rudewordsmith

I could use some feedback, from any one who actually reads this (if, indeed, any one does). This April 11th marks the three year anniversary of Kurt Vonnegut's death. Each year, I have written (for my own enjoyment, and in honor of my personal hero) a short story that serves as an homage to the late author. I try my best to write them in the style of Vonnegut, and using themes in keeping with his. It's nerdy, whatever. I like doing it.

This year, however, I have decided to make an attempt to get my attempt published in the major news paper for the Indianapolis area (once home to Vonnegut). Maybe see if I can help arrange a small collection of his fans to contribute literary tributes to be included in the April 11th edition of said paper.

It may (read: Probably) not work, but why not give it a shot?

I have two ideas that I've been mulling over, and am not sure which to go with. Without risking the whole stories, here are the basic ideas behind both. If you have the time, please let me know which of the two you think would be the most interesting to go with.

Idea One: A man is stuck on an island, all alone. Every week, the man sends a message in a bottle out to sea, hoping to alert some form of civilization of his plight. He wants to be rescued. Every week he does this, and help never comes. At last, a bottle washes up on the shore. Inside is a message, and after enough of these show up it is revealed that the Man is having a conversation with God. In his final bottle, the Man asks God why he won't save the Man. God sends one last bottle, and in its message informs the Man that he is saving him by keeping him on that island. For on that island, there are no wars, no poverty, sickness, etc.

Idea Two: A satirical piece that looks at technology. The point being: While we make great strides in tech, our planet is dying. Instead of making tech that fixes our world, we make inventions that train us to perform our tasks (and, really, live our lives) from inside of our homes. So while we could save the planet, we admit defeat and use our resources to prolong our lives that we shall forever carry out inside shelters, eventually becoming machines that thrive off of convenience, not necessity. Examples of such tech would be: Phones that play movies and games, computers that allow us to socialize without the "burden" of meeting face-to-face, etc... all stuff we already have, but don't really need.

I'm not saying either story is groundbreaking or amazing, but which would make for a more compelling, interesting story?

Thanks, and have a great day.