For Steve's Eyes Only
Regarding the contest
Hey, Steve, thanks for the suggestion about a panel of writers judging the next iteration of Story Nights.
For this first year I really wanted to put faces with names, and for people to rub elbows. In the early years of my writing career I only knew people over the telephone. Here I wanted to see and hear as many writers as possible. And for those writers to “meet” each other. Everything is an experiment.
Not every experiment is a big success. For the Rant tour I shipped six-foot, very heavy rubber boa constrictors to each event. But when I threw them into the audience the snakes clotheslined people around the neck and knocked them to the floor. Not a great look, beating people with boa constrictors. We live and learn.
Getting clotheslined, or even better - a black eye, at a Chuck Palahniuk reading feels very on-brand
Full transparency: I am the aforementioned Steve.
Except for a fistful of schmucks trying to rig things here, I think everyone agrees Story Night has been an incredibly motivating and solid learning experience. Anaconda or no anaconda—a huge success.
Huge.
Watching and listening to people shuck their stuff "in front of a live studio audience" has been great.
An aside: in the absence of audience many "creatives" throw in the towel. I don't think that's the case here.
I hope everyone hangs in and keeps working. I have no doubt great things
are on the horizon.
And in closing; huge kudos triple plus to Chuck and the SN facilitators.
PS Competition gamers: ttfn