Novel Ideas

Paranoia-The Mosquito

Blissful Misery- Hypocrisy

Currency Events- Money and its lack of value (no gold standard)/religious symbolism

Life of a Garbage Man- Symbolism

Mr. Mandius- The Hated Loser's Place

Macrocosm- Insiginificance

Ideal Beginnings- Machiavellian Religion (Trial and Error; Love and Fear)

One Day- One day three times: Optimistic, Pessimistic, Factual

Redundancy- Loss of purpose/need

2+2=5- What if you could change the answer? To life, to determinism, to existence?

Illiteracy for Dummies- A Math Teacher's Guide to reading, and other short stories.

Dramatization- Dramatize mundane, boring events in a long chain to stress how each and every action can be made to seem important (inspired by the grandeur of the Oscars, if that means anything to you). Last line suggestion: "And what did you do today?" "Oh, nothing."

Something on the Sacrifice/Masochism of an Artist- See "Sad" on 1/1/05

Chain of Butterflies- Hobo(despicable, leechlike) to President(Republican, "Not in an election year!" "It's not an election year, sir." "Well it ought to be!" "You hate election years, sir." "Well, I hate you too!") in "x" short stories (Start dramatic and serious, gradually lessening intensity into debasing irrevence ending in complete destruction. The question remains, who is to blame? The butterfly? The hobo? Each and every link? Fate, for it must have been fate? The Tapestry imagery as well as the butterfly would be nice. The hobo is killed by a normal, mild-mannered motorist on an unexplainable whim (the motorist has that urge of "what if I were to do something completely insane, but interesting?). A criminal case is filed and it eventually leads to the President's attention. Mosquito will symbolize the hobo in the "paranoia" chapter as both are worthless leaches. But does that mean they deserve to die? A mosquito cannot change his evil ways, but he's probably content. The man adamantly refuses to change as well and it miserable. Thus, a dilemma. The author who doesn't read as well can serve as a lawyer. Only female characters Judge and possibly First Lady) (Character developing flashbacks for both hobo and mosquito?) (The flashbacks reveal that the homeless man led a good life, but tragedy happened, possibly related to love. He despairs and becomes depressed, panhandling for food but mostly whiskey to escape, possibly from some physical as well as mental pain. He really only needs/wants one thing that he sort of obtains in a note he's about to read before he gets hit. The police read it a la "Rosebud" but it makes no sense to them. It's gradually revealed in the flashbacks, but the man is largely forgotten in the main story. The homeless man grew up in the North but came down south for better hospitality/benefits, which is ironic because the North is Democrat, supposedly more "people friendly" yet they're colder than the religious Republicans in the south who vote against government aid. Existential Frycook John , perhaps a Gardner for the literary reference; has a younger, teenage boss, is older, surly, much like Hamlet. Politician drops an "F-Bomb" when not under camera, possibly other curses too. Media "nonsense" sequence, similiar to my "fiction" entry of absurdity. Trial in form of my 18th bday poem. Jury is asked for verdict, end of chapter. Politician begins/or continues 'Eloquent' speech with "We are guilty of...". Stops; starts cursing. For author: "what's next, Spamlet?" Old man or hobo somewhere where I try to give all the advice I've learned in high school to the "next generation." Car crash man has life like Heaven, but is tormented by logic. He's aimed at all the right things, but it's dictated his actions for too long. He should be happy, but it's too perfect. His life's pointless because it's so blissful. He rebels by committing an act completely illogical. Stress the straight of the road(symbolizing the oppressive logic of reality)- internal conflict on the subject, but at the end of the chapter the driver is blinded by the sun so when you switch chapters it's ambiguous as to whether he meant to hit the person or not. In court, have him testify, illogically, that he had thoughts of hitting the hobo, but don't have an outright admittal. for the media parody, make everyone complete egoists and jerks. Have them run a story that"2+2=5" that tries to show both sides of the story. Another story: an incredibly intelligent/logical scientist who's afraid of the dark (unknown). Also, perhaps have the hobo's death result in something very positive ala the butterfly effect; good from bad seemingly for little direct reason. Perhaps someone who goes through a drive through can go to a carnival and enter a maze of mirrors; choices and all that fun rot. Mer-esque relationship, the girl leaves like Mer will, and that provides one of the hobo's tragedies. Each subsequent "hobo developing" story should follow the tone of the main chapter; it should portray him in conflicting lights, good, bad, unbiased, everything to make him seem an "everyman" and "no man." Two parallel plots lines, one going consistently backwards in time, the other forwards. For Paranoia: mosquito is to man, as lion would be to gazelle, but is in fact kitten stalking elephant. Goal: By a man, about humanity, for humanity, against humanity, quintessential humanity. Real. Each chapter could focus on one emotion, such as "Paranoia, Sorrow, Hope, Apathy" and try to "run the gauntlet." Imagination: the good, the bad, the beautiful; How it can take one so far in both extremes and lead to disappoint in reality. The hobo is the one complexity in a sea of two-dimensional character sketches, drawing further parallels about his own importance. Another chapter: telephone conversation where one side discusses issue of epic importance (meaning of life, philosophical breakthrough), and the other tries to contribute but is constantly having to deal with trivial matters to the point that the important conversation seems trivial. Cops steal car to do great deed, next chapter the poor victim of said car theft tells his resulting tragedy, good from evil. Perhaps something involving someone reading articles or obituaries or the like of possible hilarity, drama, or some sort of insanity progression. Good line to use "Wasted on the Wasted", possible title? Start the book sad/negative and gradually move to positive; this creates a happy ending AND beginning due to the unique nature of time in the book; thus, another circular effect is established, hope is achieved, and best of all there's a happy ending; similiar to a reverse Catch-22. I want a "reverse nostalgia" where the days of yore are yearned for, sadly, poignantly, and actually delivered later in the book. A writing style for one chapter could be in a minimalist, "Captain's Log" via Star Trek manner. Media Parody: Feature segment where host yells a lot, has a trained professional guest and a know-nothing celebrity, discusses something like "Senator So&So kicked a puppy", have celebrity support Senator, professional argues, host sides with celebrity. Possibly have a family dinner scene imitating the ideal, a flawed but communicative, working environment; draw a parallel to another, outwardly perfect environment, but focus on the thoughts of the family using different types of text or font to show the discontent and unhappiness of a mundane, repressed life; cliche, perhaps, but it might be fun; or I could just do a normal sketch, one simply boring but reflecting reality, possibly subtley warping it to happiness but not so it's immediately evident. Have the existentialist fry cook describe his "great deeds" in a sarcastic manner, speaking of how they'll never be remembered. The author can have exerpts that warp the meaning but keep the plot, such as an existentialist Jane Eyre and a musical Hamlet. Good romantic line "If this isn't love, love doesn't exist." A scene with a preacher preaching to a small congregation, but no one's paying attention. Show thoughts of individuals gradually melding into solid thought, the preacher's indecipherable from the ones he speaks to; essentially just be symbolic of those who try to give advice that isn't quite understood or followed, always forgotten or ignored or not cared about in the first place; hypocrisy, ignorance, hellfire, Christ's love, all can be emphasized. "Every single chapter will have a different symbolic theme. But really they're just methods of adding meaning to a work, not the purpose. They make the organs of the body I'm trying to create. The plot is the skeleton, the ideas are organs, the words are the flesh;" a chapter can be some sort of Dr. Frankenstein, named after a famous artist/author/whomever trying to create the perfect creation from the ground up; it would symbolize my goal of trying to create something beautiful, but the ideas are very important to getting the message across: the flesh shouldn't matter, but if the flesh is unattractive, it's more difficult to see past it to the meat/organs; certainly it's possible, but it's much more difficult; however, if there's nothing under the flesh worth looking at, the creation has no staying power; of course if the skeletal structure's off the whole thing fails. Perserverance= idea that needs a motif: features a repeated failure that doesn't matter, symbolic of fearing failure when really most every failure can be overcome and is therefore not that important. A daydream sequence/ train of ludicrous thought. Redlight vs. Stopsign ethics. The hobo, Avery Mann, has a best friend who dies. The driver's name could be William P. Humperdink. Frycook symbolic of doubters, opposition of the meaning of the book, who stress that some people are meaningless. Have someone, possibly a fantasy creature like a toothfairy or Jacob Marley, do kindness for no reweard, possibly because of leading an empty life, maybe a trash collector or street cleaner too. Mosquito kills initial man. The book needs effects that are very positive, very negative, and hardly noteworthy for parity. Poetic epitath at the funeral for tombstone. Last sentiment of book: Doctor, "I've seen this thousands of times, but it never loses its beauty. That kid's going to do some great things. But aren't they all..." Strip joints= zoos of flesh.)


Forgiveness stressed at the funeral of whatever sins the man may have committed.