Q: What is a correspondence novel?

A: That's a novel you get in the mail. From the author.

Or you go to his web site, daily, and print out the day's productions.

You read it and drop him a line.

He thinks about what you have to say and responds to your comments, in the book.

The correspondence novel is thus not only written, and published, in real time, it is interactive, in that a reader can affect the form of the book, by writing the author.

Of course, the author might not reply. He might ignore the comments.

He might make fun of them.

But he reads his mail.

Q: People who write an online journal, or a blog, the A-list writers get so much email they can't keep up with it. They not only don't answer it, they can't read it all.

A: Yes. Harvey Griffin gets so many tweets, on Twitter, if your subject line doesn't grab him, he deletes it without reading it. Unless he recognizes your name.

Past a certain point you can't do it.

Q: Also, if you piss off the wing-nuts they retaliate. They hit back. They sabotage your web site.

A: I know. It hasn't happened to me, but I've read about it.

They're mean.

Vindictive.

Small-minded.

Q: They need to get a life.

A: That's their life. They revel in it. It's completely negative. But it's theirs.

They find a kindred spirit and egg each other on.

They form a group. An interest group.

A faction.

Q: Stardust Memories was about a movie star's reaction to his fans.

A: Who are these people. What do they want?

Q: They want to eat you.

A: They do. They're cannibals. They're the Pod People.

Q: Play Misty for Me.

A: Fatal Attraction.

Q: Misery.

A: They want your life. They want your vital essence.

Purity of essence, Mandrake.

P. O. E.

Q: Fluoride was a Communist plot.

A: It's Y2K.

They're the Y2K people.

The end of the world is at hand. Let's bring it on. We'll be saved. We are the elect. The anointed. They are heatherns. Unbelievers.

Q: I'm a heathen.

A: Me too.

Q: I'm an unbeliever.

A: Look at the believers.