# cues/clues *The Urth list — 1 messages, 1 voices, 25 May 1998* > Exported from an unofficial mirror of a public mailing list. Copyright > in each message remains with the person who wrote it. > Email addresses are obscured as `user at host`, the form the original > archive published. This file was rebuilt from parsed fields rather than > retained headers, so it is faithful in content but not byte-exact. --- ### Alice Turner *25 May 1998, 12:38* The mini-story "Cues" (in TIODD&OS&OS) is a fair example of what John Clute refers to as Wolfe's "onieric jeux d'esprit" (a phrase I enjoy). But I'll offer a midrash. First, when a writer does a story involving just about any form of art, it's really about writing. So this is a little parable about writing. Who is the author? Not the not-so-young man, certainly. The author is the bowling ball. Then n-s-y man is a wannabe, with more confidence than talent, who thinks that his contact with the "great man" (here a bowling ball) can bring success. So I think that the bowling ball is Gene Wolfe, the second bowling ball is Nancy Kress (or you can choose your other successful and established writer whose mind is a "fair blue world, mottled by clouds and enriched with life"), the setting is a science fiction convention, and the n-s-y man is an importunate and not-so-bright fan who wants to become a writer but hasn't a clue. Er, cue. -alga- ---