Comments on: …And that’s the rest of the story

By: Bill Ryan’s Other Blog » Blog Archive » The Amazing Story of Craig ‘Lazie’ Lynch

Sun, 03 Jan 2010 04:14:22 +0000

[...] too long ago, I posted about Evan Ratliff aka The Atavist. He’s a freelance writer who’s job was to completely disappear for a [...]

By: Tony

Tony — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 18:15:37 +0000

Evan, I’ve just come upon this story — always late, never with a gift or excuse — and my heart is literally still pounding. I want more: more updates, more tweets, more pictures… I too am someone, trapped in my own “mundaneity”, looking for a chance to reinvent myself. My daydreams and fantasies are always much more stimulating than real life.

This story is rich with material for a wonderfully detailed and textured piece of modern literature; an engaging fictitious story of an identifiable person trying to reboot. There is potential for grittiness, humanity, suspense, and humor. I’d pay full price for that book, and read it more than once.

Excellent work!

By: Steve

Steve — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 02:19:04 +0000

WOW! Best piece of writing I’ve experienced in years. A masterful blend of a great idea, skillful and dedicated execution, and a talented writer. Your story is easily the coolest thing I’ve seen anyone do in years. Tell the guys over at Wired that you are responsible for some new subscriptions…I’m getting one tomorrow. Thanks for doing this.

By: Mat

Mat — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 01:58:43 +0000

just read the article…great read (both this and the august article) but did you have to go to that soccer game?? in my opinion, that’s where it started to go bad…

you should just gone to the hood, man…no one would have looked for you there

By: Marc

Marc — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 21:11:21 +0000

Just finished the article in Wired, it was a great read, and got me thinking about the trace I am leaving all over the place…

By: Bill Ryan’s Other Blog » Sprint Helps the Feds Invade Your Privacy

Bill Ryan’s Other Blog » Sprint Helps the Feds Invade Your Privacy — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 19:27:16 +0000

[...] hear is a reference to Evan Ratliff. If you’re unfamiliar with him, here’s the rest of the story in a nutshell. He’s a free-lance writer and blogger. He took a gig for Wired magazine that [...]

By: Tim

Tim — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 23:46:28 +0000

Simply fascinating, thank you for the journey and documenting the entire thing to boot.

By: evanratliff

evanratliff — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:04:31 +0000

Neal,

Thanks!

As for the 1st/3rd person switching, the idea was to distinguish between the parts that about what I was actually doing (which were truly first person, i.e. I was there) from those where I was telling the hunter’s stories (most of which I learned about by interviewing them after, as I would for a normal reported story). The back-and-forth can be a bit jarring, but it seemed even more confusing to keep writing “I” and “me” in sections that were really about the hunters, not me. Another way to put it is that there are actually two stories there: the 1st person tale of how I disappeared, and the 3rd person tale of how a bunch of people tried to find some guy who disappeared. They just happen to be about the same person, so they are woven together.

I maybe have just made it more confusing, but…

By: Neal Moore

Neal Moore — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:53:18 +0000

Evan
Great stuff, and in no way a stunt because of the social networking lessons that emerged. One question… I was confused while reading the WIRED piece by your persistent slipping in and out of first and third-person writing. Was there a particular reason for this literary tactic? Just curious.

By: evanratliff

evanratliff — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:23:19 +0000

Hi Chris,

Indeed, it was Finn McCool’s. Fantastic place, one of my favorite soccer bars in the country. I watched a couple of games there: one Fulham match (on a Sunday night, on replay; there was some kind of league party happening, maybe kickball or softball?), and I think an Aston Villa game. I was probably right down the bar!