Muse & The Summer Movie, Fiction

Writer: Hello, Muse.

Muse: We meet again.

Writer: Good news. The Powers That Be liked Earth Day. Now they want a summer holiday movie. [Muse & The Earth Day Movie]

Muse: What holiday?

Writer: That’s the first question. They just said holiday.

Muse: Memorial Day. Independence Day. Labor Day. Solstice.

Writer: (blank stare)

Muse: Father’s Day. Summer Solstice. Flag Day. Helen Keller Day. Stop me if you hear anything you like.

Writer: (more blank stare)

Muse: Okay, let’s try a different tack. You’ve hit the Western/Christian tradition fairly hard. What about other cultures? Muslim? Jewish?

Writer: (pokes around the Internet) I can read about a holiday, but can I understand it? I mean, understand it well enough to riff on it? Would Napkin Check make any sense to anyone who had not spent way too many Thanksgiving dinners squeezed into the small space between Uncle Fred and the credenza? [Banquet with a Bonus]

Muse: I see you are really feeling the holiday spirit here.

Writer: (heavy sigh)

Muse: What about a general summer-time movie. No holiday.

Writer: They really like the holiday hook. Since I’m the one who started the trend, I can’t complain.

Muse: Okay. What is summer?

Writer: Summer is hot. Or cold. Main character goes to Australia and has summer vacation where it’s cold? That would work better with Hot Christmas. Do muses ever give up in defeat?

Muse: No. I never have. I won’t now. Did they give you any parameters?

Writer: Well, they have a marketing campaign they’d love to use.

Muse: The campaign before the product? That seems backwards.

Writer: Yeah. They had it designed for another project that tanked. Using it is not mandatory, but I’d smell real good if I could fit it in.

What is the campaign?

Writer: Never Give Up Hope.

Muse: That’s positive.

Writer. It’s too general. Not giving up is pretty much the description of act two of any three-act story. Set up. Rising tension. Resolution.

Muse: So you have a theme without the holiday.

Writer: Yup. That’s pretty much it.

Muse: Well, if It’s general it should be easy for you to work it in.

Writer: (grumbles)

Muse: Let’s go at this another way. Make up a holiday. Something you have always thought should be celebrated. Christmas in July?

Writer: I may be a mercenary hack in thrall to advertisers, but I will not contribute to Christmas taking over any more of the calendar.

Muse: Anti-Christmas?

Writer: See previous about advertisers.

Muse: A non-holiday to do nothing.

Writer: Again sales. Also, we seem to be getting away from the hope thread.

Muse: Never give up the hope thread.

Writer: Cute.

Muse: Okay, try this – short stories.

Writer: But they want a full length movie.

Muse: Have you heard of Love, American Style?

Writer: No.

Muse: Look it up.

Writer: You are *letting* me surf?

Muse: You keep telling me it’s for research. Anyway, stop being snarky and go look.

Writer: (surfing) I see. Three 20-minute stories to fill an hour time slot. Wiki: LAS

Muse: (staying silent)

Writer: … hmmmm …

Muse: (more silent)

Writer: … short stories … little things … don’t give up hope … What do you think of this. Several stories about people celebrating small but important achievements in their their lives, as in things than they did not give up on.

Muse: I like it. What does your inner mercenary say?

Writer: You can always sell celebrations to advertisers.

Muse: Tell me more.

Writer: A work story about a person getting a promotion, or maybe succeeding at a task they were worried about. A family story about finally having that difficult conversation, or finally getting all the cousins to agree on a date for that trip to Scotland. A cellist who makes it through a complicated piece the first time. Anyway, lots of possibilities, the idea is little achievements that people get after struggling.

Muse: Do you …

Writer: … (interrupting) … oooh, oooh. We can mix the casts. The minor parts from one story will become the main characters of the next … I think one story at a time … maybe intertwined so that a scene from the first repeats in the second from a different point of view to show they are all happening on the same day … we could intertwine the narratives, but we’d need a pay-off for confusing the audience … hmm ….I think consecutive recounting would be the way to go …

Muse: It’s usually a good sign if you are starting to worry about structure.

Writer: … uh? … what? … sure, structure … I even have the title.

Muse: Do tell.

Writer: A Day To Celebrate Small Victories

Muse: (smiles)

Update. [Turning Hope Into A Holiday, Muse & The Summer Movie II]

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