Muse Goes Back To School, Fiction

Writer: Hello Muse.

Muse: Hello. Another holiday movie?

Writer: No. I guess you could call it an Occasion Movie, the occasion being kids going back to school. Probably a made-for-TV movie.

Muse: An After School Special?

Writer: No. So much no. I may be a hack and a shill for corporate advertisers, but even I have my limits.

Muse: Good to know.

Writer: Several of the producers were sending their kids back to school. They got to talking. Gave them an idea. If they are doing it, so is a large segment of their audience. They want to develop something to use around this time of year.

Muse: But you don’t have kids. You don’t interact with kids in your day-to-day existence.

Writer: I know, right?

Muse: Lean into it. How does back to school effect people without children?

Writer: Well, Traffic for one.

Muse: School buses?

Writer: Yes. But also regular traffic. Mom and Dad and assorted caregivers are all getting up to get tots on the 7:20 bus. Then they go to work. Traffic gets compressed into a tighter time frame.

Muse: I’m not seeing a traffic movie.

Writer: Actually …

Muse: Focus!

Wrtier: Let’s see. What happens when one segment of society relocates en masse? Places that were full of kids are suddenly empty. Pools. Parks. The barn aisles are quiet. The summer camp industry shuts down for the year. [Back To School]

Muse: I’m not hearing sparks.

Writer: (ponders) … kids go back to school … adults who have jobs at school got back to work … teachers, chefs, janitors, administrators … kids start a new grade … start high school … start college … Gaaaaaa. It’s all been done.

Muse: What do you mean?

Writer: So many movies. Adults go back to school pretending to be kids, or as adults who need to finish high school for plot reasons.

Muse: What about adults who go back to school for real? As adults?

Writer: (ponders) … finishing a Master’s … ESL … Executive MBA … GED … overcoming the odds … education is important … move over Horatio Alger … it’s an option … let call that plan b.

Muse: You don’t like it?

Writer: It feels too earnest. If we are going to sell people on spending their free time back at school, we have to make it sound fun. Kids have just spent the day there. Adults probably still have exam nightmares. We have to put sparkles on it.

Muse: The anthology approach?

Writer: I like the idea of being able to tell several stories at once. But I used the short story concept last time. Doing it again feels like a retread. They’re gonna want a shiny new idea. [The Summer Movie]

Muse: Turn it sideways.

Writer: (stands up, looks at screen sideways, sits down)

Muse: Very funny. Instead of telling one story after another, tell them consecutively.

Writer: (blank look)

Muse: Not ringing any bells?

Writer: I feel that you are broadcasting but I am not receiving.

Muse: What uses an ensemble cast?

Writer: TV show! Night School! Like Night Court, except with school! Oooh, gotta love it when the elevator speech writes itself.

Muse: (sotto voce) The light dawns.

Writer: We have all kinds of options with casting. Ongoing characters as teachers, and chefs, and janitors, and … wait … do principals work at night? … never mind, I can find out. Guest stars as characters who attend classes. We can have story arcs of different lengths all interacting with each other. An arc could be two shows, or an entire season. Or an arc stops when a person leaves suddenly because that’s what happens when people have to fit school around their lives.

Muse: (smiles)

Writer: We can get advertisers to sponsor scholarships to real night schools. Name recognition! Branding! Actually doing some good.

Muse: (watches writer’s moving fingers fondly)

Writer: (looks up from keyboard) Thank you, Muse.

Muse: You’re welcome. It’s good to see you working.

~~~ curtain ~~~

Afterword

The muse fiction sketches are still me talking about story ideas rather than creating a full-blown piece of fiction. At least I am coming up with story ideas, and at least they are presented in fictional form. Turtle steps.

Free Fiction 4U

Speaking of back to school and good stories. Dartmouth Alumni Magazine: The Devil and Dan Club, Collins 2011. Project Gutenberg of Australia: The Devil and Daniel Webster, Benet, 1936.

Onwards!
Katherine