Man, first I was embarrassed that I had such a potty mouth; and now I'm embarrassed 'cause I look like a wuss.

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I'll be a bit verbose.

If the story is about or only about the 'High Concept' you have a problem, that is, if the 'concept' has been done before. I'm not primarily a sci-fi reader; I know my share of 'classical' Asimov and Heinlein and such, and I've read my share of good as well as shittastic fantasy, but I'm open to most genre -- and non-genre -- fiction, with the possible exception of pulp romance (except as an object of parody). HuSi has its share -- I keep using that word -- of sci-fi readers (I refuse to use the subculturally correct expression SF), but most are sophisticated or nuanced enough not to judge merely on a 'concept' and whether or not it's been done before.

And 'doing the concept in a new way' often doen't help; it's an obvious variation on the theme, sort of like the supposed impossibility of patenting something obviously derived from an existing invention. But where your story works, as do stories that have a similar relationship to their 'sci-fi-ish concept,' is, as I stated, in using the concept not just in a new context but in a context that makes sense (makes the concept more plausible) and in which it really illuminates that context, the actual story. At the same time the simulation concept allows us to think beyond the story a bit, especially since these characters are, in the end, so inconsequential (to us).

If your story were categorized as a genre work, it would be judged that way, but to say, "you know, this isn't very hot chili" when you're eating baked beans is to miss the point. I remember reading -- and loving -- Never Let Me Go and then reading reviews by people who saw it only as a sci-fi story and claimed that the book was bad or disappointing because they'd already read other clone/cloning stories. Had they not read the novel? Enjoyed or at least critiqued the language, mood, tone and voice? The nostalgia, the story of cloning merged with boarding school with a subculture's salvation tale and self-mythology mixed in? If they'd done all that and still found it wanting, I'll agree to disagree with them, but if they just see 'clone,' think 'not new,' and quit, I consider them illiterate fools.

Reading your story this morning reminded me of the approach of NaNoWriMo, and I've been thinking of revisiting a concept I considered a couple years ago but never really did because I dropped out after 3-4 days due to other duties, and that concept deals with simulation, as well. It's hard, post-Matrix, to do anything of the sort, especially if the story is about the simulation aspect. If the whole point is that they're in a computer simulation, or behave as if they were, etc., then I have no story to tell, and reading your story (returning to the opening phrase of this paragraph) made me consider anew whether I should go down that road, and -- in light of what I consider a successful story on your part -- what I need to do to make it fresh and work for me.

The End.

_
"The german quoting guy is a little bit out there." (fleece)
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He's become quite a reader. He just started reading this. I've printed out a copy of your story for him.

"It means more if you have to earn it, even if it's by doing something as simple as eating a meal." Kellnerin
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As for finishing the novel, lots of people are going to be trying to do just that next month, and even if you don't believe in doing the 50,000-word sprint, it's still a good time for setting goals and seeing if you can surprise yourself. (Me, my only writing-related goal this year is to survive three scheduled releases with roughly the same level of sanity I brought into this job. I cannot tell whether this is a lofty, or even achievable goal right now.)

--
"Late to the party" is the new "ahead of the curve" -- CRwM
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