Young Writers Society

So, you know that precise moment when that grand idea hits you? I just had that. But then after that second where your head explodes, you have to pick up all the pieces of skull and brain off the floor, and reshape your idea into something that will fit between the lines of a piece of paper. The better your idea is, the more you know you'll have to put every bit of writing ability into making it work. That's where I am right now. The walls are covered in the remains of an uninspired head, and I'm sitting here trying to figure out how everything fits together.

So that is why I've resorted back to rambling therapy, whereby I post my idea and keep a record of my thoughts, so that maybe I can pinpoint the moments where I put the wrong piece in the wrong place.

So, here it goes:

Enter the world of Stanislavsky's Chainsaw. Yes, that is the title I'm working with. It is a story about identity, drama, and the paradox of truth not existing.

Cameron is the lead in a play, along with Emily. Their characters (Toby and Delilah) are lovers. The basic outline of the play is that the characters devote their lives to applying the rules of the Theatre of the Absurd to their lives. They talk nonsensically, and find great meaning in the random acts of absurdity that life is based around.

Outside of this, Cameron and Emily undertake extensive processes to get into these characters. They dress up like them, and live entire days as their characters, just in the streets or wherever they go.
Still with me? I think I am.

Now, this is my favourite aspect of what I'm doing, and, I think, what makes my story unique. The whole thing is in first person POV (Cameron's), however, in the parts of the story where Cameron is in character as Toby, it is written like a third-person narrative. The way I see it, in his own head, Cameron and Toby are not the same person, so when Cameron is in character, he does not think of himself as 'I', but rather as 'Toby'. I will make this point obvious later in the story, and hopefully not let on to the reader that they are, in fact, the same person. In my head, it sounds like a plot-twist, I'm probably being a bit ambitious.

There is one other aspect of the story that I'm pretty proud of, but right now I'll just leave this one in public view. This other idea is still the blurry stages.

Well I think I've helped myself gather my head. If anyone has any thoughts, I'd like to hear them, and please let me know if I'm not being clear at all. I do that sometimes.

inertia.

Oooh, I love the idea of switching perspective for when Cameron is Toby. That sounds really interesting but you'll have to be extremely clever to trick the audience into thinking they're two different people - especially if Cameron and Emily are going to be talking about the play.

Oh, that does sound interesting! xD I get the whole third-person narrative, I think that's pretty neat. If you write it the right way, I think it could be used as a great plot twist, you should have some foreshadow perhaps in the beginning of the story, and a few /very/ subtle hints woven throughout...I'm curious as to how you'll make it work --I'd love to read it when you're done ^_^

cool. what an original idea. good luck!

I understand the idea of rambling therapy... For a while (I need to start again) I had a file on my computer where everyday I typed up ideas for my story, corrections that I thought needed to happen, name changes, character additions/subtractions, plot twists, etc. etc. the list goes on and on. Every entry was dated, so that I could go back and pick out exactly where I went wrong, or where I got the right idea...

I recommend this idea to writers, even just as a warm up before you start writing. Brainstorming, I guess it could be called.

Congrats on your story plot! I'm liking it! The title great: that would be a book I would pick up, no doubt. Who can resist a title with chainsaws in it?

~GryphonFledgling