It is Not Linear

"Dear Carl,

Thank you for sharing Tears of-- 

Tears of the Anaren with me. 

As I read it, I found myself inspired 

to type up a few suggestions for you. 

I used red ink so they'd be easy to find. 

Feel free to use or ignore them as you wish. 

After all, it's your book!

Yours, 

Isaac Asimov. 

PS : I enjoyed your use of backstory." 

[chuckles, breathing heavily] 

["There's Only One" playing] 

[rain pouring] 

[song continues] 

[thunder rumbles] 

[song continues] 

[thunder rumbling] 

[song continues] 

C.W. :

[exclaims] 

[murmurs] Yes. That's it. 

- Okay.

- That's you. This one's you. 

- A.E. A.E.!

- The hell is this? 

C.W. :

Ah. Good, you're all here. [sniffs] 

I know. I am late,

I am drunk, both inexcusable. 

But I have seen something. 

It's so simple. Just a dot and 

a line and another dot. 

That's it. That's all. For now. 

But the inevitable march of Technology will not be stemmed. 

Two dots become four, become eight, 

become a million.  A billion. 

Enough iridescent geometry 

to create an entire world. 

No, no, no. Worlds. 

As countless as stars in the sky. 

Mountains, rivers, volcanoes —

Child's play. 

We will give birth to creatures 

the likes of which have never been seen. 

And with the merest of motions, 

we will control them. No. 

We will become them. 

Naturally, none of these wonders

will mean anything on their own. 

They will need to be infused with Story. 

Conflict, romance, sex, violence. 

Everything that makes the great religions great. 

But these stories can't simply be... this! 

These paltry, linear narratives. No! 

They will have to 

live and breathe 

with The World itself. 

I have imagined a new 

form of Storytelling. 

Not a line,  but a bolt of lightning, 

coruscating and fractalising into a thousand paths. 

Choices upon choices. 

A seamless melding 

of The Author's will

and The Reader's desire. 

I will create this new 

kind of Storytelling. 

I will gift it to you here. 

I have seen it. 

I have glimpsed

through the veil of time! 

[breathing heavily] 

[chair squeaks] 

What the fuck are you talking about? 

- What?

- I didn't understand a g*dd*mn-- 

Did you understand any of that?

Either of you? 

Carl, your passion is admirable, 

but Worlds coming to Life on Television? 

None of the good stuff is on TV.

TV is... TV is shit. It's for morons. 

[rain pattering] 

Hmm. 

["Long Is the Night" playing]

[rain pattering] 

[baby crying in distance]