The Significance of Fake Reality

Although I've been reading about International Fake Journal Month (IFJM) for several years, this is the first year I'm participating. I haven't yet decided how much I want to write about my fake journal but the experience of the six journal entries so far reminded me of a very enjoyable but unusual IFJM-related experience I had last year when Roz, the instigator of IFJM, asked her readers to send in collage material that her character might choose to use in her fake journal. .

I sent in a few old canceled postage stamps and I believe it was the real Roz who opened my letter, checked the items, and kindly mailed me the 2013 IFJM button with her portrait of a French Bulldog and last year's motto: "Embrace the Fake."

In any case, her character did use my material. I know this because Roz made a video where she paged through the journal (which is awesome) and I saw my stamps on one of the pages!

Seeing the stamps I'd sent appearing in the video was a fun but also surreal experience. How did my real stamps end up in a virtual representation of an apparently actual fake journal produced by a character Roz created? I plan to explore this question further in a wrap up once the 2014 IFJM is over.

NOTE All of my 2014 IFJM posts will be displayed by clicking on the IFJM link after the word Labels: just below this post or any of my other posts with the same link.