Monday, March 27, 2006

In The Beginning

Welcome, soon to be faithful readers, to this my Nine Inch Column. The more salacious among you may jump to conclusions about the name of this virtual document, but rest assured, no such vulgarities are intended. Rather, my small, seven year old computer monitor measures at roughly nine vertical inches of screen space. But that is certainly enough space to do what I need to do: entertain you. After all, it's not the size that matters, but how you use it.

I do a myriad of things in my professional and semi-professional life, but I also write occasionally. I am currently some 410 pages into my first novel (writing, that is, not reading), but before I began that project, I wrote (and continue to write) short humour. Several of these have found their way to websites you may know. The first piece I had published online was at The Big Jewel. It was not the first piece I submitted to them, but after a series of correspondence between your humble scribe and their editor Kurt Luchs worthy of Vincent and Theo Van Gogh, it was this piece that was finally selected. So, for your enjoyment I offer The Death Of Irony. Next came Time Travel For Fun And Profit, and then a move to the venerable McSweeney's, with a look at a typical campus activity board.

From there I found a regular home at the now defunct Facsimilation.com (and I hope editor Shawn Samac is doing well, whatever it is he's doing these days). There was discussion of a print version of Facsimilation, but it came to naught. Too bad, too - there were some good writers there. I may republish some of my work that appeared there at a later date.

By no means is this the complete Thornton canon, but an old adage in show business says, "always leave them wanting more." So be patient, dear readers. I am developing a new site to showcase some of my short humour work, and the work of other talented Canadian writers. I have enlisted some technical help, to offset my own severe technological shortcomings, and it should be up and running soon. Naturally, you'll be the first to know, as I know you'll be among our biggest supporters.

What I can share with you now is an idea: ShoHu. Short Humour. Remember that you heard it here first. There are any number of sites dedicated to this art form, but before now there has not been an appropriate abbreviation. Think CanLit, sitcom, sci-fi, that sort of thing. Handy, isn't it? Trust me - get in on the ground floor now.

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