We've got to decide some things early on. Is it a family drama? Tolstoy had something to say about that, yes? Is it a love story? Shakespeare. A tragedy? Shakespeare as well. Is it a coming of age story? Is it one of those stories where something significant, like in "A Good Man is Hard to Find" or is it one of those quiet dramas, in which the change is inferred rather than conferred.
Where should the story take place? Are we talking exotic locale? What about a trip to Mars? Would it focus on the space ship portion, setting up camp, getting left there? What about something pastoral or big city? What time period should it be set in? Would people find it more compelling if the characters spoke in archaic language? What if some people who were dead came back to life?
Is it going to be written in the third person omniscient, third limited, first person, second person? Is the protagonist going to be the sort of person that we root for or the modern hero of television drama, think, Don Draper, who we feel ambivalent about even though we also are kind of rooting for them? Has the modern hero disappeared because of a lack of a faith or some sort of corporate understanding of the reality of human nature?
Is the narrator, first person or otherwise going to be funny? What does it do to the shape of a story to have it be funny? Is it going to be philosophically insightful, or are we looking at something that is more of a typical human drama, people interacting and such?
What if there were dragons but the dragons were deeply conflicted about their role as slayers of mankind? What if these dragons had wonderful personalities and played cards and considered their dwindling numbers with a thoughtful air? What if I just copied the entire text of the BFG but called it my own? Pierre Menad, I suppose.
Should the story be set in the future? What sort of opportunities for growth do we want for this character? Could the character have a moment where they almost change but then just go back to being their shi--y self? I think I learned in grad school that that was okay too. What if I just sat down in front of the white blank screen and see what came out? Should I trust the first voice that comes out?
I'm going to need to think about this for a while, but I'll take suggestions.
Where should the story take place? Are we talking exotic locale? What about a trip to Mars? Would it focus on the space ship portion, setting up camp, getting left there? What about something pastoral or big city? What time period should it be set in? Would people find it more compelling if the characters spoke in archaic language? What if some people who were dead came back to life?
Is it going to be written in the third person omniscient, third limited, first person, second person? Is the protagonist going to be the sort of person that we root for or the modern hero of television drama, think, Don Draper, who we feel ambivalent about even though we also are kind of rooting for them? Has the modern hero disappeared because of a lack of a faith or some sort of corporate understanding of the reality of human nature?
Is the narrator, first person or otherwise going to be funny? What does it do to the shape of a story to have it be funny? Is it going to be philosophically insightful, or are we looking at something that is more of a typical human drama, people interacting and such?
What if there were dragons but the dragons were deeply conflicted about their role as slayers of mankind? What if these dragons had wonderful personalities and played cards and considered their dwindling numbers with a thoughtful air? What if I just copied the entire text of the BFG but called it my own? Pierre Menad, I suppose.
Should the story be set in the future? What sort of opportunities for growth do we want for this character? Could the character have a moment where they almost change but then just go back to being their shi--y self? I think I learned in grad school that that was okay too. What if I just sat down in front of the white blank screen and see what came out? Should I trust the first voice that comes out?
I'm going to need to think about this for a while, but I'll take suggestions.
a dinosaur, in the first person, who lives on mars and is conflicted about returning to earth to tell the true story of the dinosaurs demise..
ReplyDeletemake it a vegetarian dinosaur with a sense of humor
good luck!!
Immigrant story or rich character development drama.
ReplyDeleteStop thinking so much and write!
ReplyDelete