In a quaint little village called Cloutville, everyone believed in The Pie. The Pie was said to hold all the power, influence, and status one could ever desire. No one had ever seen The Pie, but legend claimed it existed—warm, golden, and freshly baked by the gods themselves. Naturally, this sparked chaos.
Fun story, I really liked it. I really liked the allegorical take on it. Part of me wants to say you should have kept it allegorical until the end. But then I worry that some people might not have gotten it.
I love that you picked up on the allegorical aspect! I wrestled with that too, but I kept coming back to a question—how much do we trust readers to find meaning on their own? Some people engage deeply with subtext, while others need more guidance to see what’s beneath the surface. In a way, that mirrors real life—some seek truth intuitively, while others only recognize it when it’s made explicit.
Do you think there’s more power in letting a story speak for itself or does revealing the meaning deepen its impact?
EEEeehhh (shruggy, handwavy motions). I dunno. I wrestle with it too. I suppose it comes down to who your audience is, or at least who you think it is. If they read, especially literature and creative nonfiction, they'll likely get it. But a lot of people don't. With the latter group, it'll be a crap shoot. And, well, my pessimistic-realistic take on my personal experience is to be perpetually surprised at what seems to fly over folks' heads.
Fun story, I really liked it. I really liked the allegorical take on it. Part of me wants to say you should have kept it allegorical until the end. But then I worry that some people might not have gotten it.
I love that you picked up on the allegorical aspect! I wrestled with that too, but I kept coming back to a question—how much do we trust readers to find meaning on their own? Some people engage deeply with subtext, while others need more guidance to see what’s beneath the surface. In a way, that mirrors real life—some seek truth intuitively, while others only recognize it when it’s made explicit.
Do you think there’s more power in letting a story speak for itself or does revealing the meaning deepen its impact?
EEEeehhh (shruggy, handwavy motions). I dunno. I wrestle with it too. I suppose it comes down to who your audience is, or at least who you think it is. If they read, especially literature and creative nonfiction, they'll likely get it. But a lot of people don't. With the latter group, it'll be a crap shoot. And, well, my pessimistic-realistic take on my personal experience is to be perpetually surprised at what seems to fly over folks' heads.