I don’t think I will do this but I want to get the 3.5’s advice first.
Suppose I:
- Remove Bookshelf Q. Battler
- Remove the Pop Culture Questions
- Rewrite it as a series about a 1950’s detective who fell asleep, woke up in modern times, and an elegant lady lawyer acts as a go between, bring a new case to Jake every episode on behalf of a mysterious benefactor. Maybe a rich man who wants justice done or something. I don’t know. It’d be some person more realistic than Bookshelf Q. Battler.
Why I Thought About It:
- We’re reaching a point where Jake barely talks about BQB’s question. It just usually descends into “Oh, that question reminds me of the time when…”
- Example. BQB asks Jake “How did Gilligan get washed up on the island?” Jake’s response would be, “Ahh that reminds me of the time when I was shipwrecked with a band of pirates, goes on about a shipwreck related mystery, and then briefly at the end also answers how Gilligan got lost.”
- Will the public at large get “Bookshelf Q. Battler?”
Why I’m Leaning Towards Not Doing It
- To remove the pop culture is to remove the title, and “Pop Culture Mysteries” is such a catchy title. Sad to say, but often it’s all about the title.
- I feel like at some point the issue can be addressed with something like:
DELILAH: Mr. Hatcher, Mr. Battler has become very disappointed with your reports. He asks you a simple question and all you do is drone on and on about your adventures instead. Could you perhaps reign it in?
JAKE: What? And deny the 3.5 my stories?
I don’t know. Let me know what you think.
As I’ve said before, I started writing this in April and September is around the corner. It’s the longest I’ve kept going on a project and mainly because when it’s just a guy sharing his memories, it’s kind of impossible to “write myself into a wall” the way I’ve done with other ideas.
Any feedback you can provide on these stories (good, bad or otherwise) is welcome. My goal is to finish the series of posts by the end of the year, edit and rewrite them, starting posting them daily on a Pop Culture Mysteries spinoff blog next year and then work on and release a Jake novel next year.
Bookshelf Battle 
Follow it through to the end, man.
It seems like your last paragraph sums up what I would do in your position. You’ve got two ideas, both of them workable—why not do both? If your public doesn’t get BQB, you can always have him get shot, or choke on a pretzel, or suffocate in a pile of burly gay steel workers, to be replaced the next issue with someone you like better.
Luckily my public is only 3.5 people so I don’t have many to please.
You are funny, that made me laugh.
Hey by the way Alien Jones answered your question. I still need to edit some typos (surely my fault not his) but otherwise it was fun.
I did catch that. It was, indeed, lovely, though you do assume that I didn’t want to be obliterated in the first wave of cullings. It’s always been my life’s ambition to be culled.
I’ll inform the Esteemed Brainy One of the Earthly phrase, “When you assume…”
I must admit the series has been wandering away from the pop culture mystery side of thing. I think it is all to do with balance. I love the flashbacks, but relying on them too heavily makes the series feel a little structured.
Yeah I’m worried it might be getting dumb and am not sure how or if it can be fixed