I love the last sentence. And I love stormy stories that seem to end on the head of a pin like this one. I also like the equal balance of the very physical with the metaphoric escape and existential toil. The introduction of the 'Boss' makes me think this is going into a neo-noir direction?
As for the Icarus reference, the myth is traditionally about hubris and flying too high; i wonder if Daedelus' example would have been better? In the story, the narrator’s struggle seems less about overambition and more about powerlessness and longing to be liberated. It's more Sisyphus than Icarus; eternal effort rather than reckless ascent. Though flying recklessly fits the running more than rolling up a heavy rock.
Thank you for the compliment and your feedback and ideas. I haven't thought too deeply about it, it's a "write into the dark" style piece. If I had to guess, the runner is the shadow self, full of creativity, and the ego is The Boss, caught up in endlessly trivial games and suppressing the Shadow, our true selves. It came out fully formed but I think my subconscious had something like that in "mind."
Do you like it enough to develop it further? I love the ending. It’s enough as it is. I get that feeling that we’ll all just keep running until we free ourselves from whatever we are running from or, ironically, towards. But you set the stage for an interesting world and you could build that metaphor.
Maybe. Everything I do in fiction is just whatever comes right now. I’m still refining my abilities and creativity. I’m strapped for time currently due to other projects and I’m finishing up a non-fiction book, but once all these projects wrap up in a few months to a year I hope to turn more time toward developing fiction.
This is great, so much detail, and yet so much mystery. Haunting, surreal, gripping. Great work Clint.
Thank you kindly.
I love the last sentence. And I love stormy stories that seem to end on the head of a pin like this one. I also like the equal balance of the very physical with the metaphoric escape and existential toil. The introduction of the 'Boss' makes me think this is going into a neo-noir direction?
As for the Icarus reference, the myth is traditionally about hubris and flying too high; i wonder if Daedelus' example would have been better? In the story, the narrator’s struggle seems less about overambition and more about powerlessness and longing to be liberated. It's more Sisyphus than Icarus; eternal effort rather than reckless ascent. Though flying recklessly fits the running more than rolling up a heavy rock.
Thank you for the compliment and your feedback and ideas. I haven't thought too deeply about it, it's a "write into the dark" style piece. If I had to guess, the runner is the shadow self, full of creativity, and the ego is The Boss, caught up in endlessly trivial games and suppressing the Shadow, our true selves. It came out fully formed but I think my subconscious had something like that in "mind."
Do you like it enough to develop it further? I love the ending. It’s enough as it is. I get that feeling that we’ll all just keep running until we free ourselves from whatever we are running from or, ironically, towards. But you set the stage for an interesting world and you could build that metaphor.
Maybe. Everything I do in fiction is just whatever comes right now. I’m still refining my abilities and creativity. I’m strapped for time currently due to other projects and I’m finishing up a non-fiction book, but once all these projects wrap up in a few months to a year I hope to turn more time toward developing fiction.