Tag: Trishna’s Parents Divit and Brigit

[The Story] Shopping With Characters

Over my years of writing these essays about “The Story,” essays, and even Novel 01, I’ve realized that there is a difference between looking for writing inspiration and being “in it.” When interviewers ask writers about where they get their inspiration, they mean well, but they’re not asking the question well. It’s not like we sit alone in a dark room and these ideas appear… Maybe sometimes… It’s more likely we’ll go shopping with our characters.

Spoilers?: Minor [grocery shopping brainstorming]
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[The Story] Name of Wheelchair?

Part of the challenge of writing fiction outside of one’s comfort zone is that there are areas that I can’t easily verify. One of the two main characters of “The Story,” Trishna, uses a wheelchair. I don’t yet have anyone I can ask to make sure my brainstorming ideas aren’t problematic, but for something like naming a wheelchair, it seems like some people don’t and some people do, so something like that shouldn’t be problematic.

Spoilers?: Minor [name of wheelchair]
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[The Story] Them Playing Apart

In “Them Playing Together,” I wrote about how a local videogame store inspired elements of “The Story” ranging from seemingly-insignificant geography to insignificantly-significant daily hobbies. It might be boring to cover many years in the lives of John and Trishna, especially if a majority of their recreational time might be spent playing videogames or reading, but it’s worthwhile to know their favorite hobbies. How much time do they spend doing hobbies apart from each other?

Spoilers?: Minor [games as storytelling]
WANNA CONSIDER HOW REAL-LIFE LOCATIONS CAN STILL INSPIRE [IN]CONSEQUENTIAL CHARACTER DETAILS? CLICK HERE TO KEEP ON READING!

[The Story] Sindian History Museum

I don’t yet know how much variation there is from our world and “The Story.” The easiest variations on fiction are real life and completely divergent paths. If I just wrote about India, then I’d just have to fly there, explore the area, and report my findings in a convenient way, just like writing about some imaginary location. Writing about a pseudo-India, Sindia, would require more research and nuance for John and Trishna to explore.

Spoilers?: Minor (artifacts within worldbuilding)
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[The Story] Vertical Slice, October 2018

I’ll casually estimate that I’ve published over 80,500 words related to “The Story” as of yet, even though all content related to it could easily surpass 150,000. Everything is nebulously floating around inside my head, loosely organized, so even writing specific ideas twice each week are just subjective rough drafts. My plan is to write everything in one go after I feel confident that I can. Until then, here’s a 6,000-word vertical slice walking through “The Story.”

Spoilers?: Major (an entire brain-dump)
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[The Story] Learning From Others

For as many complaints people unrequitedly say about their relationships, I only hear a few positive comments. I imagine that will also be true in “The Story,” where men will complain to John [right] and women will complain to Trishna [left] about their spouses. Maybe it’s easier to complain? Since the last essay focused on the negatives, below, let’s focus on the positives, because really the only difference is the intended outcome: progress or regress?

Spoilers?: Minor (just character brainstorming)
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[The Story] Complaining About Others

A customer complained to me about his wife’s technological irresponsibility. “I’ve got an audience, so let me tell you…[1]” and though his rationale was sound – yes, you should be careful with expensive technology – I applied their seemingly rocky relationship to Trishna [left] and John [right]. How much will they accept or tolerate of each other’s faults? I’ve always imagined “The Story” to be primarily a nice story about two friends. Will they have sore spots?

Spoilers?: Minor (exploring character traits)
WANNA CONSIDER WHY PEOPLE SHARE SECRETS WITH STRANGERS? CLICK HERE TO KEEP ON READING!

[The Story] Cluttered Living Space

I don’t completely endorse the idea that settings are like characters. While someone’s workspace or personal space can convey surface-level symbolic meaning over personality, what is tolerable or not, and more, I don’t think it’s a comprehensive glimpse into a person’s, or character’s, mind. Still, in “The Story,” there are some key settings that could provide interesting anecdotal information into the minds of Trishna [left] and John [right]. Let’s declutter the psychology from the physical.

Spoilers?: Minor (set-building… as character-building?)
WANNA CONSIDER HOW THINKING TOO LITTLE OR TOO MUCH ABOUT SETTING CAN BE WASTEFUL? CLICK HERE TO KEEP ON READING!

[The Story] Ubiquitous Moving Gigs

I always thought you got work based on what you knew, then later thinking it was who you knew, now it might be who you can convince to hire you. It’s a gamble in real life, just like “The Story,” with John [center] and Trishna [not shown] facing greater odds due to their impairments. Though they must try harder, there are some hard working ways that they can get the odds more in their favor.

Spoilers?: Minor (job-hunting brainstorming 1 of 2)
WANNA READ BOTH ABOUT HOW THESE CHARACTERS PUT IN THE EFFORT TO GET WORK AND WHAT MIGHT SET YOU AHEAD AS WELL? CLICK HERE TO KEEP ON READING!

[The Story] Mother’s Day Moments

Mother’s Day for the Lanchester family is an important celebration. Like Father’s Day, and everyone’s birthday, it’s more than just an excuse for Trishna (left) to take photos of her newborn niece Alejandría (“Allie Pally”). It’s a time to reconnect, fortify long-term goals, work through any lingering problems that might need attention, and celebrate the matriarchal side of the family. Let’s explore how Mother’s Days might feel in the first few years of “The Story.”

Spoiler Warning Scale: Minor (hypotheticals, character development)
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