Dudley Danes is something of an enigma. He is a content creator, humorist, creative writer, poet, amateur etymologist, social misfit, and ponderer. Though he is mostly unknown to the general public, his wide array of literary interests and pursuits are almost certain to garner future attention. He also just so happens to be the product of a writer's imagination.
Dudley currently resides in a small fictional Pennsylvania town, contentedly penning works from the ramshackle shanty he calls home. He writes full time, providing escapist literature that many refuse to call "art."
Not much is known about Dudley's true past. He has, by design, kept himself and his talents hidden away and would happily remain in obscurity if not for a lucky circumstance and a very insistent new manager (who, unfortunately for him, happens to be me). He is here now, however, and under my watch.
What I can reveal here is fairly limited. You see, Dudley Danes is a liar. His personal anecdotes often contain elements of exaggeration or color. So much so, that one may wonder if Dudley's true desire is to be disbelieved, especially when these very same anecdotes evolve with every retelling and often breach the realm of the impossible or the supernatural. He has himself referred to his "creative memory," which not only indicates an open awareness of his fabrications, but may actually reveal him to be more of a calculated (rather than pathological) liar. Most likely, Dudley simply prefers fiction over reality, and damn the facts of the matter. This attitude is certainly true of several of the characters he has invented.
Even for those few of us who have spent time with him, it is difficult to separate truth from fiction. He doesn't like personal questions, is often quite snarky, and prefers to communicate strictly in writing.
Here is what I can relay with confidence:
- Dudley Danes has a creative but unpolished mind, and he prefers to keep it that way, thank you very much!
- He passionately believes that stories are better when written for the individual rather than for the masses. (This has made it difficult for him to transition from mere hobby to career).
- He thinks Escapism is a genre in itself.
- He has a strained but active relationship with his family, and
- His new manager (me again) is often beset by terrible headaches because he believes in what Dudley represents, and he wants Dudley to reach his full potential. This, despite the fact that Dudley seems to enjoy making this as difficult as possible.
Dudley tends to focus on characters who prefer imagination to reality. Not only does this characteristic serve as a reflection of Dudley himself, but it highlights Dudley's stated mission to "create literary works that serve as mere idle amusement [rather than] to produce truth in polished masterpieces."
Another characteristic of Dudley's work is an element of narcissism. Many of his stories feature a character or characters named Dudley. These Dudleys can range in scope and value to the story, and often present conflicting representations of the man, if that is indeed his purpose for their inclusion. For instance, in "On the Nature of Pirates" (link will be provided soon), Dudley is a young man with a somewhat naïve outlook and a dangerous imagination, whereas in My Frozen Britches (comic strip, unlinked), Dudley is the name of a penguin who shits ice cream.
The narcissism begins and ends in Dudley's fiction, however. The Dudley we encounter through his blogs and essays is often humble and relatable, rarely presenting "self" as having any element of importance. His long avoidance of cameras and public speaking is rather un-narcissistic, as is his habit of substituting his own image with stock photos and renderings of dissimilar older gentlemen. He has only recently agreed to allow his true image to appear with some of his works. This was a major victory for his support team.
Whoever the real Dudley is, and whatever the reasons for his eccentricities, DudleyDanes.com is his living portfolio. Here, he will post many of his newest drafts, often in a rough or lightly edited format as well as, once we receive legal approval, occasional links to published material. Here he will post, rant, share, lie, and live. And it is entirely for your entertainment.
Welcome. Whether you are here to be amused, bewildered, or outright lied to, Dudley and I are glad to have you. And may you, like Dudley, never look at life the same way twice.
I am a man hacking away at his keyboard, struggling to find meaning (and humor) in all of the world's chaos. I use this website to refine my vision of a casual, but omniscient narrator who uses his own personality and irreverence to influence the tales that he hells. Here, I share my journey in that endeavor.
My personal mission is not dissimilar from Dudley's--I desire to provide escape from all of life's anxieties and responsibilities, be they large or small. Unlike Dudley, I do not have the luxury of removing myself from the world, nor can I fully escape the influence of pressures, prejudice, or politics. I therefore use Dudley as a proxy, a representative of my dreamer's ideal: He opens the door to a place where imagination and reality coexist harmoniously.
I wholeheartedly believe that the world needs Dudley. His dedication to his passions (as strange as they are sometimes), his brand of escapism, his simple language, his love for human kind, his aloofness, his distaste for polish, and his stubbornness are all vital to our mental and spiritual evolution. Through Dudley’s escapism, his flaws, and his dreams, I hope that we can find a way to navigate the chaos of life—and in doing so, discover a new beauty of the world in which we live.