Monday, May 20th 2024.
I’m watching a documentary about Maurice Sendak. It’s inspiring me to write and illustrate a children’s book.
Perhaps this could be a place where I could generate a few story ideas. When I was a kid, what would I have wanted to read about? Where would I want to be taken? How would I want to be changed? What would I want to go through?
Tell them anything you want, if it’s true.
Idea #1
Entire story in one short sentence:
All your life, people are gonna tell you what to do, so consider all the options, but make the choice yourself.
A more elaborate description and definition:
Don’t just act on the first order someone barks at you. Take a moment to think about it. Is that what’s right for you? Can you change it later? What is the motivation for that person telling you what to do? Is it your motivation as well?
The other people are not the focal point of the story. The central character is. Other people will complicate things.
Do what you want. Make your own choices. Things may not work out. Leave those old things behind and keep going. Make new choices.
I tasked ChatGPT to write a story and this is what it came up with (I changed a few of the details):
Martin
Once upon a time, in a town called Snot, lived a man named Martin. Martin was a peculiar character; he often wore flannel socks and a hat shaped like a UFO. He was known for his bizarre humor and ability to turn the most mundane situations into something extraordinary. Despite his cheerfulness, Martin was often sad and felt weighed down by the troubles in his life.
Every day, people in Snot seemed to have endless advice for Martin. “You should get a serious job, Martin!” said Mr. Greed, the town’s stern banker. “You need to dress normally,” added Mrs. Vanity, the neighborhood fashionista. “Stop telling those silly jokes!” scolded old Mrs. Wrath, the librarian.
Martin tried to follow everyone’s advice, but no matter what he did, he couldn’t make everyone happy. One day, feeling particularly down, Martin decided to take a walk in the forest, hoping the fresh air would clear his mind. As he wandered deeper into the woods, he stumbled upon a hidden clearing filled with glowing mushrooms and trees that hummed the “Perfect Strangers” theme song.
In the middle of the clearing stood a giant, glow-in-the-dark mushroom named Bloop. “Hello, Martin,” said Bloop in a voice that sounded like a 1982 synthesizer. “Why do you look so sad?”
Martin sighed and sat down on a mossy rock. “Everyone tells me how to live my life. They say I should be serious, dress normally, and stop being so silly. But when I try, I just feel like a cat in a room full of cucumbers.”
Bloop nodded thoughtfully. “Martin, do you remember the time you turned a gloomy town meeting into a laughing fest by pretending to be a sarcastic chicken?”
Martin clucked at the memory. “Yes, everyone was so surprised they forgot why they were arguing!”
“Exactly!” Bloop exclaimed. “Your random absurdity is your magic. It’s what makes you, you. Don’t let anyone take that away from you.”
Martin thought about Bloop’s words and realized he was right. He decided then and there to live his life the way he wanted, no matter what others said. With a renewed sense of purpose, Martin left the forest and returned to Snot.
The next day, when Mr. Greed started to lecture him about serious jobs, Martin interrupted with an interpretive dance about poodles causing Mr. Greed to laugh despite himself.
When Mrs. Vanity criticized his clothes, Martin replied with a twirl, showing off his new outfit made of colorful balloons. “Fashion is about having fun!” he said, and soon Mrs. Vanity found herself giggling.
Even Mrs. Wrath couldn’t help but smile when Martin turned the library into a wonderland of floating books and told stories using hand puppets that looked like Bill Hicks and Richard Dawkins.
Martin’s happiness began to grow as he embraced his absurd humor, ignoring the nay-sayers. He found joy in making others laugh and realized that his unique way of seeing the world was a gift. His troubles seemed smaller, and his heart felt lighter.
One day, Martin decided to host a grand party in the middle of Snot, inviting everyone to celebrate their uniqueness. There were no rules about what to wear or how to act. People came dressed as symphonic spoons, teleporting toilets, and even undulating uramaphelions! The town square was filled with laughter and music, and for the first time, everyone seemed genuinely happy.
As the sun set, Martin stood on a brightly decorated stage and looked out at the smiling faces. “Thank you all for coming,” he said. “Remember, life is too short to be serious all the time. Embrace your quirks, laugh at the absurd, and always follow your own path. You are the best version of yourself when you are true to who you are.”
The crowd cheered, and Martin felt a warmth in his heart that he had never felt before. He knew that no matter what troubles came his way, he would face them with a smile, a joke, and a bit of absurdity.
And so, in the boring town of Snot, Martin lived a ludicrous life, turning every day into a celebration of laughter and outlandish ridiculousness.
The end.
Second Draft:
Martin
Once upon a time, there was a young man named Martin. Martin lived in a town called Snot.
Martin was a fun and insanely brilliant person that often said and did crazy things because of his bizarre and unhinged sense of humor. His socks were made of tin foil. His hat looked like a hotdog. He had an uncanny ability to take boring situations and make them extraordinary. Even though he was hilarious, he was often sad because he was given such a hard time.
The other folks in the town of Snot were always telling Martin what to do. The serious banker, Mr. Greed decreed, “Get a real job, Martin.”
Mrs. Vanity, the snooty fashionista told him, “You should dress like a regular person, Martin!”
Even old Mrs. Wrath, the librarian, instructed Martin to “Stop telling those lame jokes!”
Martin tried the best he could to follow everyone’s orders, but he just couldn’t make everyone happy.
There came a day when Martin was feeling extra super duper depressed and so he decided to take an extra super duper long walk into the woods. Deep in the forest, he found himself in a clearing with many small, glow-in-the-dark mushrooms, humming 70’s hippie songs.
In the middle of the little mushrooms was a giant mushroom. “Hello, Martin. My name is Bloop,” he said with a voice that sounded like a synthesizer. “Why do you have such a sad look on your face?”
Martin sat on a mossy rock and explained, “Everyone’s always telling me what to do. They tell me how to live my life. They say I need to be serious, dress normally, and stop being so silly. I have a hard time doing that. Whenever I try, I just feel like a cat in a room full of cucumbers.”
Bloop thought about it for a minute and asked, “Do you remember when you turned a boring town meeting into a wonderful time by pretending to be a sarcastic chicken?”
Martin clucked at the memory. “Yeah, I remember! Everyone was caught off guard and couldn’t stop laughing. They were able to solve many problems that night.”
“Exactly!” Bloop exclaimed. “Your random absurdity is what makes you, you. Don’t let anyone take that away from you.”
Many questions ran through Martin’s head. “Is Bloop right? Should I just be myself? How did Bloop know all that stuff about me? Is that creepy to anyone else?” He made himself a promise then and there to live the way he wanted, no matter what anyone else said. Martin left the forest with a spring in his step and a renewed sense of purpose.
The next day, Mr. Greed began to lecture him about getting a serious job, but Martin interrupted with an interpretive dance about poodles causing Mr. Greed to laugh despite himself.
Then, when Mrs. Vanity criticized his clothes, Martin danced like a ballerina in his new suit made of colorful balloons. “Fashion is about fun,” he announced. Soon, Mrs. Vanity found herself giggling.
Even Mrs. Wrath couldn’t help but smile when Martin turned the library into a wonderland of floating books and told stories using hand puppets that looked like Betty White and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Martin embraced his absurd humor and the more he ignored the nay-sayers, his happiness increased. His unique way of seeing the world was a gift and making others laugh brought him joy. After a while, his troubles seemed smaller and his heart felt lighter.
One day, Martin decided to host a big party in the middle of Snot, inviting everyone to celebrate their own uniqueness. The only rule was, there were no rules and everyone was allowed to dress and act as they wanted. People came dressed as symphonic spoons, teleporting toilets, and even undulating uramaphelions! The town square was filled with laughter and music, and for the first time, everyone seemed genuinely happy.
As the day came to an end, Martin stood on the stage and looked out at all the smiling faces of Snot, shouting, “Thank you all for coming! You know, life is too short to be serious all the time. Embrace your quirks, laugh at the absurd and always follow your own path. You are the best version of yourself when you are true to who you are!”
The crowd cheered, and Martin felt more inspired than ever before. He knew that whatever came his way, he could face it with a smile, a joke and a bit of illogical nonsense.
And so, in the boring town of Snot, Martin lived a ludicrous life, turning every day into a celebration of laughter and outlandish ridiculousness.
The end.
Idea #2
Entire story in one short sentence:
If you start with the middle value of 50% grey, you can always add lighter or darker values as you go.
A more elaborate description and definition:
The blackest ink on the whitest paper is the most dramatic and is highly effective, but it doesn’t provide a range.
I can keep ideas about the novel I want to write here.
Starting with this:
