Try This: Parroting
Discover more from Chuck Palahniuk's Plot Spoiler
Try This: Parroting
Learn a new language as you write!
I used to be angry, now I’m just amused…
In the Comments sections of posts, those seemingly robot-driven ads used to annoy me. Those “Sexy Sexy! Pictures, check them out… earn $873,990.02 per hour from your laptop!” Those ads. However the more I see them—usually interrupting vital debate over climate change or whatnot—the more those ads charm me.
The quirkly numbers. Even the strange “cb36157” (see below) act as oddball punctuation. And the campy use of words like “greenbacks.” These days I seek out such intrusive ads and collect their strange language.
In time, it would be fun to write a love story—or any trite genre story—in the style of one of these robo ads, protracted. Readers will recognize the form and be amused to see it pushed to its limits. Below you’ll find one from today’s surfing:
I've actually made $19,480 in calendar month by simply working a few easy tasks at my laptop.~cb36157~As I lost my last business, I was so troubled but fortunately I have obtained this top task achieving this I can manage to obtain thousand of dollars just from home.~cb36157~Any individual can certainly avail this best opportunity and may receive more greenbacks online by going this site.
Consider writing a story in the style/voice/language of these strange ads. Or, when you find them, copy/paste them into the Comments below. We can create an inventory of the best examples. A prize or prizes will go out to the best of the best examples.
I’ll post more examples, below, as I find them.
Try This: Parroting
I see these all the time on Instagram:
“_hayden_paid I'm Paying 5 Grand For
The First 8 People To Message Me With
"ALIVE" Cus I Feel people Are Going
Through Hard Time Rn!!!!! God Bless Y'all”
I can imagine the proposition that these are not, in fact, robotic postings, but rather some poor sap that has been hired to do them. This poor sap is the protagonist of our story, and the regular text would then be punctuated by the various ads he posts (because he is telling this story while at work) sort of like the "I am Joe's...." and the ad text would degenerate as the protagonist falls apart.