Corey: Yes—she’s one of the 4 or 5 SF writers considered ‘literary.’ Scott: ah the unknown again Scott: William Corey: Won the MacArthur genius grant a few years back. Nancy: i havent got to the SF in our library yet. But am going there now to check out some other authors and will see what there is of her William: good grant. Corey: Definitely worth looking for. Nancy: The MAcArthur sounds great! William: yeah Corey: It’s about a quarter million dollars, no strings. Scott: it beats a sharp stick in the eye William: yeah. good money. William: yeah. Nancy: or a sharp stick anywhere actually! William: i’ve gotta get one of them grants! Nancy: become a registered non pproffit and go for it! Scott: you just have to start writing some good stuff then there william William: yah Corey: Actually, the MacArthur isn’t for writers. William: no? William: what? just geniuses? Corey: It’s for anyone—the committee picks from all fields. Corey: Geniuses, anyone who’s made a unique contribution. William: so i better do some groundbreaking neurochemistry! Corey: It’s paid out over five years or so, lets the people work without worrying about paying their rent. Corey: That’ll do. Nancy: But one must apply for it right? I wonder why she was surprised to get it.. Corey: Nope. Corey: They are given. Corey: No applications. William: I don’t think you have to apply, you just have to be a genius. Corey: Sort of like a prize patrol. Nancy: Whoa! Nancy: I am impressed! William: Geniuses are rare, mind you. Corey: The year she got it, they were pretty sure they were giving it to a SF writer. Corey: Very. :grin: Corey: All right, I need to get going. Feel free to hang out and chat—that’s what the room’s here for. Corey: If you want more information of SF authors, let me plug my own site... Scott: thanks Corey Corey: http://fantasy.miningco.com William: we’ll sweep the room out before we leave Corey: Take care, Scott. Drop me an email if you want chat tips, I’ll see if I can write something up. Did a pretty good job. Corey: And thanks again for inviting me. Nancy: Corey, nice meeting you! Scott: Glad you were here. Corey: Nice to met you, too, Nancy! (And William) William: Scott, thank you man, this was amazing! Corey: Any time, just let me know in advance—even if it’s not SF. (grin) (poof) William: I’ve always wanted to meet Octavia Butler. Scott: I still got stomach jitters. Want to see something funny, Corey? William: Nancy: Corey is gone but we do Scott: www.uc.edu/user/unknown/macarthur.htm Scott: If you hit your surf button. That’s me and William, and Dirk. William: Ah Nancy: Will be checking that out. Thanx Scott: unmasked Scott: So Wm. you like the chat? William: Yeah. I missed some key moments, though. William: On the whole, it was a great pleasure for me. Scott: We should do an unknown chat soon William: What authors does she read? Miised that... William: Missed, soory William: sorry, sorry Scott: Alvarez, ah, Philip K. Dick William: Your job is way harder than I thought. William: Nancy seems nice, though. Scott: Yeah, I hope it was a good experience for her. Nancy, you are nice. William’s right. William: I think you did good tonight. Let me know when the next chat is and this time I’ll read up. Scott: Now I gotta get ready to interview T.C. Boyle Monday. Scott: And I still don’t have his book. William: In the meantime, I’ll be looking for some O. Butler tomorrow at the 3rd-best university library in the U.S.A. William: I hope you wear a tie to interview Boyle. William: Even online. Scott: No way man. William: C’mon. Scott: In person. I’ll wear the tweed, open collar, no tie. William: You’re the Beatles of online literary criticism. Wear a tie. And get the haircut. Scott: I’m growing a beard, btw. Kate: hello William: hello Kate: my dog is sleeping. Kate: rejoice. Scott: Kate, you’re back Kate: quietly that is William: shh Scott: So you didn’t wanna hang with Octavia? William: it got crowded Kate: not when all of you were talking about things I had no frame of reference for. Kate: “ooh sorry I didnt make it to your reading” Kate: “we got lost in queens” Kate: not interesting at all Scott: That was just because I was embarassed I didn’t make it to her reading. Kate: maybe she didnt miss you Scott: not interesting? You missed all the good stuff. You’re probably right about her not missing me though Scott: I’m crying now Kate Kate: well i refuse to live in regret, so se la vie Kate: i think i butchered that. William: don’t cry Kate: ah well. William: French Scott: Is that French? William: French Kate: i believe so Kate: would you like a hanky? Kate: tears are unbecoming. William: It was a good interview. The writer seemed exhausted. Scott: So Kate what do you normally chat about? Metafiction? Kate: i chat about whatever I happen to think about William: Could someone fax Scott a hanky? Kate: i dont have a plan Nancy: its on its way Kate: is this ok with you? does it violate the laws of the warsaw pact? Nancy: the hanky Scott: I’m better now, they just finished the lobotomy. Kate: In brazil...... William: what was the warsaw pact again kat[i]e, i forget... Scott: So you’re in Brazil. Or are you talking about Terry Gilliam again? Kate: well, seeing as kate really isnt my name, i think it violetes the geneva convention Kate: again? William: oh no William: i’d just like to apologize Kate: well you better, i have some blackshirts over here. Scott: William’s real name is William. William: yikes Kate: i am channeling mussolini’s spirit tonight Kate: all in the honor of facsist states Scott: Internet nazis? I hate Internet nazis. William: mussolini is an excellent dish Kate: facsists and nazis are quite different William: i like veal mussolini Nancy: With white sauce Kate: facists dont goosestep William: yeah Scott: Let’s not get into semantics William: okay Nancy: ok. gravy Kate: oh, ok. back down sassuere Scott: Just kidding, we can get into semantics if you want William: how about phonetics? Kate: i hate butchering the french language Nancy: i am an anti semantic Kate: but alas, i dont grasp its intricacies William: yeah Kate: nor do i grasp punctuation Kate: but i blame nietszche for that. Scott: discombobulated. I like that word discombobulated. William: flabbergasted Kate: he frowned upon structure in language. it colored my views William: yeah Kate: heay William: uproarious Kate: smashing William: thrown for a loop William: taken aback William: stunned Scott: We’re here with William Gillespie. He’s a famous Champaign poet and performance artist. Kate: my mother was killed by being thrown for a loop William: sorry Kate: yes, it haunts me to this day Kate: my father on the other hand, was kiled by vienna sausages. William: i understand William: asphyxiated? Kate: im lying you know William: yeah William: or tourniqueted? Kate: i wander if vienna sausages violate the warsaw pact? William: i wander as i wonder Nancy: not if they are kosher.... Kate: let me get my monkey boy to find out! Oscar! Look into this! Nancy: and make it snappy bud! Scott: snappy bud? Kate: sigh. all he does is bang those cymbals together Kate: useless monkey boy Nancy: snappy comma bud, but we are not punctuating tonight William: bang Kate: yes, we have thrown punctutation to the wind Kate: is that considered littering? William: http://www.unknownhypertext.com/unknown.htm Nancy: which by the way is really strting to kick up around here William: yeah Kate: sorry Scott: Sometime we’ll have to have a real chat party and trash the room. William: could you please fax me some booze? Scott: Where’s your wind at there Nancy? Nancy: That is headed that way with scotts hanky Kate: my wind? Kate: i think its headed east William: good thing Nancy: No sorry. The booze. Nancy: Or panky...... William: hanky? Kate: my monkey boy drank all of my boze Scott: That would be technology Kate: he’s now passed out with an empty bottle of chivas in his paw William: is this nonlinear yet? Nancy: Trashed his cymbals William: yeah Kate: they certainly dont make money boys the way they used to Kate: monkey boys even Nancy: Tuxedo Unicorn, under the bridge William: yeah Kate: dman these cursed typo demons Kate: infesting my keyboard Kate: heh Kate: thats almost too perfect William: they’re all over you Kate: get it off me William: argh! Kate: heh William: i love the miningco! thanks to scott! Kate: how bizzare Kate: explain William: and kate! Scott: What’s bizarre? Kate: loving the miningco William: and Nancy! Nancy: certainly not this bunch Scott: yeah that’s strange. But Nancy’s cool. William: yeah Kate: how can you love a place that mines the net? it violates the multilateral agreement on investment Nancy: Nancy is in Alaska Nancy: Of course she is cool! William: I thought Scott’s boss was still here... Scott: I’m in Chicago. She’s gone now. William: whew! Nancy: That is another NAancy Nancy: Sorry! William: No, Melissa. William: No problem. Kate: I think its wanda Scott: That’s Melissa and she’s sweet. Nancy: This is nancy with a little n but someone welse was using it i guessw Scott: So Kate’s back after Kate left because she thought we were insular. Kate: i’ve been sunk in my own dementia for years now. Nancy: ankle deep William: those twisted and sick—sorry to hear that Kate - people William: like Z William: who just wanted the author to reccomend a single fucking book William: but she was elusive, yes William: recommend, sorry Scott: Yeah I thought maybe Z was not Z Kate: demons spread William: yeah. what tipped you off? William: scott? William: dmans Scott: Tell Z I said hi when you’re in Cinci. Z doesn’t read books, that’s why. William: yeah. he doesn’t have a computer either i’ll bet Scott: that too William: nor does he engage in online chats with novelists William: i’ll bet Scott: I doubt it. But he’s a good writer. William: yeah. proof of that exists in my notebook. William: or at least proof that he’s a writer. William: and a good one at that., Scott: that he can write Scott: did you want to add anything to the Markson page? Nancy: Who is Z? Kate: Zorro, nancy Kate: zorro William: yeah, i do Nancy: I thought that Scott: Z is a writer in Cincinnati Nancy: but it seemed too simple for this bunch William: yeah Nancy: And what is he doing in cinci? Scott: or a criminal. We’re not sure which Kate: liar! he rides around on a horse William: a horse? Nancy: white horse? Kate: and he keeps saying HEEE-YA for no apparents reason, and making a “z” with his rapier William: he has 3 dalmations Scott: Z has a very dramatic criminal lifestyle. Nancy: and a trusty sidekick William: they are named... (help me out here...) Scott: It makes for good reading. Kate: how do you know he doesnt just lie? Nancy: monkey boy Nancy: ! Nancy: nkey boy Scott: Because we write about it. He lives it. William: Nancy? Kate: uh. i think that’s called multiple personalities, but hey, Nancy: I’ve got it now! William: oh? Kate: i was looking for it Kate: thank god you’ve found it Scott: let’s see you got a URL on that William? William: on what? Scott: z Scott: the dalmations Kate: my pug is snoring Kate: loudly Nancy: im sorry to hear that William: a url on z? i haven’t finished my chapter about him for the unknown, if that’s what you mean..? Kate: im glad she’s sleeping. Kate: shes a demon William: pug? Kate: pug. William: yeah Kate: exactly William: Nancy, you should chack out the Unknown. You’d dig it to pieces, I know you would. Scott: let’s see ah www.uc.edu/user/unknown/102798.htm Kate: what are you talking about? Kate: is this stuff you’ve written? Nancy: i surfed there and found nothing but some broken words and typing which made no sense to me Scott: we’re hypertext novelists Nancy: was that it? William: http://www.uc.edu/user/unknown/brownline.htm William: bye Kate: how elusive Kate: maybe he’s batman Nancy: ESPECIALLY SINCE THEY LEFT OUT PART OF IT THE FIRST TIME! Kate: and they just flashed the batsignal William: go to the URL i just suggested and enjoy the watercolors of a mysterious artist who might be Kate Nancy: SORRY DIDNT MEAN TO SHOUT Nancy: it just goes on and on William: NO PROBLEM Nancy: BRB Kate: um, you cant fool me with your jedi mind tricks William: www.uc.edu/user/unknown/brownline.htm William: well, kate, BRB means be right back William: i guess William: scott? Kate: i didnt mean that William: which? Scott: yeah I think the chat thing surf thing doesn’t work quite right Kate: i meant the “enjoy the watercolors of a mysterious artsit who might be Kate” Scott: there’s a button that says surf Scott: Are you that Kate William: which Scott: Katie Kate: Kate is not my name William: shit Scott: Oh that’s right William: Kathryn? Kate: NOOOOooo Scott: how cloak and dagger. Nancy are you Nancy? William: sorry Kate: Must I condemn myself to redundancy? William: agent X? William: yes you must William: you must Kate: blast William: condemn yourself to redundancy William: redundancy William: redundancy Kate: no Kate: stop William: redundancy William: okay i’ll stop Kate: danke Scott: See for a minute I thought you were Katie. She’s an artist. But you’re clearly a writer. William: bitte Kate: how d'you know? William: Sterling said Scott: verbiage. It’s all in the verbiage. Kate: well, your quite mistaken Kate: you’re! Kate: damnit you’re! William: demons Kate: i hate grammar. Kate: and it hates me back William: yeah Scott: beware of Wm. He’s a grammar junky Kate: its been a long civil war Kate: many dead on both sides. William: yeah Kate: you wouldnt believe how many innocent nouns Ive killed Kate: not to mention prepositions and adverbs Kate: bienvenidos Scott: that means welcome, right? Nancy: As before it says no such file or directory Kate: if you want it to mean that, sure Kate: lets pretend to be structuralists! Scott: http://www.uc.edu/user/unknown/inthecar.htm —See if that works. Nancy: it says ERROR 404 as if it is an upper division class William: damn Kate: elitists! Scott: Are you in grad school, Kate? Kate: the masses will revolt! Kate: hardly. Scott: we don’t speak of stucturalism in polite society Kate: i dropped out of college. William: yeah Nancy: Are you guys just trying to get rid of me? William: you did? Nancy: Or is this a test of some kind? William: no, Nancy, we really did write a hypertext novel Kate: certainly did William: no Nancy: Thats it! and IQ test! Nancy: Am i passing it? Kate: no William: we did, we’re proud of it Kate: heh Nancy: Well why cant we find it? William: it will tell you more about us than we want you to know Kate: is that an editorial we? Scott: no. Nancy. hey take that last URL and paste it in a new window. Wait let me try something here. William: i’ll try to see if it’s up Nancy: yes an editorialwe stil lives in me tho i havent edited for many years Kate: maybe you should find it a new home? Nancy: it is looking on its own Kate: hmm. Nancy: but a bit fearful of being on its own Kate: well, sure, its a brave new world William: you’re right it doesn’t work William: damn! blast! Kate: curse it! William: Rettberg! Kate: cursing is fun! Kate: curse Kate: curse Nancy: will it be fixed later? William: I’m outraged! William: curse! William: Rettberg!! William: swear! Kate: for the love of god montressor! Nancy: rats! William: damn! Nancy: and damn! William: shinola! William: hell’s bells! Nancy: uFF DA!!! Scott: hang on I’m trying something Kate: cold cuts! Nancy: Uff da!!! William: Sorry, Nancy, we’re actually very quiet and literary. Nancy: Fy da! Nancy: me too Kate: heh Kate: fie Kate: fie upon thee William: I hardly ever use exclamation marks. Nancy: in a couple of languages William: Rettberg!!! Nancy: hence the uffda Nancy: and fy da Nancy: I am a retired construction worker Nancy: and so i know about swearing! Kate: a thousand injuries of nancy I had borne, but when she ventured upon cursing i vowed revenge Nancy: foiled again... William: seriously, though, we’re very serious hypertext novelists, and we have written a hypertext (that’s Poe, right?) novel we think you’d dig. Kate: but you would have gotten away with it, if ti werent for those meddling kids William: As soon as Rettberg comes out from under the hood we can fire it up for you. Nancy: I must have a novela round this place by now too Nancy: on index cards Nancy: stored in kleenex boxes Kate: please dont do that. William: really? What? Kate: you and your jedi powers William: oh there he goes Nancy: but it is for my eyes onl William: Kate, we may well be wasting your time... Kate: i dont like being forced to visit web pages I have not consented on viewing William: Nancy, we may well be wasting your time Kate: damn facsist hypertext novelists Kate: fie Kate: fie William: Damn! Blast! William: Argh! William: fascist William: Ahoy! Kate: okay William: Avast! Kate: i bookmarked it. i will view it at my leisure some otehr time Kate: otter time William: other Kate: very different than most time Scott: did that work? Kate: no. i meant otter William: otter, sorry Kate: FACIST!!!!! Kate: okay. I’m better now Scott: yes faces William: you’re the one who eats veal mussolini! Kate: with white sauce! Scott: so did that send browsers to sites William: where’s our damn hypertext, man? Kate: under my bed Scott: http://www.soa.uc.edu/user/tomorrow.htm Kate: im hoarding it William: goodness Scott: Kate kind of scares me. Kate: heh William: fax me another glass of cider Kate: good. its working Kate: another? Scott: ah so it just needed the http William: ah Kate: ha William: hear that, Nancy? William: Nancy? Kate: nancy’s dead Kate: she drank the cider William: Nancy... (or was it all a figment of my imagination?) Kate: i hope you didnt William: cider? Scott: Listen I ignored my neighbor famous Chicago magazine publisher Adam Richer earlier William: what do you mean ignored him? Kate: oh, so you’re a name dropper huh? Kate: fie fie William: blah Scott: he was knocking on the door and I was asking Octavia for advice for young writersso I should probably Kate: pander to him Scott: Oh yeah. Names like flies. William knows David Foster Krass-Mueller. Kate: and? Kate: i dont even know who that is William: who? Kate: nor do i know adam richer Scott: Cormac MacCarthy makes him cry. Kate: but its definately the thought that counts William: Me? Or Adam? Kate: dickens make me retch violently, but why compare notes? Scott: He’s not famous, really. William: Or Krass-Mueller? William: Krass-Mueller don’t cry Scott: no he’s famous Scott: though he doesn’t cry Kate: who cares? Scott: Except in his sleep. Kate: tears are unbecoming William: me Kate: ok Scott: You’re a hard one Kate. Kate: evidentally William: yeah Kate: i’m waiting for the stones Scott: Well this was fun. We’re here talking with famous hypertext novelist William Gillespie about his new book Uke Scott: ukile William: the Rolling Stones? Scott: how do you spell that, Wm. that instument? Kate: no, stones, as in stoning to death William: (nice try spelling ukelele) William: As an underappreciated band once sang: Scott: Ukeleles That Made Me Cry Kate: a ukelele killed my sister William: Men were executed/women bled/beads and fish changed hands and children stayed up late/uh-huh/soldiers crossed their hearts and died and pretty girls turned cold inside but now they’re gone/uh-huh/and only the stones remain...” William: pretty gross, huh? Kate: sounds real William: yeah Kate: which is better than sugar-coated lies Scott: Adam’s happy now. He’s working on the cover. William: “As darkness is the shore of light / the truth is framed with lies / and a girl can smile sweetly though her mouth is stuffed with flies...” William: I’ll stop quoting bands now. Scott: It’s got a cool dog on it wearing a flavor flav style clock. Kate: fitting William: yeah William: bye Scott: you taking off there Wm.? William: no, Nancy was Kate: i thought he was speaking to nancy William: I was Kate: you were! William: I was1 William: I mean: I was! Kate: !!!!! I’ve heard a nasty rumor that exclaimations denote ecitement William: Whoo!! Kate: not only that, but excitement as well William: yeah!!! Scott: denouement William: resolution Kate: its all down hill from here Scott: vagary William: whoosh! Kate: sigh William: vagrancy Kate: do i scare you really? William: oof! William: nah Kate: do i send chills up your spine? William: okay, yeah Kate: that scares me Scott: That’s still my favorite line in the hypertext. Vagary? What is Vagary? William: i’ll look it up. hold on. Scott: You scare the shit out of me. Kate: well, you as an adult you shouldhave better control of your bowels Scott: But in a nice way. William: An extravagant or erratic notion or action. See Synonyms at CAPRICE Scott: vagary. Kate: you and my puppy are in the same state of potty training, i guess William: where in the hypertext is vagary? Scott: no that’s scatology William: where? Kate: well in to use the parlance of our times Scott: http://www.uc.edu/user/unknown/transcript1.htm Kate: how long have you cats been hypertext novelists? Scott: five and a half months. Before that we were just writers. Kate: actually write something? William: nah Kate: thought so. William: we just got degrees Kate: heh Scott: Or at least talk about writing it and then do a hypertext instead. Yeah. William: yeah Scott: And we got a book too. How are we gonna publish that btw Wm. Kate: diy Scott: 100% more or less. Kate: te lack of ambition struck me early as a child Kate: so i roam Kate: i always find it interesting that people can set themselves upon a goal Scott: uh goals William: yeah William: publish? William: oh... Scott: the uh book William: we’ll just get... William: wait... William: um... William: well... Scott: yeah we gotta think on that William: i’ve got it all figured out. William: yeah. Scott: I knew it Kate: fascinating William: yeah Kate: haey Scott: what? What has he figured out? Kate: The square root of 49 William: we’ll just either send out a manuscript or print it ourselves or both or instead we’ll get an agent. William: 7 William: or both Kate: agents. William: or we can wait to be discovered Scott: did you look at universal publishing William: like America Kate: smarmy porcine bloodsuckers William: porcine means piglike Scott: porcine? What Scott: piglike? Kate: i mean, the discoverors of amerika William: bloodsucker means bloodsucker Scott: Amerika? Kate: never ever read kafka? William: smarmy means Hypocritically, complacently, or effusively earnest; unctuous. Scott: smarmy what is smarmy Kate: see above Scott: Kafka is he french William: nah Kate: no Kate: german i think William: fuck Kafka William: Polish William: but he wrote German Kate: wow. that’s a bold statement William: thanks William: which? Scott: Isn’t he one of those bug doctors, uh, etymologist, no wait that’s a word doctor William: entymologist William: one who digs bugs Kate: bug fetishist William: yeah William: fuck Beckett Kate: no, i’d say he was a pessimist Scott: That’s a bug doctor. He was a czech, a polish czech who wrote in German. Scott: Don’t get on my Beckett man William: yeah. like Gombrowicz. Kate: sounds fruedian Kate: i’m polish Scott: what about Kate sounds Freudian. William: is Gilli[g]an Polish? Scott: Kate. Is that a Polish name? Kate: IM NOT REALLY NAMED KATE William: oh no Kate: sheesh Scott: She’s fuggin Irish William: Kate you have played me for a fool Scott: Katie Gilligan William: Gilli[g]an Kate: and? William: uh Kate: hu William: man Kate: namow Scott: So who is she really? Is she even a she? Scott: The mystery. Wm. Put this woman who may be Kate, who may be J. Edgar Hoover for all we know, put her in the hypertext William: yes sir Scott: With somebody famous, in a bookstore we haven’t visited yet William: yes Kate: who knows Kate: not even my momma Kate: sey Scott: Where do you want to be Kate? Kate: to the right Scott: and with who Kate: next to him Scott: Somebody famous now, don’t be shy Kate: shy? Kate: i dislike celebrity William: oh no Kate: so I’d rather not be near anyone of that calibur William: okay Scott: Yeah me too. Fuggin fans. Kate: why dont you just curse? William: how about a scene where you are in the woods alone? Kate: its a freeing experience. Kate: curse William: curse! Kate: curse Kate: curse William: curse! Scott: Her in the woods? William: alone’ Kate: no. no woods. William: no fame anywhere near Scott: Are there any bookstores in the woods? William: no woods? Kate: how about a scene where I am marauding througha battlefield William: a city, a dank anonymous city William: a battlefield. which battle? William: we have a time machine now Scott: Ok, lots of famous people are trying to see her, but she won’t let them in. Kate: hmmmm. William: yeah Scott: Do we really? William: we can write it up, just give us specs Kate: why does this have to involve famous people? Scott: I think maybe we should take that to commitee William: it doesn’t, thus I suggest the woods and anonymous cities William: how about North Dakota? Kate: ok. anonymous cities it is. Kate: HA!!! Scott: Ah, because of the society of the spectacle thing you know. Kate: that’s so funny. William: Sioux Falls, North Dakota Kate: i lived there once William: really?? Kate: sioux falls in south dakota, anyway William: oh Scott: Sioux City is perfect Nancy: ickm b William: nono Sioux Falls Nancy: im back William: hi Kate: actualy, it is sioux falls. Scott: Or Sioux Falls. Nancy: hi Kate: and no, i dotn want to be there. Kate: i disliked it incredibly William: did you find our novel? William: where do you want to be? Nancy: yes. Scott: Hi we’re writing a scene with Kate in our hypertext novel. Would you like to be in it too? William: good Nancy: until my server bumped me William: did you read the whole thing? William: oh Nancy: and then i spent wquite a while getiting back here Kate: damn isp’s. William: yeah William: yeah Nancy: will i be able to finish it another night? Scott: Did you read the whole thing? Are you kidding? William: how about Mississippi? Arkansas? Utah? Nancy: ok William: yeah Nancy: tomorrow i am getting a new, and local, server Kate: oh, put me wherever you want. William: yeah William: okay Kate: howabout a dank coffeshop in sioux falls reading the paper William: yeah Nancy: no only to just past greenmill William: yeah Scott: Yeah, but you’ll probably get tired of it before you’re finished, and by then Wm. will have written five nd Scott: new scenes. Nancy: i will finish it unless it get bad Scott: Maybe Dirk will even write something. Kate: heh Nancy: when do you guys have time to study? Kate: that made me titter nancys Nancy: or do you get paid to do this stuff Nancy: yeah i know Scott: We already did that. Kate: titter? Scott: study Nancy: its the old work ethic coming out in me Kate: same thing Nancy: sorry Scott: Now we’re educated, so we clearly needed to write a hypertext novel. Nancy: for pay Scott: hopefully. Scott: Not yet. Kate: education doesnt necessarily mean you had to study Nancy: oh right Kate: in a university that is Nancy: thats twhere the macarthur foundation comes in! William: pay? wow, you’re so naive it’s touching Scott: exactly William: yeah Nancy: keep in mind i am from a different era William: which? Nancy: and area William: era? Scott: anything worth doing is worth getting paid for doing William: and area? Kate: tide? Nancy: i flunked out of college in the early 60s William: wow Nancy: and went on from there Scott: Drugs? Kate: scott, how capitalistic of you William: bad, you’re bad William: Scott Nancy: Yeah but not until much much later! William: wow Scott: Sorry Nancy: missed the drugs of the 60s all together William: me too Scott: me too but I know Dirk William: i’ve been trying to catch up Nancy: But did your mother? William: yeah William: what? Kate: avoid the drugs of the 60s Nancy: did your mother miss the drugs of the 60s too? William: I think she’s talking to you Kate: no. Nancy: i didnt necessarily avoid them. Kate: im much to young Nancy: just missed them Scott: Yeah, they were off the drugs. William: well Kate: yeah, you were never good at catching Nancy: but when i went to work on the pipeline i made up for lost time! William: pipeline? Nancy: oil pipe;line Kate: in alaska Nancy: Alaska Kate: she worked in constrction. Nancy: 70s Kate: dont you remember. Kate: thats why she curses so well William: you mean pipeline = drugs? William: uh oh Scott: Okay, Wm. I say we put another scene somewhere near Alaska. Or both South Dakota and Alaska Nancy: hey its writer vik! William: yeah Nancy: hi neil! William: uh oh. neil? Nancy: these guys are writers too! Nancy: dont tell him about the 70s on the line Scott: Or is that one of you with another name Nancy: he knows me Kate: oh, the possibilities Scott: Hi Niel. Kate: lieN iH Nancy: neil they think i am doing two people on my little laptop Kate: i dont Kate: i dont think anything about this situation Kate: I’m apathetic writervik: Apaska, uhu, uhu, I like it. writervik: Oh my God! Nancy: it is because they are all the same personj! Scott: So give us a little more to work with here Kate, sorry, I mean, well, whatever your name is Nancy: but they are not us Nancy: so they think we are me William: yeah Kate: what does it matter? Kate: my name? Scott: No not your name, your scene. Kate: anyway, what do you want? Kate: my scene. Scott: a little plot Scott: we can’t do this alone, you know Nancy: the plot sickens..... Kate: why not?you’re the writers. Scott: I mean how do we get from South Dakota to a pipline in Alaska? What bookstores do we go to? Nancy: but kate is the wit! Kate: twit Nancy: you skip the bookstore and go to a hiring hall and get dispatched Nancy: as pipeliners! Nancy: conjugate twit Scott: Kate, an enormously witty but shy twit, was sitting in a smoky coffeeshop in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. . . Nancy: in french Kate: where did shy come from? Kate: i’d like to kil someone. Scott: You don’t use your name. That’s shy. Nancy: Virginia ‘woolf no doubt Kate: its not shy. Scott: Would you like to kill me, or William, or Dirk? Kate: its just a handle. Scott: Whatever, you’re the freudian. Kate: evidentally Kate: maybe in a fit of psychosis i use a butter knife to cut off my own hand because I felt I have done wrong? Kate: that sounds fun. Scott: Okay, so there could be some connection between— okay we could work on the pipeline after we get out of the prison Nancy: that happened a lot Kate: this is dumb. odnt use me. Scott: We’re not using you. We’re using Kate Scott: in Alaska (We already do time in Alaska) Nancy: and even some who escaped from jail hid out there Kate: nancy you lead a very odd life Nancy: yes Scott: William? Scott: Niel? Nancy: Neil Kate: how about kate and nancy are alter egos in both sioux falls and in alaska Kate: and everything that kate does, nancy also does...like in an episode of the twighlight zone Scott: I like that. Nancy: Neil! Kate: and maybe you could work in a menace of some sort... Nancy: chased him off Kate: as someone hacks nancy (or kate) the other one is also being hacked. Nancy: i will no doubt hear aboutit alter Scott: He probably thinks these people are nuts Nancy: unless he got bumped for being too quiet Nancy: But why would he think that Scott: I misspelled his name. Is he a poet in Iowa? Nancy: no he is afledgling writer in Seattle but we grew up toether here in Petersburg Nancy: works on a tug boat between Whitttier and Seattle Scott: Excellent. Kate: ok mr burns Scott: Hey William. Work in tugboat. Scott: Mr. Burns? Kate: simpsons reference Kate: mammon Scott: aha. Scott: So I bet Wm.s writing that scence right now. He’s like a machine. Kate: superb. Nancy: neil! Kate: im writing a story about how a rapist is reincarnated into a guard dog, and the victim chooses this dog as a protection device ecause she is very fearful. Scott: you are a writer. how duplicitous. writervik: ...and stealthily, out of the primordial mist, er soup. Nancy: has Kate: i dont claim anthing. Kate: i may write. but it doesnt make me a writer. Kate: tis not my job. Scott: It doesn’t make you a dancer, that’s fer dern shur. writervik:Writers write. (period) Kate: anyway, obviously the personna narrator is limited, he can only act like a dog, but his mind is realy that of a rapist...so the scenes where he jumping on the girl, as a dog, but yet as a rapist are nice and disturbing. Scott: do you like Kafka’s dog story Kate: i dont know if I’ve ever read it Scott: its good. Nancy: its doing it again Nancy: wont let me write anything Nancy: had to exit and enter again Kate: anyway, i get so much dank, dark, glee out of the final scene, where the girl takes the dog to be neutered! Kate: heheheheheheh Scott: huh—tha’s gotta be the miningco. I hate java, don’t you? Kate: if you have a windows machine, it may be purposely configured to be java-incompatible Kate: microsolth’s little tricks Scott: yer twisted Kate and so is Bill Gates Nancy: i havea laptop with windows 95 Nancy: but it just started to do this last night Scott: Okay. I gotta go be an editor downstairs. My publisher has promised a beer for some proofreading. Kate: I also wrote a story where a poor woman visits her incredibly wealthy, acrimonious relative, and starts gagging on the rich oppulent cake. Kate: and dies. Kate: hee hee. Kate: i loved that one to. Scott: Are you Stacey Levine? Kate: nah. Kate: Im going to go. its late here in the city. Scott: she writes lots of good stories Kate: you dont know if my stories are god. Kate: im biased Kate: good writervik:Who has a spare agent! Kate: heh. either one Kate: god or good Nancy: your stories are god Scott: Pleasure to chat with you all. So I think maybe we should do this regularly. I like chat again. Nancy: yes but when Kate: ok. Scott: Ahm, how bout like Monday night Kate: tell william ttfn Scott: I’ll make that a regular authors.miningco.com thing. Kate: farewell. Nancy: is that monday or some night which is just LIKE monday? Scott: goodnight all Nancy: Monday night. What time? Scott: Monday. I’ll post it on the events calendar. Nancy: neil they still think we are one person Nancy: Okey thanks writervik: ]Scott works here, doesn’t he Nancy: i get a new letter so it will be a reminder for me Nancy: news letter Nancy: yes he is the administrator of the authors room Nancy: they are doing a hypertext novel Nancy: which i had no clue what it is but they sent me there Nancy: and i read some of it and will finish it later writervik: I’ll agree with Scott. I tried chat a few times but it was endless drivel. At least drivel concerning writing has some value. Nancy: i have an url but know not whether it works. Nancy: they actually sent me there! Nancy: Kate especially is funny Nancy: and they work ewell together Nancy: i have been here for hours! Nancy: i caant believe it! Nancy: Gotta get some sleep sometime writervik: I have heard of hypertext novels for years since I found a BBS here is town, maybe 8 years ago. I don’t believe anyone is getting rich from it. Nancy: no but they are having fun