's choice. We run them, and always will, but their response would seem to indicate the Drabblecast audience prefers what you might consider 'mainstream' and I think it is impossible to ignore what ultimately proves popular with the audience when commissioning and/or contracting authors.
Second: donations and growth. When the Drabblecast was in its first 50 episodes, many stories were from our editors (sometimes under pseudonyms), personal friends of the show, or the public domain. The pay rate was much less. As the Drabblecast gained in popularity, and donations, it had access to more stories, and it was able to more thoroughly dictate its content. While I love a scrappy, simpler story like
#3 – Next Stop, or
#8 - Epiphany, I think pieces like
#206 - Creature and
#256 – Roanoke, Nevada are where the Drabblecast has always been heading. It is not a 'new' choice, just a new climate, and one that is closer to DC's aspirations all along.
I hope my thoughts have been of interest. Thanks again for your continued support!
