Friday Fiction: The Germ of a Story Idea

 

9/27/2019: The Man Who Hated Neil Gaiman. Based on a True Story. There is a man, a fantasist, a wanna-be writer, who has followed the rise of NG with a sickening fascination. He likes the writing, the books, even admires NG as a person, but he not only feels jealous of his success but also feels that Gaiman has been almost too slick, too calculating of his audience to ever put a toe wrong, too crafty and reticent to ever risk alienating anyone and thus jeopardizing his exalted status. 

Also, that he has been cannibalizing bits that he likes from Lewis, Tolkien, Chesterton, MacDonald, the comics, etc. and using the parts that he likes and selling them as his own wares, drawing to himself the admiration of those who like them too: "If he likes this, his heart must be in the right place." 

The man sees Gaiman as almost a doppelganger or psychic 'evil' twin, who does all the things that he should have done if his life had been less regarding of others (taking care of parents, going to college) and reaping the rewards of being reckless and accommodating. The man suspects the shallowness of Gaiman is revealed in his movie adaptations, which are generally awful if not latched onto others' work (Miyazaki, Pratchett, Seligman). He longs to confront Gaiman personally, and it becomes an obsession, even leading to thoughts of violence. 

Finally, by accident, he gets alone with the writer in an elevator, and, being in actual close physical proximity, he sees his simple humanity. He realizes that Gaiman is not his white whale, but that he has become a fantastical scapegoat and symbol for all the man's regrets and hopes. The elevator opens and Gaiman walks out, never realizing the emotions that have seethed right next to him. The man leaves the building himself, now knowing that he has only himself to contend and compete with. 

Notes

Well, I meant to continue writing on Thrand, and even wrote some 'blocking' notes, but when the time came, I just felt I didn't have the 'juice'. It also has to be written in a rather delicate way, which I didn't feel up to when facing it. I went looking for some other bit of writing, and ran across these notes for a short story (never produced). I paused.

It certainly reflected my feelings at the time; I'm not sure that they've changed very much. I respect and enjoy quite a bit of his work and a lot of his advice. On the other hand, I thought he was being rather cagey and not entirely honest personally. I was certainly jealous of him, his talent, and his success. 

I think these notes may be a bit interesting now (I'm not sure just how or in what way) that Gaiman himself is undergoing a bit of a trial. Finding this note just at this time seems somehow serendipitous, and so I post it here.