Story Development | A Writer's Discrepant Memoirs and Other Tales

Last December I hurt my back at work. I was out for about 2 1/2 months. The first couple of weeks were rough. I could barely move, so everything required patience and effort.

It also allowed me free time. Sweet, sweet free time.

I finally had time to research new ideas, including a side business. More on that later. I could finish Baldur’s Gate 3 without having to negotiate TV time with The Sis. More on that later too. But most importantly, I got time to write. And I made use of it by finishing the first draft of a new screenplay I’ve titled, Man of Sin.

One little hiccup, I have quite a few more ideas for its continuation, and I’m not sure I want to make it a sequel, but then again, it might be fun as a limited series, so I’m currently trying to figure that out.

I also had the idea that with so much content, it might work well as a novel, get in on that IP train, and I’ve always wanted to see my work on a bookshelf.

I came up with a very vague idea of the story years ago, like 12. Eek. All from a line of dialogue in an episode of American Horror Story. This is why an idea journal is a great “idea”. Any time I hear an interesting phrase, have a snippet of an idea, or even have a weird dream, I write it down. You never know when that random thing will percolate into a full fledged story.

And here we are.

When I started plotting the new story last year sometime, it was meant to be a dark, terrible story about a secret sect of the Church and their dealings. The idea is does anyone know the identity of the anti-christ and how was that information discovered? The protagonists are a pair from two sides of this sect – a knight of the order and a descendant of the seer line who prophesied who the AC is.

It became a love story.

They were meant to be drawn to one another, over the course of the story. Instead, these two idiots liked each other immediately. I let them tell me their story, and this was one of the easier times I’ve had writing since the fan fiction.

And I really like them together.

So I didn’t fight it.

And I truly enjoy the story.

Obviously, as I mentioned, it’s only a first draft, and it does need some tweaking, but I let it sit for a while, reread it, and I still like it.

This is a weird feeling.

Satisfaction in my work.

I don’t have the longline yet and it’s not ready to be read, but I wanted to share this new story idea with you, and the feeling of having completed a new script. That’s a special moment.

So, moral of the story – good things come to those who wait. Just kidding. Keep track of your random ideas and story thoughts. You never know when a whole new story will “appear” (you know, through hard work).

Have any of you found/created a story you love from a decade(s) old idea? Let’s chat!

And Happy Writing!

CapHydra

The internet, and myself included, were all in a tizzy this week with the announcement that in a new comic series, Steve Rogers #1, Captain America is actually an undercover Hydra agent.

Nope.

No.

Not having it.

Fans were quite rightly upset and for good reason. Captain America has stood as a moral icon, defending the defenseless against tyranny and oppression, and choosing the right path, regardless of personal cost, for 75 years. He’s the good guy, with no hints at all to his character to the contrary. Many fans believe this is just a publicity stunt, shock for shock value alone, and I agree.

With his rise in popularity due to two wonderful films in the MCU, I can imagine that there was a meeting in which execs and writers came up with a few “what if” scenarios, but as a fellow writer, I can attest to the fact that not all ideas are good ones. I can’t fault a writer for wanting to take a risk, especially with a character of Cap’s reputation, but taking a character with such a strong moral code and turning that on its head without any warning is just feeding into the mentality that the only way to be relevant is to be shocking.

We, as a people, continually exposed to all manner of craziness via the internet and the rise in dramatic, stunning television, I think, are the reasons behind such bold moves. In order to be noticed, we’ve resorted to becoming the one-uppers. Shows like Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, and American Horror Story, among others, have risen the bar in the way of surprising their audience, and I thank them for it, but at the same time wonder if it’s not hurting us as well, overall.

We now expect so much more from all our media-going experiences, and this is forcing writers to do the unexpected often without reason. A scene like the Red Wedding in Game of Thrones had a great deal of build up. It wasn’t an out of left field surprise, although yes, it was upsetting. The stage was set, long before we arrived, with bread crumbs left along the way that led us to such an inevitable conclusion.

GoT

This is something as writers we need to be aware of. We can’t throw in a shocking twist just because – there has to be a reason, motivation, there has to have been set up. Audiences want to be satisfied, they also want to feel clever, and this is done by offering them morsels and insights they can piece together before the big surprise.

This offers us, as writers, a great challenge to think about the nuances needed to tell our story more effectively. If we look at the big picture, how can we impress upon our audience what is to come with a little foreshadowing? Is there a metaphor that could highlight the impending dilemma? Is there a phrase said by a character early on that offers such insight? Think of social media and how people dig into their favorite scenes, stories, characters, etc. to find more depth and hidden meaning (I have discovered a number of memes and the like showcasing foreshadowing I missed myself) and think of how happy it will make our audience if we can offer that to them.

I found this writing tip via Helping Writers Become Authors that offers the good and bad reasons to kill a character, but I think it can be utilized in regards to any plot device.

KillingCharacter

Let us not short change our audience. Let us give them the surprises they deserve; those that mean more because we cared enough to think our story through, and not just another tactic or ploy meant to incite emotion or a reaction. Let us also not short change our work or our characters. Be true to them. They deserve no less…and so does Cap.

Happy Writing!