• What is it about bullet points?

• I thought I should write everything in bullet points because
  • I was worried about Internet attention spans
  • Also just having fun
• Then I decided bullet points were stupid because
  • they debase language
  • they are very very boring
  • they don’t tell a story
  • they are just a summary
  • a summary is like an obituary
  • sitting in a corporate meeting is like going to a funeral
  • we’re watching something die when we’re using bullet points
  • doesn’t the term “bullet” clue you in?
• So … are you doing the column or not?
  • I want to do it but there are considerations:
    • Can I afford to work on it four to six hours a day?
    • Can I dedicate my life to it like I used to?
    • If I can’t give it everything I have, is it still right to do it?
    • Is there a danger it will slowly decline?
    • Didn’t Seinfeld do the right thing by quitting at the top?
    • What about my other literary interests?
      • Short Fiction
      • The Novel
      • Poetry
      • Literary reviews
      • Spoken Word
      • Performance
• Publish something every day even if it’s not done?
  • What is “done”?
  • Is “done” an antiquated construct?
• Where is the boundary between literary product and conversation?
• Hard to tell, right?
• Yep. hard to tell.
• Maybe we’re in a new world
• Duh, dude! Where have you been?
• I was on the Internet
• Yeah, but at Salon
• What’s that supposed to mean?
• Are you kidding? Salon was always behind because it was started by journalists, not by engineers.
• That sounds like some kind of heresy.
• It’s the friggin’ truth, dude.
• So is this still bullet points?
• There’s bullets, aren’t there?
• Yes but this seems like it’s getting discursive or narrative-like.
• No, this is dialog.
• Sorry.
• • Hey. It looks like there are two bullet points there
  • That symbolizes dialog.
  • Sure. Right.
  • Just kidding
  • Who are you anyway?
  • You mean who am I talking to?
• Yeah.
  • Yourself?
    • Maybe. You sound different from me though.
      • Yeah. I am different from you. I am your smarter faster quicker less bullshit-laden self.
        • If you’re different from me, though, who am I?
• You’re Older You. Or Older Me. I forget which
• Oh.
• Is that all you can say? “Oh.”?
• No it just sounded kind of harsh.
• Like I said: Duh.
• Meaning?
• Meaning get with the program, slow old dude me.
• Are we still doing bullet points?
• No. Now we’re having a dialog.
• How old are you anyway?
  • I’m 27.
  • Oh. I’m 61.
  • Wow. You’re old, dude.
  • Hey. Easy.
• I’m your 27-year-old self. The self that would have studied coding instead of literature if you were my age now.
• You think?
• Absolutely. You were looking for the new world. This is it. This world we’re creating.
• You’re creating.
• We’re creating.
• But I’m 61.
• Like I said, I’m your 27-year-old self come back to haunt you and let you know what’s going on.

• Oh, thanks. Should I forget the bullet points now?

  Yeah. Afraid so. Just follow me. Do what I do.
  OK.

Have to stop now

Out of bullets.