Read Salt Works and more short fiction, scripts, and very little poetry at Laugh at Yourself First.
pauljuser.blogspot.com
For a number of reasons, I don’t like writing stories that make my political leanings. First and foremost, I’d rather leave you thinking at the end. If my stories were nothing but a list of my whacked-out leftist views you’d be bored to death. If you want proof, go listen to a CRASS album. Why do you think I chose Ted Nugent for a character?
“Salt Works” came differently though. I don’t care if you know I’m completely against the hydrofracking that is currently plaguing Upstate New York and the rest of the Marcellus Shale formation. I drive far and wide through Upstate on a daily basis, and I love what I see. If you’re here with me in Binghamton, you know that the drive from here to Syracuse resembles something out of a JRR Tolkien novel, with rolling hills and endless, deep green forests. Tolkien also cloaked his sources, and frequently denied that the epic battles in the Lord of the Rings were inspired by what he saw fighting in WWI.
I thought I had the story ready for posting weeks ago, but then I started reading “Salt: A World History” by Mark Kurlansky, and saw not only do the frackers lack foresight, but hindsight as well. The issue has been reduced to a crude joke that appears in windows, on bumper-stickers, on the news, and out of the mouths of people willing to look past the sick children and fouled water and see the dollar signs. By the way, that is a quote I overheard from a board meeting held in my local cafe by the directors of a drilling company. I wish I could take credit for such a good line.
I am a fiction writer. The events detailed in “Salt Works” didn’t all happen around Syracuse. However, when these events happened, wherever they happened in the world, the salt miners denied responsibility. Oil and natural gas form near salt barriers, and salt mining directly gave birth to the oil and natural gas industries. I don’t want to make it sound like I won’t laugh at a good fart joke, but not when it’s in reference to what I use to wash my dishes, bathe in, and drink. It’s a movement. Thanks for reading.
-Paul
printisbetter.blogspot.com
pauljuser.blogspot.com
For a number of reasons, I don’t like writing stories that make my political leanings. First and foremost, I’d rather leave you thinking at the end. If my stories were nothing but a list of my whacked-out leftist views you’d be bored to death. If you want proof, go listen to a CRASS album. Why do you think I chose Ted Nugent for a character?
“Salt Works” came differently though. I don’t care if you know I’m completely against the hydrofracking that is currently plaguing Upstate New York and the rest of the Marcellus Shale formation. I drive far and wide through Upstate on a daily basis, and I love what I see. If you’re here with me in Binghamton, you know that the drive from here to Syracuse resembles something out of a JRR Tolkien novel, with rolling hills and endless, deep green forests. Tolkien also cloaked his sources, and frequently denied that the epic battles in the Lord of the Rings were inspired by what he saw fighting in WWI.
I thought I had the story ready for posting weeks ago, but then I started reading “Salt: A World History” by Mark Kurlansky, and saw not only do the frackers lack foresight, but hindsight as well. The issue has been reduced to a crude joke that appears in windows, on bumper-stickers, on the news, and out of the mouths of people willing to look past the sick children and fouled water and see the dollar signs. By the way, that is a quote I overheard from a board meeting held in my local cafe by the directors of a drilling company. I wish I could take credit for such a good line.
I am a fiction writer. The events detailed in “Salt Works” didn’t all happen around Syracuse. However, when these events happened, wherever they happened in the world, the salt miners denied responsibility. Oil and natural gas form near salt barriers, and salt mining directly gave birth to the oil and natural gas industries. I don’t want to make it sound like I won’t laugh at a good fart joke, but not when it’s in reference to what I use to wash my dishes, bathe in, and drink. It’s a movement. Thanks for reading.
-Paul
printisbetter.blogspot.com
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