Story brainstorming (classic ideas and others)

[Zingiber]

I wanted to start off a little story brainstorming with a classic reference.

In Bocaccio's Decameron, a classic of the Italian Renaissance, a group of ladies and gentlemen goes "on vacation" to a remote manor house to escape the plague brewing in the city.

To pass the time, in addition to picnics and strolling round the countryside, they tell stories.

Each day for 10 days, one of them is the "king" or "queen" who chooses the theme for the next day's storytelling.

Each guest then contributes a story fitting into the theme -- tricks women play on men, tricks men play on women, lost loves recovered, that sort of thing. A lot of them involve humorous sexual situations.

Strike up any ideas for folks?

-Z

 

[jakelyon]

Challenging

This sounds like an interesting and challenging idea. The hard part is getting into the midset of the time period. I think it would be cool to try and keep it within the period and try to build the story. The only problem is I have not read the novel, and I have no idea of the context.

The list of themes would be interesting, maybe some examples would help get things started, or just write the first thread and see where it goes.

Maybe I can find a cliff notes version of the story somewhere?

Anyway I think this could be very good if we can get a good understanding of the story.

 

[JagFarlane]

Hmmmm it is something that could be interesting to do...should it take root...

 

[Zingiber]

As to the period mindset, I was just thinking of The Decameron's general premise as a starting point -- a bunch of people who know each other to various degrees trapped together someplace boring for a while where they decide to pass the time by storytelling.

For a Chyoo story, it might be just as good to have the setting be a bunch of tourists waiting in a broken down bus in the middle of nowhere, or a house party in Kansas that ends up with everyone down in the dark storm cellar waiting for the tornado warning to be over, or a group of people waiting out a thunderstorm, a hurricane, or a chilly night where they're huddled together uncomfortably for warmth.

So the story set-up might describe the individual characters, how they know or don't know each other and whether they like each other, and maybe what kind of stories they're apt to tell.

-Z

 

[jakelyon]

How do you say Doh in Italian?

But I just ordered my Italian language tapes!! LOL


I think the idea has merit. I like the on vacation, stranded by huricane idea. I think it could be one that takes off.

 

[SparkyMan]

Lots of possibilities

Yes it's a very neat idea... the classic scenario we grew up with in school... "there's a nuclear bomb going to fall, and only ten people can fit into the shelter, shich ten do you pick?"

Same concept, but it has a huge potential for twists, plots and sub-plots... Not only could they be telling stories, but the stories themselves could be heating up present relationships!!!!

I love it! When can we see it?

 

[Zingiber]

OK, SparkyMan, you submit the shelter one (Isn't there a Steely Dan song about a teenage party in a bomb shelter..."The New Frontier"? Or maybe it was just Donald Fagen by himself. "She likes to limbo, that much is clear, she's got the right dynamic for the New Frontier").

Jake gets the hurricane one. (Maybe the movie "Key Largo" might be good inspirational viewing?).



Z