Current Events > Will CE help me workshop this short story I'm writing?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I normally do the thing myself but this one has had me stuck for ages. I'd either push through or just move on but I really like the premise (maybe CE will disagree, but that will be good feedback too).

So it's set in Michigan in the 1980s'. Or in the U.K somewhere. A barefoot lad with cheek of tan goes to visit his dumbass father across the country and comes back with all this new, obscure music. He shows his friends and they listen to it, listen out for it on the radio, but it rarely plays etc. Then they find a newspaper advertisement for one of the bands doing a show. They pile into the Second Base Mobile and go on a road trip, clutching this newspaper advertisement, trying to get to the show. Hilarity ensues, I guess.

But that's all I have. I want there to be a bunch of weird characters, like something you'd see in a Wes Anderson movie, or something out of Daria or whatever. But what actually HAPPENS? I can't think of interesting situations and conflicts, and broader context. I don't want it to be just people bouncing around talking about their feelings and ****. Y'know?

Halp? I promise to build several statues in your honour.
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write in Black Man Ass
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wuh
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Sounds like Detroit Rock City.
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Never heard of it but I'll check it out.
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It's about 4 guys going on a road trip to see a Kiss concert, but along the way, they meet a bunch of wacky characters, and get into a lot of different situations.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBTg_CW9kQQ
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Kajagogo posted...

Sounds like Detroit Rock City.

Yeah it's pretty much exactly that. TC is a little late.
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Gamer99z posted...

Kajagogo posted...

Sounds like Detroit Rock City.

Yeah it's pretty much exactly that. TC is a little late.

These things happen with almost any concept for a story you can think of these days.
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Stalolin posted...

Gamer99z posted...

Kajagogo posted...

Sounds like Detroit Rock City.

Yeah it's pretty much exactly that. TC is a little late.

These things happen with almost any concept for a story you can think of these days.

True. I'd suggest reading How To Steal Like An Artist if you're into any creative mediums. Has some good advice.
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Bruh I'm way ahead of you haha.
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Stalolin posted...

Gamer99z posted...

Kajagogo posted...

Sounds like Detroit Rock City.

Yeah it's pretty much exactly that. TC is a little late.

These things happen with almost any concept for a story you can think of these days.

You asked for help, and I'm helping you by saying don't do it. What other stories do you have?
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Kajagogo posted...

Stalolin posted...

Gamer99z posted...

Kajagogo posted...

Sounds like Detroit Rock City.

Yeah it's pretty much exactly that. TC is a little late.

These things happen with almost any concept for a story you can think of these days.

You asked for help, and I'm helping you by saying don't do it. What other stories do you have?

Mmm... nah I'm still gonna do it anyway for fun.

I do also have this story called Point Nemo since I read about it on Reddit and thought it would make a cool story. Point Nemo is a place in the Pacific Ocean where they decommission space ships and old satellites. I have an idea for it to be semi-futuristic, where this guy decides to be a hermit, or wild man, and lives out there on a kind of man-made island. Old space junk is constantly just falling around his house and into the water. That's about as much as I have. Maybe someone from space has to come back to Earth for some reason and lands there and then... something... happens, I dunno.
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Are my ideas terrible? GIVE IT TO ME STRAIGHT CE.
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Stalolin posted...

Are my ideas terrible? GIVE IT TO ME STRAIGHT CE.

The idea, as is presented. Is nothing interesting, it's been done before, more than once..

However an idea doesn't necessarily need to be original to be good if you could make it well written, well developed characters, quality humor, etc. Based on your brief rundown it would most likely just be mediocre and not interesting or memorable.
But it is possible to take that concept and do it on a great way. You just have to be a talented writer. Which isn't something I can judge on this topic alone.
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I see. :(
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Stalolin posted...

I normally do the thing myself but this one has had me stuck for ages. I'd either push through or just move on but I really like the premise (maybe CE will disagree, but that will be good feedback too).

So it's set in Michigan in the 1980s'. Or in the U.K somewhere. A barefoot lad with cheek of tan goes to visit his dumbass father across the country and comes back with all this new, obscure music. He shows his friends and they listen to it, listen out for it on the radio, but it rarely plays etc. Then they find a newspaper advertisement for one of the bands doing a show. They pile into the Second Base Mobile and go on a road trip, clutching this newspaper advertisement, trying to get to the show. Hilarity ensues, I guess.

But that's all I have. I want there to be a bunch of weird characters, like something you'd see in a Wes Anderson movie, or something out of Daria or whatever. But what actually HAPPENS? I can't think of interesting situations and conflicts, and broader context. I don't want it to be just people bouncing around talking about their feelings and ****. Y'know?

Halp? I promise to build several statues in your honour.

is this going to be a novel or a short story?

-how much of the story is spent on the MC going to meet his dad? (try to envision how many pages each part of the story will be); is the bulk of the story the road trip?
-how old are the kids? are they old enough to get in the concert legally?
-have the kids gone on road trips before? how long is the drive?
-where are they meeting all of these interesting characters if they're spending their time in the car?
-presuming they get into the concert, do they meet the band? is the concert small enough for that to be possible?
-have you thought of having them take greyhound?
-are they staying in a hotel somewhere? or are they driving back when the concert is over?
-do you know what the main characters are like?
-what are their motives for caring about this obscure music? are they pretentious or outcasts?
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Thank you for your interest and asking questions to help me think it through!

how much of the story is spent on the MC going to meet his dad? (try to envision how many pages each part of the story will be); is the bulk of the story the road trip?

Not very much if any, it's mostly just background information.

how old are the kids? are they old enough to get in the concert legally?

Old enough to drive, so like just on the edge of 18 I suppose? A bit younger maybe.

have the kids gone on road trips before? how long is the drive?

I'd say not, and probably like 10 hours?

-where are they meeting all of these interesting characters if they're spending their time in the car?

My idea was to have them be friends and family of the main character generally.

-presuming they get into the concert, do they meet the band? is the concert small enough for that to be possible?

Good question, I'll have to think about it.

-have you thought of having them take greyhound?

I feel like the interactions in and around the van or car are where a lot of stuff happens, so maybe not?


-are they staying in a hotel somewhere? or are they driving back when the concert is over?

Probably sleeping in the van.

-do you know what the main characters are like?

Mostly!

-what are their motives for caring about this obscure music? are they pretentious or outcasts?

Not sure exactly, I think they're just really into that kind of scene.
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