Comments on: Friday Flash: I am a camera

By: Penny

Penny — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 18:05:18 +0000

Ok, so now I can comment!

I agree with GLP that you could develop this further – especially by exploring the impact of her emotions leaking through. What if she gets fired for it? Or gets promoted/ awarded for something she can’t help doing?

For me the name Sally Bowles is way too strongly connected with Isherwood and sets up unhelpful connotations.

I’d be interested to see what you do with this next.

By: Neil

Neil — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 16:56:28 +0000

Enjoyable as it was I think there’s a really good full length short story in this idea but it’s a bit too complex to squeeze into a flash piece.

By: GLP

GLP — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 16:07:07 +0000

Interesting angle – and a good stab at a complex subject, if a smidge melodramatic for my tastes.

This reminds me obliquely of a Larry Niven short called “Flare Time”, which features a woman in a similar position. Worth digging out and reading.

The most interesting part of your story (to me) is the part where Sally Bowles (related to Sally Traffic and Lynne Bowles who do the traffic reports on BBC Radio 2?) starts speculating whether pieces of her personality are leaking through into the report. This could be a good angle – how can a news report claim to be impartial when the emotions of the journalist are leaking into the newsfeed?

By: Paul Raven

Paul Raven — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 14:05:07 +0000

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By: Dan

Dan — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 11:29:15 +0000

well, not sure about if it works or not (I do like the concept), but curious as to whether the second paragraph is a tip of the hat to Christopher Isherwood (Sally Bowles, I Am A Camera)?