Hypothetical-question time:<\/p>\n
You’ve just been introduced to the classic visitor from outer space. He (or is it she?) is in a hurry — in fact, will be leaving in about 20 seconds, starting, say, now<\/em> — but has a super-important question which needs answering. How you answer is to determine whether the saucers will (a) blow Earth up or (b) let her (or is it him?) continue on its stately course through the stars, through terrestrial history, and through the annals of intergalactic comedy.<\/p>\n Here’s the question:<\/p>\n We are very interested in this thing you call ‘fiction.’ But we do not understand it, and it is the last thing on my chop-chop must-do last-minute checklist before reporting back to Grand Inquisitor Xarg. I need to get going. Can you please give me one word so that I may understand it?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n (Tip: “Uhhhh…” will not count as a valid reply. Nor will “Wait!”)<\/p>\n So what’s your answer? And if you yourself write novels or short stories, what’s the one word which is the key to understanding your<\/em> fiction in particular?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Last week, I nominated my candidate<\/a> for the single most amazing word in the English language, that is, “the [one] word whose weight is out of all proportion to its size and apparent significance.” That word won’t suffice for our alien visitor, alas, because it says nothing (or nothing interesting) about fiction.<\/p>\n In the comments to the post, though, regular RAMH visitor Marta dropped a note<\/a> early today. (Marta’s the innkeeper at writing in the water<\/a>, at the center of one of the more thought-provoking “stuff about writing” branches of the Web universe.) She drew my attention, with a link, to an interesting feature on The Guardian’s site, “Authors reveal their key words<\/a>“:<\/p>\n Authors appearing at the Villa Gillet in Lyon at the International Forum have been asked to bring along a word which offers a way in to their work. Olivia Rosenthal, Dimitri Verhulst, Nelly Arcan, Arthur Japin and Anne Weber explain their choices.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Here’s the audio (about 18.5 minutes long) on that page:<\/p>\n