Wednesday Story day again. Well, we are just getting to know our two characters in the little drama. Some of the comments received have expressed sympathy for Charlotte and some dismay that Bob is out there somewhere. I have to agree with all the comments. Last time Charlotte had just about given up getting Bob to type his manuscript. She decided to read it, and the first line that opened the book was “It was a dark and stormy night.” She also was vaguely familiar with the title “My Struggle.” So let’s join the pair in Charlotte’s office.
“I find this opening line to be somewhat laughable.”
“You do? Why?”
“Have you ever read the cartoon Peanuts?”
“No. Is it about the circus?”
“No, it is a satirical look at life in general.”
“Nope. Sorry.”
“That’s okay. There is a character named Snoopy who wants to be a writer and his book starts with the line “It’s a dark and stormy night.”
“You’re kidding right?”
“No, the author of the strip was making fun of authors.”
“I don’t think it is so funny to steal my line.”
‘I don’t think he stole your line since the story has been in the papers for a number of years.”
“So then how did he get my line? I only wrote it last year.”
“I think there could be a good argument that you stole his line.”
“Can’t be I ‘ve never heard of this fellow Snoopy.”
“Okay let’s look at the title then.”
“My Struggle. Great right?”
“So what does it mean?”
“I think it is pretty self-explanatory. It describes what is in the book. I detail all the problems that I have overcome to become a famous author.”
“Give me an example.”
“Well, you just saw one. More than this Snoopy character have stolen my words.”
“Um. Like who?”
“A guy named Hemingway took a story about a fish I caught and wrote about it without my permission.”
“Oh, my gosh. Could you excuse me for a moment? I need to make a phone call.”
“Sure I’ll wait outside.”
“Close the door, please. Thanks.”
Fiction Favorites 
This really made me chuckle. Partially because I’ve met people like this. Long ago, I met an author who wrote a story that was nearly identical to ‘Ender’s Game’. Pointed it out to him and he assumed Orson Scott Card stole it. Not sure how that can happen when you only have a handwritten first chapter and outline from the previous week. People are strange.
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Ha ha ha. You meet all kinds.
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Definitely. It’s a wild, varied world out there. I wonder if there’s really a book or story that starts with ‘It was a dark and stormy night’.
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“It was a dark and stormy night” is an often-mocked and parodied phrase written by English novelist Edward Bulwer-Lytton in the opening sentence of his 1830 novel “Paul Clifford”
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Good to know. Always wondered about that.
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This character is starting to remind me of people I have worked with. Not authors, but…
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Sounds human right? A little cracked.
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Exactly
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Great suspense … who is Charlotte going to call? Or is she just leaving 😉
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Now, you must wait like me.
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Charlotte is a s.a.i.n.t. I’m about ready for a cocktail myself.
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Me too. Tanqueray on the rocks please.
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Scotch–rocks. I go to once every couple of years. 😀
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Okay. now’s the time.
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I believe you’re right! 🙂
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That was funny. Thanks. 🙂
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Thanks
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I don’t know whether it’s funny or sad. These people actually exist!!
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Yes they do. All you have to do is take a writing course and there they are.
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