You readers of The Flying Cloud are noted for your keen powers of observation, penetrating intelligence, timeless wisdom, and razor-sharp wit! So you will surely have noticed that this is actually three sites: The Flying Cloud, R-505, the List of Interesting Things, the Online Writing List, and Flight to the Borderlands. Wait a second… one two three four… make that four sites. Borderlands is, of course, complete. Though I may someday tell the tale of the next flying trip to Big Sur if there is sufficient demand. And I have plans for Online Writing. This leaves the Flying Cloud and Things.
When I began them, both were equally popular — indeed, Things may even have had the edge, thanks to those ever-popular Vikings. But the world moves on, and now more seem to prefer Captain Everett and his crew. Indeed, some of you have even asked if The Flying Cloud could appear twice a week.
This is surely possible, though it might have to wait for Season Two, when I hope to replace the primitive HTML and iframes (ick) with a for-real server-side content management system… and also master the use of fire. But since there is a limit to fast I can create graphics, this would almost come at the expense of new Things. So the question I have for you, Noble Readers, is…
…which would you prefer? Are you happy with the current schedule of Flying Cloud on Mondays and a new Interesting Thing every Thursday, or would you gladly sacrifice a few things so you could have more clouds in your lives? (Hmm… that didn’t come out quite the way I expected.) Let me know, and consider your choice wisely, for the future of humanity may hinge upon your decision!
How could this happen, you ask? Well… Earth could get invaded by aliens who threaten to consume us as food animals if we can’t provide them with airship stories. Or some powerful blimp-like life-form could evolve that Really Enjoys reading humorous essays about our administrative procedures.
Hi, Paul! Just discovered this site of yours a few days ago; not sure you’d remember me from a few of your Eighth World games. Regardless, I’m an airship stories fan. Cheers!
I cruised through “Interesting Things” one time and went “Okay that was interesting”, then went back to reading “Cloud”. I found “I.T.” kind of hit-and-miss, while “Cloud” is interesting at all times, and often positively riveting.
Your adventures in the “borderlands” are frightening. Having been through many near-death experiences myself, my daredevil days are over, and I do not enjoy real life thrills as much as solid fiction. I am glad you survived, of course, and if others want to hear about your experiences, more power to you and them. Personally, I much prefer your fiction.
I confess I haven’t had a chance to read anything from your “online reading list” but I hope to, and thank you very much for providing it.
Looking back, I realize I didn’t quite answer your question. To wit: I would prefer more “Cloud”, with a caveat.
Unlike many, I am a patient reader. I know that writing is not like manufacturing widgets or plastic tubing, to be extruded to spec in a given length on a given schedule. It awaits the muse and other factors in life, and forcing it only produces hack. Rather than shriek “MOAR”, I would say, quality over quantity. Keep up the good work, at whatever rate you are comfortable with.
I too prefer the Flying Cloud story. I have been looking at the ToC page a couple times a week in hopes of seeing a new episode published.
Thanks for the great reading.
–
Steve
There seems to be a growing consensus that Interesting Things… really isn’t all that interesting. And I must say I’d rather spend more time on The Flying Cloud and leave the production of off-the-wall humor to the likes of Gary Larson and Glen Baxter. But Kona has raised a good question about pace. Is it possible to produce two episodes a week — each with its own time-consuming graphic — and still maintain the same quality? I’ll know more when I see how much material I have in hand at the beginning of Season Two.
One major question is episode length. I settled upon this arbitrary 1000-word limit because I felt that anything longer might be too much to read in a single sitting — an essential attribute of web fiction and cliff-hangers. As Ken Kzak noted, this has required some awkward sacrifices in dialogue and description. What do you all think about this length? Is this a tad too long? A tad too short? One possibility would be to retain more material, but follow the traditional strategy of 1930s radio dramas and split some episodes in two.
The “radio drama” format is fun to read, and hopefully to write. However, I for one don’t require a cliffhanger at the end of every episode to be lured into checking back next week. I think of the episodes more as chapters in a book, which may or may not end with a mini-climax, and are merely convenient breaking points in the continuing series.
On the other hand, one of the interesting aspects of writing I’ve found is that the discipline of conforming to a particular genre or style enhances the enjoyment of both the creator and the audience. Like with rhyme and meter in poetry, when certain rules are followed, mere words become music to the ear and the soul. It’s the structure of rules that transforms a melee into a ball game, and so it is with writing.
Perhaps because I didn’t grow up with radio dramas, I didn’t recognize the style right away. If I had, I wouldn’t have thought it odd that you included a mini-recap of preceding events in each episode. A more oblique reference to those events once in awhile would probably suffice to keep readers up to speed. As for the length of the episodes, I think they are about right. I hope you will keep the graphics, even if they do take time from your writing. As Alice said, “Where is the use of a book without pictures?”
Paul,
Flying Cloud is #1 with me. Once a week is adequate though.
“Stay tuned every Sunday night…”
Where creativity is required, I’d rather a delay than poor quality or a burned out author. I like the format, but as I was saying elsewhere, treat the 1000 words as a guide not a hard rule, but yes, if a plot segment needs much more length, then split it into two episodes.
I like Interesting Things, but there’s no real reason to keep it on a firm schedule.
It looks like the votes are overwhelmingly in favor of more Clouds and fewer Things. But you’re quite right about burnout, Ken. My experience is that if one isn’t careful, it can strike quite quickly, by surprise, rather like… I dunno… a ninja with night vision goggles on a quiet but extremely powerful electric scooter. Well, perhaps that isn’t a very plausible metaphor, but you get the idea.
The test will whether I can build up the necessary a 4-8 week reserve of chapters and graphics before the beginning of Season Two. If the answer is ‘yes’, I may give biweekly a try, at least for a month, and see how it goes. If the answer is ‘no’, this would suggest that the heavier schedule is unrealistic, and I’ll stick with once per week.
Of course, there’s also the possibility of forsaking that informal 1000-word limit, splitting the longer episodes into two as you suggest, and making some of those bi-weekly, with a ‘monday’ and a ‘thursday’ chapter. Hmm…
On the one hand, Flying Cloud is the site that I have bookmarked, and visit once a week, the rest I occasionally look at, so I’d love more Clouds. On the other hand, quality is more important than quantity, and I’d rather things stayed as they are than find you’ve overstretched yourself trying to produce Clouds twice a week. After all, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
The Flying Cloud serial is excellent and I would like to see more of this in preference to IT, should a choice be necessary. I would have no difficulty with pieces longer than 1000 words, but would agree with some of your other respondees in preferring quality to quantity.