The problem with that conversation, I guess, is that the word disposable appears to have been linked to the quality of short fiction, to suggest that a short story can't linger, can't alter the reader, can't have a point, can't whatever. Which is not what I said. It can do all those things. Why wouldn't it? But when I talk about the fact that fiction can be seen as disposable, I was talking about the time factor in reading it, and the fact that it is a small bit of fiction. After you've read it in a magazine or a website you can forget about it easily if you don't like it, even throw it away, not worry about it so much because it's small. The risk is less for your time. Whereas with a novel, you generally invest more time and you keep novels for the most part. Which is why archiving short fiction doesn't appeal to me much.
It's also worth pointing out again that I don't see the word disposable as a bad thing. I love the idea of disposable fiction. It's really quite freeing.
But whatever. It's fun to watch people react.
