The Writer's Arena 2
Friday, June 13, 2014
Yesterday was a sort of nuts and bolts overview during which I shilled for Scrivener but didn't actually link to them. So now that's done.
The idea itself: who sells their soul to the devil? Traditionally, it's people who can't have what they want. It's people who have a desire that exceeds their reach. I was interested in the idea that, if you looked at people who are currently famous, you might be able to work out who'd taken on that sort of a deal. A couple of names suggested themselves. People who were inexplicably famous or successful no matter what they seemed to do or how badly they missed the boat.
One name in particular knocked quite loudly on my imagination, and he's the one I picked. Read the story, tell me if you know who I'm talking about.
What I didn't want to do was end with the protagonist going to Hell, or escaping Hell. I think I've managed to achieve both, more or less by accident, because I kept coming back to the notion that the payment for the deal is inevitable and you can't do anything about it. Supernatural did something like this in the first couple of seasons, I wanted something a lot more downbeat.
I also wanted a reminder that dealing with the Devil is a really bad idea. Dealing with him as a character for a moment, the Devil is full of pride and arrogance but has the ability to recognize that in other people and is more than happy to exploit it to his own ends. He's a representation of temptation and the darker side of our natures, he's that little voice telling you that everyone does it, or that no one will ever know.
A couple of things didn't make it to the final draft. One was a lunch with a couple of famous faces. Another was Joan.
Joan is the protagonist's ideal woman, and a couple of commenters have said they wanted her to be in the story. Early on, I made the decision that she would be forever offpage and there are a couple of reasons for this.
Firstly, I was sort of latching onto the " 'er indoors" vibe; a couple of notorious TV wide boys have had an invisible wife - a rather dated and sexist notion, we can divine their presence only because of the terror they induce in their men.
Secondly, I wanted Joan to be to Adam what Helen was to Faust, and although he achieves her I wanted him to never feel quite worthy of her.
In retrospect, I needed to find a way to make that last idea a lot more obvious. However, I have to say that Adam isn't doing anything for Joan specifically. He seals the deal because he's scared of her Dad, and also because he wants to succeed even though he doesn't think he can. Adam is weak, or just quite human, which is why he doesn't think about his deal for so long. I like to think that after 40 years of marriage, which is where I had them by the end of the story, his attitude has changed a lot, but to start with Joan is another symbol of success.
It becomes clear that I needed to have done one more draft. I'm happy with the story as it stands, but in the light of feedback, I think one more draft would have helped bring these elements further forward.
It was still the most fun I've had in a while, and I would take on another challenge like it in a heartbeat.
The idea itself: who sells their soul to the devil? Traditionally, it's people who can't have what they want. It's people who have a desire that exceeds their reach. I was interested in the idea that, if you looked at people who are currently famous, you might be able to work out who'd taken on that sort of a deal. A couple of names suggested themselves. People who were inexplicably famous or successful no matter what they seemed to do or how badly they missed the boat.
One name in particular knocked quite loudly on my imagination, and he's the one I picked. Read the story, tell me if you know who I'm talking about.
What I didn't want to do was end with the protagonist going to Hell, or escaping Hell. I think I've managed to achieve both, more or less by accident, because I kept coming back to the notion that the payment for the deal is inevitable and you can't do anything about it. Supernatural did something like this in the first couple of seasons, I wanted something a lot more downbeat.
I also wanted a reminder that dealing with the Devil is a really bad idea. Dealing with him as a character for a moment, the Devil is full of pride and arrogance but has the ability to recognize that in other people and is more than happy to exploit it to his own ends. He's a representation of temptation and the darker side of our natures, he's that little voice telling you that everyone does it, or that no one will ever know.
A couple of things didn't make it to the final draft. One was a lunch with a couple of famous faces. Another was Joan.
Joan is the protagonist's ideal woman, and a couple of commenters have said they wanted her to be in the story. Early on, I made the decision that she would be forever offpage and there are a couple of reasons for this.
Firstly, I was sort of latching onto the " 'er indoors" vibe; a couple of notorious TV wide boys have had an invisible wife - a rather dated and sexist notion, we can divine their presence only because of the terror they induce in their men.
Secondly, I wanted Joan to be to Adam what Helen was to Faust, and although he achieves her I wanted him to never feel quite worthy of her.
In retrospect, I needed to find a way to make that last idea a lot more obvious. However, I have to say that Adam isn't doing anything for Joan specifically. He seals the deal because he's scared of her Dad, and also because he wants to succeed even though he doesn't think he can. Adam is weak, or just quite human, which is why he doesn't think about his deal for so long. I like to think that after 40 years of marriage, which is where I had them by the end of the story, his attitude has changed a lot, but to start with Joan is another symbol of success.
It becomes clear that I needed to have done one more draft. I'm happy with the story as it stands, but in the light of feedback, I think one more draft would have helped bring these elements further forward.
It was still the most fun I've had in a while, and I would take on another challenge like it in a heartbeat.
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