Is Melly For Real?

"Giant Girl Rampages" is the story of Melly Mills, a fifteen-year-old with a problem fitting in--mainly because she's approaching eighteen feet tall! This story is a work of fiction. It takes place in a world that defies the laws of physics and biology as we understand them. If the story were printed on paper sheets and glued into a cardboard cover we'd know how to react to it, because we're all used to visiting the world of books and returning to our own world without blurring the line between the two.

But instead of being fixed in a static book, Melly's story is unfolding in real time, in first person narrative, in an interactive medium most people use to convey facts or honestly-held opinions--the blog. And a funny thing happens when a story is told through a blog. Readers experience the blog-novel at the same pace as their lives, they gain the ability to communicate with at least one of the characters, and the line between reality and fiction fades away.

In the blog format, Melly's voice seems more immediate, personal, and trustworthy. Is she reliable enough to make the outrageous events of "Giant Girl Rampages" seem like they're really happening? We wouldn't have thought so, but readers have surprised us by treating Melly like a real person despite her impossible height. They give her unsolicited advice in their blog comments, ask questions about her life, and explain how their own experiences relate to hers.

The blog-novel exists in an electronic environment where readers and characters interact, and in that environment Melly Mills is as real as anybody else. She believes in her existence as strongly as anybody else. And if you accuse her of being fictional, be prepared to prove that you're not just a figment of her imagination.