I apologize in advance. You'll understand after you read it.
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In the factory that makes teddy bears, there are rosy-cheeked women who stuff the soft padding into the fur. They laugh and tell each other about their grandchildren.
In the factory that makes teddy bears, artists paint bright-patterned bow-ties and miniature jackets. They smile and have comradely contests to see who can make the most delightful mixture of colors.
In the factory that makes teddy bears, there is a sad-faced old man with a hammer. As each fluffy body passes by his station and sits up, blinking with the wonder of the new world, he swings the hammer once, sharply.
The Work That Must Be Done
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Scattercat
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eric_marsh
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Re: The Work That Must Be Done
Very well written - poor, poor Teddy Bears!
Life is a tragedy for those who feel, but a comedy to those who think. - Horace Walpole
Eric's Drabbles: http://eric-marsh.blogspot.com/"
Eric's Drabbles: http://eric-marsh.blogspot.com/"
Re: The Work That Must Be Done
A drabble made of crushed innocence. Why apologize?
Remember the millions of smiling children who will cuddle these cute corpses.
Remember the millions of smiling children who will cuddle these cute corpses.
Never judge anyone until you have biopsied their brain.
"Be kind, for everyone is fighting a hard battle."
Known Some Call Is Air Am
"Be kind, for everyone is fighting a hard battle."
Known Some Call Is Air Am
Spoiler:
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isfullofcrap
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Re: The Work That Must Be Done
Me likey.
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The Build A Bear people wouldn't let me record a custom squeeze-message.
I see nothing wrong with: "The next time you leave the knife drawer open, I'm cutting my wrists."
Damn toymaking fascists.
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The Build A Bear people wouldn't let me record a custom squeeze-message.
I see nothing wrong with: "The next time you leave the knife drawer open, I'm cutting my wrists."
Damn toymaking fascists.
-ls/cm
"And, as always, keep it brief."
"And, as always, keep it brief."
Re: The Work That Must Be Done
Brilliant! Norm, get this one into a 'cast NOW!
http://www.apoGrypha.blogspot.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
What would have been written.
What would have been written.
Spoiler:
Re: The Work That Must Be Done
I listened to the Drabblecast containing this today....BRAVO! Not your typical anthropomorphic toy story...focusing on the employees..brilliant. Almost a Twilight Zone ending, but again, focusing on the people...again, well done.
I delight in the precision and brevity of Drabbles. Much like a comic strip (the single most underappreciated artform out there) you have to set it up, develop it and exicute it in a very brief span of time. The beauty is in what is left out...what is understood by the reader...what is inferred...and then, of course, de-railing that.
I look forward to these Drabbles, and I must say, this one is my favorite.
Mike Boris
I delight in the precision and brevity of Drabbles. Much like a comic strip (the single most underappreciated artform out there) you have to set it up, develop it and exicute it in a very brief span of time. The beauty is in what is left out...what is understood by the reader...what is inferred...and then, of course, de-railing that.
I look forward to these Drabbles, and I must say, this one is my favorite.
Mike Boris
http://www.MikeBorisAudio.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Scattercat
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Re: The Work That Must Be Done
Glad you enjoyed it!
(There are, it may be pointed out, over 570 others like it at Mirrorshards, now in its 19th month of mostly uninterrupted functioning. I tend to post here only if I'm particularly pleased or if I think the forums will especially enjoy one, but I write one every day. They're not all a good fit with the culture of the forums, and I know Norm has expressed a preference for ones that end properly while I, left to my own devices, tend more often than not to trail off significantly rather than put anything like a clear resolution in. Still, if this one's your favorite, perhaps your second favorite is in the Mirrorshards archives somewhere...)
In re: actual points raised, I think that compressed forms are very good practice for learning what is truly necessary in a story. There's a lot of fluff that adds flavor, definition, and full-bodied complexity to a work of writing, but it does tend to boil down to a few key elements, artfully arranged.
I recall an apocryphal tale of a Zen calligraphy master who set his student to studying one particular ideogram, painting it over and over and over. The student worked more and more carefully each day, taking longer and longer, and each time the master told him to go back and start over.
Then, one day, a customer came to purchase a scroll from the famed calligraphy master. He wanted the same ideogram. The master picked up the brush, dipped it in the ink, concentrated for a brief moment, and then, in a few quick and economical strokes, dashed out the ideogram perfectly. The man left, pleased, but the student was incensed and confronted his master. "How could you charge so much for something you did with so little effort?"
The answer was: "I charge for all I have studied to let me do so."
Of course, I give mine away for free. Not sure what that means.
(There are, it may be pointed out, over 570 others like it at Mirrorshards, now in its 19th month of mostly uninterrupted functioning. I tend to post here only if I'm particularly pleased or if I think the forums will especially enjoy one, but I write one every day. They're not all a good fit with the culture of the forums, and I know Norm has expressed a preference for ones that end properly while I, left to my own devices, tend more often than not to trail off significantly rather than put anything like a clear resolution in. Still, if this one's your favorite, perhaps your second favorite is in the Mirrorshards archives somewhere...)
In re: actual points raised, I think that compressed forms are very good practice for learning what is truly necessary in a story. There's a lot of fluff that adds flavor, definition, and full-bodied complexity to a work of writing, but it does tend to boil down to a few key elements, artfully arranged.
I recall an apocryphal tale of a Zen calligraphy master who set his student to studying one particular ideogram, painting it over and over and over. The student worked more and more carefully each day, taking longer and longer, and each time the master told him to go back and start over.
Then, one day, a customer came to purchase a scroll from the famed calligraphy master. He wanted the same ideogram. The master picked up the brush, dipped it in the ink, concentrated for a brief moment, and then, in a few quick and economical strokes, dashed out the ideogram perfectly. The man left, pleased, but the student was incensed and confronted his master. "How could you charge so much for something you did with so little effort?"
The answer was: "I charge for all I have studied to let me do so."
Of course, I give mine away for free. Not sure what that means.
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Omino Pascal
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Re: The Work That Must Be Done
Nice pull back and reveal. Reminds me of an episode of Futurama.
Re: The Work That Must Be Done
yes i saw tomorrow it is really pull back..Omino Pascal wrote:Nice pull back and reveal. Reminds me of an episode of Futurama.