Fog and Fire

For Writers at Whyte Tracks

The short fog-knit.
Web logs are Sagas by any other name. Short stories are like 'blogs but are more elegant, more entertaining, developed with more craft and art. The sort of art that comes from a human tradition of story telling 'threading' back to the discovery of fire, when humankind first warmed themselves around the miracle of a living flame and told each other about how they discovered this fire. Then they told about their day, as they threw another log on the fire - hence the first 'logs' were also created.

Then of course the stories became wilder and more exaggerated and bragging built heroes amongst the folk. The sagas of the North were repeated at the grand gatherings down through the centuries, and we still all love a good saga. Witness the popularity of TV sagas such as Desperate Housewives, East Enders, and other gossip-hits. Story telling is at the base and root of our being, whatever our particular heriditary culture. We all tell the stories of our ancestors, repeat jokes we heard, or tell about something funny that happened on the way to the office; we all in our own way, 'log' - throwing logs on the fire.
And fire is the magic word. Stories 'fire' our imagination, with which we become immortal. Its in the blood - this fire that stirs our passion, lights up our emotions. In the old sagas, it was told that Odin and his brothers Vili and Vin found two beautiful trees growing beside the river. They reminded them of young gods, yet sadly were trapped in their wooden form, their short lives. Vili gave them bone, to alter and perfect their appearance, Vin gave muscle so they could break free and walk. Odin gave them breath, so they could speak and laugh, and enjoy the life span of their new forms. He gave them mortality. But Loki, ancient dark trickster and original Time Lord, gave them blood, with a bolt of fire. He gave them passion, and that is eternal. It is this passion for life which makes us gather at the hearth to tell the tales.
Of course in those days there wasn't much time to sit around the fire gossiping, mortals had to fight with tooth and nail for survival in the wild. There was only time enough for short stories. And similarly today's fast pace of life is perfectly suited to the short sharp fiction of the short story; we also don't have time to sit around the fire for a lengthy tale any more, or a heavily detailed novel. It has always surprised me that the short story is much maligned in the book business, until now that is. Now we have 'blogs. It's a primal human urge to 'log' and if the book making industry doesn't provide, the people will do it for themselves.
A good story teller has always been in high demand. From the days of the Druids to Court Jesters and mediaeval troubadours, right up until the age of industrialization, one could arrive in a public place as a stranger and tell a tale for one's supper, and be handsomely rewarded. As Loki knew, power of immortality is in the blood that runs passionately. And fire and passion are what makes a short story great.We all need a short sharp fiction fix. Read one today. Tell your best friend a tale tonight, and throw another log on the fire.