These are some of the things I am thinking about after reading the first part of the story.
I feel curious about the house and the man out walking seems to also be curious. I wonder if there are people moving in or out of the house and why there appears to be no activity.
I wonder if this is a house in a suburb or maybe in a remote area. I kind of picture maybe a new neighborhood.
I wonder why the man feels like he needs to approach the house.
Absolutely, I noted the curiosity angle, too (in my intro paragraphs to the second bit in this morning's post).
Was there anything in the text that made you think suburb or remote area? The remote area or new neighborhood setting hadn't occurred to me, so maybe you noticed something that I didn't.
The first bit: An air of quiet expectation in the first paragraph--a new year, everything quiet, a guy out walking. Wondering why he's looking "into windows."
The airplane plume is okay with this theme but the sunrise description as "like an oozing wound" is jarring. Something bad going to happen? Negative view of the world?
Then there's signs of activity--U-haul with the doors open, house doors open--but no people. And the guy out walking "looks at the house behind him"--which befuddled me for a moment--had to reread to see that the house with the truck is across the street, so presumably the "house behind him" is on his side of the street"--then he goes over to the scene.
So, keeping in mind that jarring note of the oozing sunrise, I'm wondering: Is he a nosey or curious guy who wants to find out if someone needs help? Or has he been planning some kind of crime? I ended this reading—suspicious!
First, so much embarrassment! I set a filter on my email to push my Substack posts into a folder without alerting me, and apparently it's doing the same with comments on the posts. I'm so glad to have you participating, Annette, so please accept my apology for leaving you hanging here for a week.
As the second bit has already published (this morning), it's a bit late for me to respond to your things you're wondering about, but I think you'll see that they're also things that I (as the imagined first-time reader) was also wondering about.
I'm looking forward to seeing your notes on the second bit.
These are some of the things I am thinking about after reading the first part of the story.
I feel curious about the house and the man out walking seems to also be curious. I wonder if there are people moving in or out of the house and why there appears to be no activity.
I wonder if this is a house in a suburb or maybe in a remote area. I kind of picture maybe a new neighborhood.
I wonder why the man feels like he needs to approach the house.
Maybe he will find someone dead inside the house.
Absolutely, I noted the curiosity angle, too (in my intro paragraphs to the second bit in this morning's post).
Was there anything in the text that made you think suburb or remote area? The remote area or new neighborhood setting hadn't occurred to me, so maybe you noticed something that I didn't.
Thanks for your notes!
The first bit: An air of quiet expectation in the first paragraph--a new year, everything quiet, a guy out walking. Wondering why he's looking "into windows."
The airplane plume is okay with this theme but the sunrise description as "like an oozing wound" is jarring. Something bad going to happen? Negative view of the world?
Then there's signs of activity--U-haul with the doors open, house doors open--but no people. And the guy out walking "looks at the house behind him"--which befuddled me for a moment--had to reread to see that the house with the truck is across the street, so presumably the "house behind him" is on his side of the street"--then he goes over to the scene.
So, keeping in mind that jarring note of the oozing sunrise, I'm wondering: Is he a nosey or curious guy who wants to find out if someone needs help? Or has he been planning some kind of crime? I ended this reading—suspicious!
First, so much embarrassment! I set a filter on my email to push my Substack posts into a folder without alerting me, and apparently it's doing the same with comments on the posts. I'm so glad to have you participating, Annette, so please accept my apology for leaving you hanging here for a week.
As the second bit has already published (this morning), it's a bit late for me to respond to your things you're wondering about, but I think you'll see that they're also things that I (as the imagined first-time reader) was also wondering about.
I'm looking forward to seeing your notes on the second bit.
And away we go!
If you haven't said hello to the group in the get acquainted post, please take a moment to do that soon: https://readwriterepeat.substack.com/p/lets-go-around-the-room/comments