The best mugging ever

I just found a magnificent quote in a book I've had for a long time, but never got around to reading in depth.

As I see it, a successful story of any kind should be almost like hypnosis: You fascinate the reader with your first sentence, draw them in further with your second sentence and have them in a mild trance by the third. Then, being careful not to wake them, you carry them away up the back alleys of your narrative and when they are hopelessly lost within the story, having surrendered themselves to it, you do them terrible violence with a softball bat and then lead them whimpering to the exit on the last page. Believe me, they'll thank you for it.

Alan Moore, Alan Moore's Writing for Comics

This is the only writing-about-writing book I own, and really, I'm finding myself quite glad of that. Who needs more with pep talks like his?

Many apologies for the long radio silence. But things are heating up again at Unlined. I'm working on a system of leaving comments directly onto a story or piece of art, which should be much more useful than the forums have proved. Meanwhile, submissions for Still Water Runs, the Summer 2007 issue, are five weeks from the deadline. There's still plenty of time to get started, and the season, she's still young. This blog is also still, as always, open for contributors. Both can be queried at unlined.org@gmail.com. Bring your own softball bat.