We’ve written the first draft of a story using the prompt Everyman/Popsicle. How can we edit the story, improve it, and what can you learn from this process?
Rebecca’s Notes:
- There are minor things I’d research when editing this story: where engine rooms would be likely to be located in the structure built for space, good names for toys, how something in the engine room could be broken and recalibrated, etc, but I’m not sure any of that matters right now
- Nothing about my story has to take place in space (except that it would be so much cooler to eat a popsicle in space), I wonder if that detracts from the story rather than adds to it
- Such a powerful story in your simplicity
Katelyn’s Notes:
I was surprised when Rebecca pointed out that I had actually written two everyman characters–one false and one real. It was cool to see how that could be interpreted even though it wasn’t a decision I consciously made. Overall, I’m happy with how it turned out, though I’d like to go back and add more details to paint a more well-rounded picture. In Rebecca’s story, I loved the decision to use a space station as the setting, as it is the perfect embodiment of loneliness and solitude. I like the simplicity of the plot and thought it would transfer really well onto screen as a short film. The character work was really well done and I felt like I knew who this everyman was within the first paragraph. The popsicle was used in a really creative way and I really empathized with both characters.