June 14, 2011

IDEAS ON TUESDAY #17: The Goddess of Chaos Will Reign!


Each Tuesday, rather than a POSSIBLY IRRITATING ESSAY, I'd like to both challenge you and lend a helping hand. I generate more speculative and teen story ideas than I can ever use. My family rolls its collective eyes when I say, "Hang on a second! I just have to write down this idea..." Here, I'll include the initial inspiration (quote, website, podcast, etc) and then a thought or two that came to mind. These will simply be seeds -- plant, nurture, fertilize, chemically treat, irradiate, test or stress them as you see fit. I only ask if you let me know if anything comes of them.

Fantasy Trope: good vs evil

Current Event: The United Kingdom may be hovering on the edge of becoming the DIS-United Kingdom…http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43077321/ns/world_news-europe (If you’ve never read THE DARK IS RISING series by Susan Cooper – you should!)

But this is just an idea day, so read the article above about the possibility of Scotland seceding from the United Kingdom (discussed this with my wife or daughter…there have been “disunity” tremblors in all sorts of countries at all sorts of times. From 1836-1846, Texas was an independent republic. Quebec continues a long history of attempting to break free of Canada. The USSR shattered (or reassembled itself) into its original annexed nations.)

So – let’s take North America: the Republic of Vermont, the Republic of California, the Republic of Texas, MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan) and an Independent Quebec are all movements that are taking place or happened in the past and were efforts of smaller groups to separate themselves from the federal governments of the United States, Mexico and Canada respectively. Now, what if these separatists were being driven by a dark goddess of chaos and a group of teens from each place met at a camp to discover they were avatars of this goddess…and didn’t particularly WANT to stay that way?

A newer god wishes only to reunite the separated...

image: http://today.duke.edu/sites/default/files/news_images/kali.jpg

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