2000-09-28 - 20:27:05 Liar Liar Pants on Fire Lying in diaries. You've got your hyperbole for effect, shading your story to put the best light on it, outright lies, and fiction. Nobody can tell the whole truth in their diaries. It's just not possible. You could write and write and write from now until you died, and you'd never be able to tell the whole truth. There's just too much of it. Truth all over the place. So everyone has to pick and choose what they're going to say, and by setting up those filters, the story can change pretty drastically depending on who's telling it. But that's not lying, that's just being human. Some people write fake diaries. Some are stupid, some are pretty funny. Some I can't help laughing at even though I know I probably shouldn't. (Troubled Teen, for example.) Fictional diaries. Most are pretty obvious that they're supposed to be fiction. And that's ok, that's not really lying either, because the writers aren't trying to deceive their readers, they're trying to entertain them. (Note that I don't use the Brad Pitt diary as an example. Seriously, that one's legit. I met him at this crazy party, and I was all like, "Hey, Brad f'n Pitt! Dude, I love your diary, it's da bomb!" and he was all, "oh, man, don't tell anyone else about that! It's totally secret!" and so I was all, "Hey, Brad my man, it's all cool. It's just between the two of us. Seriously, under my hat." And he believed me. Sucker.) Seriously, what kind of troubles me are the ones that... well, you read them, and you say, this has GOT to be fake. But you're not sure. It could be true. Maybe. If it is, it's an awfully disturbing thing they're writing about. If it's not true... then it's kind of even more disturbing, because what kind of sick person wants to trick people into thinking that something like that is true? And I'm not going to give any examples of those, because if they are legit, then those people deserve their privacy. And if they're not then I certainly don't want to be responsible for giving them more eyeballs for their lies. Who wants to be lied to, after all? But anyone who's browsed diaries for any length of time probably could name one. Now, some true quotes... From Blue-Parade (via PLF) Somehow "I read your diary everyday and find it very interesting/entertaining" sounds awkward and bizarre. I might as well just say "I've been stalking you for several weeks now, and I just wanted to let you know that." last night i went on a drive to smell the cold in the air. there is something to be said for driving with all the windows down and a scarf on, i hadn't done it in a while and i needed to fill my lungs with ice crystals and burning leaves. From Squibnocket the festival was crowded beyond belief. i take that as an indication that the printed word, contrary to what internet industry types say, is NOT dead and won't be. ever. (may i add, "nyaa nyaa"?) From Queerscribe It's not just that we can hook up through our dreams; it's that we are--all of us, always--dreaming each other up from within. From Ana-ng I'm happy with my job, except when someone reminds me that I couldn't possibly be.
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