The story is at once very easy and very hard to explain…
““The story is at once very easy and very hard to explain. I’ve never tried to do it in person, but I imagine if I did, I would end up vomiting on someone’s shoes. Explaining something online is as simple as pasting a link and saying, “Here, read this.” They click. Read the intro page. If they like it, they keep reading. If not, oh well, at least I didn’t have to talk. If I did have to explain the story without the very handy reference of the story itself, I imagine it would sound something like this: “On distant planet Orcus, a girl and boy fight on opposite sides of a long war between the natives and colonists from Earth. The girl and boy are hosts to parasitic energy creatures whose only weakness is each other. There’s lots of ocean, and there are monsters in that ocean. Stuff happens. Colors are pretty.” There’s a reason I’m an artist and not a writer.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Explaining a story online is easy, but conveying it verbally without visual aids is challenging and often feels absurd.
In simple terms: Online links make storytelling easy, but spoken explanations are hard.
Key Takeaway
Use visual aids or concise summaries for verbal storytelling.
Themes
communication
storytelling
technology
humor
limitations
Mood
playful
self‑deprecating
reflective
Type
humorous
critical
When to use this quote
- presentations
- teaching
- marketing pitches
- podcast scripts
Key Concepts
narrative compression
digital media
audience engagement
Questions to Reflect On
- What visual tools could replace a link in a talk?
- How does medium affect story reception?
A Different Perspective
Relying solely on spoken words can lose nuance and audience interest.