TRUE LOVE

Here we are then all.

This, if I’ve been able to get all of the software to do what I want it to, is the very first recording of anything I’ve written. It’s a very dark little piece and I’m really not too sure where it came from but I hope you appreciate what I’ve put together.

This is beautifully read by a friend of mine, Niamh, who has given a delightfully enticing performance, not only making you want to hear more but also hopefully make you think.

Please listen to the piece before you read the rest of this post, I wouldn’t want to spoil anything for you.

http://podcastmachine.com/podcasts/8365/episodes/100778/media_files/235353/download/3/file_128kb.mp3

The story does, to me, sit into three distinct parts. I wanted you as the reader to be taken on a journey of what you are reading, starting with titillation and moving on through shock and a level of discomfort. It was always my aim, in everything I write, to try and do something different. I wanted stories, regardless of length, to make your mind go one way then be forced to go another.

All of the people who read this when I first wrote it were very quick to nod and smile knowingly at the opening line. I swear some were just one step away from ‘nudge nudge, wink wink.’ I wanted the reader to expect an story of a specific kind so I could surprise them as the words moved on.

The really big point I aimed to highlight was the bias a reader comes into any story with. All those people I gave this to were asked what happened at the end. Who killed who? The vast majority said ‘he killed her’. They then seemed shocked when I pointed out that there were no gender specific terms anywhere in the story. I tried to use names which could be given to a man or a woman and there was no he or she anywhere. They then all re-read the story and the expressions on their faces were very different.

There were only two people, Niamh our performer and Jo my wife, who read it as being two men and there was no-one who read it as two women.

My intention wasn’t to try to paint all the world as potential murders or that really, it’s only men or only women who commit such acts of sadism. I want the reader to have to think about why they thought what they thought and then to re-read and potentially be forced to re-evaluate how they read what was in front of them.

I think the sensation of listening to this rather than having the words on a page will have allowed you a very new perspective on how this piece works. I hope it was enjoyable in its own way despite the most awful topic.

Don’t worry, not all of what I write is as shocking as this.

Thanks for listening and for reading.