When a plot line is universal and the characters are true to human nature, a story can take place anywhere on Earth and it will still ring true to its readers.
One of the reasons that Shakespeare is still relative today is because his characters are timeless. His plays are adapted to take place in current or modern settings, and they still make just as much as sense as they do to Elizabethan audiences.
The place and time of a story doesn't usually affect much about a plot. In fact, I think the plot dictates the setting, and not the other way around. That being said, however, the setting can affect how the story is told.
I'm no Shakespeare, but I understand that much.
As I've mentioned in a previous blog entry, I had originally started writing Game On in 2011. Since picking it back up, I decided to update the story. It's amazing how many things have changed in the past two years that affect the story. Realignment, the lockout, technology, and the presence of social media in everyday life. All these factors have played into the telling of the story.
Where the majority of the plot takes places is also important to how the story gets told. There's always the choice of creating my own world and making up a fictional town and team, or I could base the story around an actual location and real-life team. Having done one of each, I thought I'd go back to using a real franchise. I decided to center the story around an NHL team that's, shall we say, not as popular: the Columbus Blue Jackets. Picking a team that doesn't get a lot of attention gives me a bit more flexibility and leeway than a team that's always in the spotlight. And of course, a not-so-popular team also factors into the plot.
One more factor that affects the story is picking a perspective. First person? Third-person limited? Omniscient observer? Well, after using third person for the last two stories, I decided to mix it up and tell the story from a single first-person perspective: Audrey's.
When the reader only gets to hear one person's side and see through only one character's eyes, then we only get a feel for the other characters through his or her experiences. That makes it more difficult to portray the other characters in a way that is true to them; but that also makes the story a little more interesting. Everything becomes subjective. This is a fun new dynamic to play with as I shape this new world. And I can't wait until it's all said and done, and I get to share it with you!
One of the reasons that Shakespeare is still relative today is because his characters are timeless. His plays are adapted to take place in current or modern settings, and they still make just as much as sense as they do to Elizabethan audiences.
The place and time of a story doesn't usually affect much about a plot. In fact, I think the plot dictates the setting, and not the other way around. That being said, however, the setting can affect how the story is told.
I'm no Shakespeare, but I understand that much.
As I've mentioned in a previous blog entry, I had originally started writing Game On in 2011. Since picking it back up, I decided to update the story. It's amazing how many things have changed in the past two years that affect the story. Realignment, the lockout, technology, and the presence of social media in everyday life. All these factors have played into the telling of the story.
Where the majority of the plot takes places is also important to how the story gets told. There's always the choice of creating my own world and making up a fictional town and team, or I could base the story around an actual location and real-life team. Having done one of each, I thought I'd go back to using a real franchise. I decided to center the story around an NHL team that's, shall we say, not as popular: the Columbus Blue Jackets. Picking a team that doesn't get a lot of attention gives me a bit more flexibility and leeway than a team that's always in the spotlight. And of course, a not-so-popular team also factors into the plot.
One more factor that affects the story is picking a perspective. First person? Third-person limited? Omniscient observer? Well, after using third person for the last two stories, I decided to mix it up and tell the story from a single first-person perspective: Audrey's.
When the reader only gets to hear one person's side and see through only one character's eyes, then we only get a feel for the other characters through his or her experiences. That makes it more difficult to portray the other characters in a way that is true to them; but that also makes the story a little more interesting. Everything becomes subjective. This is a fun new dynamic to play with as I shape this new world. And I can't wait until it's all said and done, and I get to share it with you!
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