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This is the other thread I wanted to break down, because it's a VERY different story.
Instead of being an odyssey, it's more of a hero/villian type thing. https://twitter.com/BugQuestions/status/1270181604623777793
Instead of being an odyssey, it's more of a hero/villian type thing. https://twitter.com/BugQuestions/status/1270181604623777793
Step 1.) Will this change your life?
I actually wrote this thread as practice. I roughly knew this story, but I wanted to see it told as a ghost story.
It wasn't life-changing or anything, just something cool I wanted to do for fun.
I actually wrote this thread as practice. I roughly knew this story, but I wanted to see it told as a ghost story.
It wasn't life-changing or anything, just something cool I wanted to do for fun.
This brings us to #2...what's possible?
I had never seen a story told quite like this.
So, for me, this story was actually about expanding my own skillset.
I didn't expect it to catch on, like not at all.
I had never seen a story told quite like this.
So, for me, this story was actually about expanding my own skillset.
I didn't expect it to catch on, like not at all.
In retrospect, I did tell the story at a time when a lot of people were talking about BIPOC issues.
There's a lot of interest in Indigenous Knowledge, and the sorts of stuff which could have been taught/discovered had history gone differently.
This fulfills Step 2.
There's a lot of interest in Indigenous Knowledge, and the sorts of stuff which could have been taught/discovered had history gone differently.
This fulfills Step 2.
Because this story fulfilled Step 2 so well, I feel like this is really what generated the interest.
The fact I told the story in such an unusual way-like a ghost story-created a new way (in my view) to fulfill and reinforce Step 1.
The fact I told the story in such an unusual way-like a ghost story-created a new way (in my view) to fulfill and reinforce Step 1.
Step 3: The challenges and problems.
This one's pretty intuitive, and it's set up in the last line.
There's a lot of people dying of a mysterious disease in an era where germ theory was cutting-edge thought.
How did these people deal with it?
This one's pretty intuitive, and it's set up in the last line.
There's a lot of people dying of a mysterious disease in an era where germ theory was cutting-edge thought.
How did these people deal with it?
This is an odd case where I actually started at Step 4, and began with HOW I wanted to write this.
Honestly, this was the first time I did this.
Normally, the story will reveal itself to me as I'm writing it...and starting with a Designing Principle is not something I do.
Honestly, this was the first time I did this.
Normally, the story will reveal itself to me as I'm writing it...and starting with a Designing Principle is not something I do.
So who was the best character?
The best protagonists usually start from a place of knowing nothing, and quickly have to learn the ropes under a high-stakes environment.
Rocky is actually the best example of this idea I've ever seen.
The best protagonists usually start from a place of knowing nothing, and quickly have to learn the ropes under a high-stakes environment.
Rocky is actually the best example of this idea I've ever seen.
While this is ultimately a story about Indigenous knowledge, the central theme of the story is about the consequences of ignoring that knowledge.
So the people in this story-the settlers and scientists-put themselves in a situation where they had to generate knowledge to survive
So the people in this story-the settlers and scientists-put themselves in a situation where they had to generate knowledge to survive
This is where I feel like this story really comes together.
The antagonist, Rocky Mountian Spotted Fever in this case, happens to work really well with the theme of the story.
This is very different from why the Oil Fly story works.
The antagonist, Rocky Mountian Spotted Fever in this case, happens to work really well with the theme of the story.
This is very different from why the Oil Fly story works.
In this case, the theme REALLY makes step 6 pop.
The central conflict in this case is how the white settlers can overcome this disease.
The main story becomes (Step 7) this explanation of cause-and-effect which drives the scientific discovery. https://twitter.com/BugQuestions/status/1285747665603645441
The central conflict in this case is how the white settlers can overcome this disease.
The main story becomes (Step 7) this explanation of cause-and-effect which drives the scientific discovery. https://twitter.com/BugQuestions/status/1285747665603645441
This brings us to step #8, the change in the protagonists.
Well, we went from ignoring Indigenous Knowledge to having to accept and figure out and explain what they already knew.
That's a very big change, which was driven by the high stakes!
Well, we went from ignoring Indigenous Knowledge to having to accept and figure out and explain what they already knew.
That's a very big change, which was driven by the high stakes!
So, step 9. What was the moral choice of this story?
Well, we had to study this disease to save lives...and by admitting this disease was important, we were really saying that Indigenous Knowledge is important.
Which was really (Step 10) the appeal of the story.
Well, we had to study this disease to save lives...and by admitting this disease was important, we were really saying that Indigenous Knowledge is important.
Which was really (Step 10) the appeal of the story.
The last thing I wanted to address is the one mistake I made in this.
At this point, the story was getting kind of long so I made the decision to stop it.
There's a difference between stopping a story, and letting it come to an end.
At this point, the story was getting kind of long so I made the decision to stop it.
There's a difference between stopping a story, and letting it come to an end.
If you look at how I followed it up, I followed it up with a story about an almost civil war.
In this case, I was thinking more in chronological order...but I should have been thinking thematically. https://twitter.com/BugQuestions/status/1285758829909745666?s=20
In this case, I was thinking more in chronological order...but I should have been thinking thematically. https://twitter.com/BugQuestions/status/1285758829909745666?s=20
The story about the East Side Agent being what stopped the transmission of RMSF reinforces the themes of the first part of the thread and everything else I discussed.
So, that's how you write a sequel. Start at the top of the list, and work your way down using the original story as a scaffold which guides the themes of the sequel.
