The Sunglass Set: Self-Analysis

Looking over this it’s not bad for something rushed out over three days. There was a gap of four days in between the first two. This was me deliberating on what would actually happen past the initial opening. I liked the idea and imagery of blindness, and not actually knowing anything about it – both from my point of view and the character. Of course the whole point of the story is to turn everything on its head. The perceived threat is from weirdos, outsiders, when really the threat is from the character himself – an unstable, confused individual who hasn’t a clue what’s changed about his circumstances. I wanted to capture a real sense of fear and survival instinct, something I don’t think I’ve ever really experienced. Well, self-preservation has kicked in a few times in my life and the adrenaline rush is a sickening feeling. I assume fearing for your life is a little like that. Of course I had to throw in a literary device to explain what the main character could not – what was actually happening. So, I step up as the all-explaining narrator. It’s stupid and jarring, but it’s the only way I could think of to do it. On reflection I could’ve posted it as a police report, except that wouldn’t have had the dramatic effect of Stefan’s escape. Again, on reflection, that probably wasn’t necessary. A police report would’ve worked so much better. Still, I quite LIKE the jarring effect the break has – it’s almost spiteful and condescending of poor Stefan, a man who has wandered into something he will never understand or comprehend. The whole point of this brief, wild journey is to make sure you’re as disorientated as he is. There are so many things flung at you that it practically makes no sense. Of course this is mainly due to the time limit and giving myself a rather sharp twist. You don’t have to search for holes as they’re gaping – I even point one out, the bus driver. How did he not notice that Stefan wasn’t wearing sunglasses? To rationalise it to myself, I simply assumed – as I hope you did – that we just don’t take enough notice of each other. This was another theme that was awakened in me, even before I started writing. Should we take more notice of each other? Should we be conversing and interacting more as a race? Of course we should. I think it’s drastically important and that’s the reason I started writing this particular tale. In the end, it’s a story of miscommunication. Why did the men sit down instead of talking to Stefan? Because they hadn’t a clue how to approach him with this information. As the narrative explains, there had been experiences of similar confused souls wandering into this world before and there was no etiquette on how to deal with them. They’re easy to spot, but not so easy to deal with. Sitting down meant the characters were not alarming Stefan. Unfortunately, the over eager do gooders caused the mess that led to Stefan running. Again, the wrong approach because we don’t communicate well. AS for the bus driver – well, in the back of my mind he’s already taking Stefan to the hospital, and that’s why he allows the two men on – he wants everything to be normal until the professionals can get to him. Of course, none of this is particularly clear – even to me, until I finished and re-read it. That’s the problem with short fiction, it can go without explanation. This one doesn’t and nor will the others. I hope you enjoyed reading it regardless. Hell, it’s pretty poor but I like some of the turn of phrases, imagery and the rollercoaster ride of it all. It was fun to write. It’ll be nice to come back to the first person delivery some time later in the year. For now, onward to new territory.