Tonight's entry will be an experimental one; and you, dear reader, will be the subject of this experiment. You will also have something to gain from it, if you act quickly and use your brain effectively. If you are the first person to correctly identify all three experimental elements of this posting, you will win a prize. You, the clever winner, will decide exactly what the prize will be, subject to budgetary and practical constraints. No, you won't get a real live pony, or even a large wad of cash.If you are a longtime reader of this blog and its predecessor, you may recall previous references to a book about a child going to the moon. If you remember the title of this book, you will know the book's gimmick, the same one that will probably annoy you more and more as you read this blog entry. In fact, if you read that particular picture book as a child, either in the early 1960s or in its 1971 revised edition, you will probably still remember how weird and annoying it was. If not, this blog entry will remind you - or introduce you to this unique form of annoyance.
And if by any chance you're intrigued instead of annoyed, and wonder what other books use this same gimmick, you should have no trouble learning the answer with Google. You will probably find that at least one book for adults does something similar. You will also discover, if you care to do the research, that other experimental forms of writing also exist in adult fiction. And if you research the 1959 moon book on Amazon, you will also find an audio CD with the same title, recorded by someone with an odd name.
Are you going to take on the challenge of determining the three secrets of this entry? By now you will have figured out the first, most obvious odd characteristic of the words before you. If you think about it, you will probably figure out the second oddity, especially if you consider the autobiographical style of other entries.
That will serve as your second hint.
For the third hint, you may want to ponder tonight's innovations to the rest of the template. If you figure out how they were done, you will probably come across the third and final secret of this entry. The trail will eventually lead you to Shelly of Presto Speaks, giver of great blogging tips - but that will not be the answer to this brain teaser.
So. Will you play along? Or will you click away without leaving a comment?
6 comments:
OoooH! Pretty new background! :) Snazzy! :)
Okay, I love riddles, Karen. I'm going to give it a try. I read "Le Petite Prince" many years ago, but don't remember that it was annoying. However, maybe I was too young to notice, so I will go back and read it again. That is the book you refer to, isn't it? Anyway, I didn't want to be searching down the wrong path, so let me know if I am way off the track here. I'll leave a comment when I think I have something to say, otherwise, I may get frustrated just by the riddle itself! Love it! Bea Oh, BTW, I'd like to add your link to my Other Journals. If you don't want me to, say the word and I will delete it. Thanks Bea
The background looks great, Karen, and the wood paneling for the header. Good job. :)
OOOOO. . . this is far too fun to resist!
Now, I think you have written about The Little Prince before, but:
1. That was first published in 1943.
2. The title character lived on an asteroid and visted several planets, but, as far as I recall, not the moon.
3. I suppose it's all subjective, isn't it? But The Little Prince didn't employ an annoying literary gimmick. At least not the same one you employ in this entry (it's possible that someone out there finds the structure of the downed pilot in the Sahara narrating the story an annoying gimmick. Who knows.)
4. Although it has illustrations, it isn't exactly a "picture book,"
NOW, although I could eliminate The Little Prince as the correct answer, I had no idea about the correct answer actually would be, so I indeed had to consult the truly wonderful and miraculous Google!:
1. You are talking about a book called You Will Go To The Moon. I'm of the wrong generation to have firsthand experience with this book, but Google told me all about it this morning! Annoying literary gimmick:
the use of second person future tense.
2. A book for adults that uses this gimmick, at least in some sections, is The Death of Artemio Cruz.
3. As for the audio CD, you might be talking about the Moxy Früvous album. Moxy Früvous isn't exactly the name of a "someone," but of a band, and quite a good, clever, and interesting one. You'll often find Moxy Früvous music in CD collections that also include They Might Be Giants music.
Do I win? :)
He he he. Sarah's on the right track. She's got secret #1: 2nd person, future tense, as used in You Will Go to the Moon. Now what about secrets 2 and 3?
Yes, yes, Bea, link to any and all blogs, or only one, just as you like! :D
Day-um! Sarah is good! I totally missed everything.
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