I didn't see it coming.

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Over a period of twelve years the Boidem has developed a somewhat distinctive style. The branching structure of its links, the associative nature of its asides, a "personal" tone that gives an identifiable voice to its author. But this distinctiveness, to the extent that it really exists, is continually developing. It isn't constrained by a consistency that demands a clearly defined voice or point of view. Within the Boidem these are allowed to change, and have done so over the years, even if these changes may seem slight and (to the reader at least) insignificant. More than simply being allowed to change, there's even the expectation that they will. The Boidem is a series of columns that can look back and perhaps exclaim "I see how I got here", but not a series that knows, from the outset, where it's going. Because of this it can travel down different paths, it can change tracks on route, it can enjoy the ride, without necessarily knowing where it's supposed to end up.

Because I still don't have a clear picture of when these columns will come to an end, I'm also not committed to a specific narrative, or to a narrative logic. In a book, on the other hand, precisely because we perceive it as a self-enclosed whole, the beginning has to contain the seeds of the ending. Even if at first it isn't clear to the reader, upon reflection he or she should be able to recognize clear signs of a book's conclusion from its start. Being able to maintain this consistency throughout a book is a different, and to my mind more developed, skill than whatever writing skills I may have.

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Go to: Does a book have to have a point?, or
Go to: Why don't you write a book?