The story, like most valuable things, is a beautiful tool that must be pulled out and used at the right time. And whatever the story-teller thinks of himself he must resolve the truth, his truth, admit of it and then pull the manifold things to this truth and test it there.

The story writer, as an artist, understands that a mere paragraph can last an eternity while a long, long sadly long tale can vanish in a heartbeat. Size does not count. The energy in the words and the spaces between the words, count.

That is the artistic way rather than the corporate or market way.

The corporate way is filled with lies and convenient overlooking of facts. It is rationalized very well but still no writer should allow him or herself to get beaten down by the "imperative of the times." The writer knows the corporate way lies because the writer has lied and at the moment of his greatest lie understands the corporate world perfectly. The lie is there to please a group of people. Lies are always about pleasing someone else. And what is the corporate and market way but the need to please someone else either for their money or their vote? And yet, of all the lying systems known to men and women, it is the best way; the best, least dangerous lie if there is such a thing. After all, if we were simply to put our truth at the center and let things be built around it wouldn't it look awfully foolish?

So, stories. Not major truths but small truths that save a soul.