An Idea for a Story I Just Thought Up

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NeantHumain
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13 Oct 2005, 3:17 pm

Okay, while eating lunch, I started brainstorming an idea for a short story. After coming back to my dorm room to type some notes, I'll present the preliminary ideas to you:


  • Protagonist Somewhat dim-witted, likeable, charmed (no matter how stupid he acts things work out for the best), barely aware of the meaning of what he's doing, naive, people pleaser
  • Antagonist Went to high school with the protagonist, very self-important, cursed (no matter what he does, he fails), subtly puts down everyone and devalues their accomplishments, intensely jealous of the protagonist but only covertly hostile (protagonist thinks of antagonist as a friend even), reviled, no one feels sorry for him when he screws up

For no apparent reason, the protagonist quits the religion he was born and raised in some time after high school. He joins a new one. After hearing something pointing out a flaw in his political views, he completely changes those, too. People around him come to believe he is searching for deeper truths about life. The antagonist is the only one who really catches on to the protagonist's foolishness.

Eventually people rally around him, inspired by his way of life. The antagonist becomes more and more hateful, though. The protagonist's actions have huge positive effects on society and many people he knows personally although he is not even aware he caused all this. The antagonist takes this to mean he can't even appreciate his good fortune.

Both the protagonist and the antagonist are flat characters, flat as pancakes really. These two main characters don't themselves change; the culture and
people around them change instead.


These ideas sound a little too much like Forrest Gump. :(

For the political change, I was actually inspired by RobertN (although I know his case isn't really like the protagonist's here). I can't deny that part of myself is visible in the protagonist, but I wouldn't say the protagonist is explicitly on the autistic spectrum; no, he's not meant to be portrayed as mildly mentally ret*d, either.



larsenjw92286
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13 Oct 2005, 6:38 pm

Wonderful! I think you should continue!


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AbominableSnoCone
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13 Oct 2005, 7:18 pm

Yeah that sounds interesting. If you go ahead with it I'd be interested in reading the final result :)


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