August Writing Day 21
Once upon a time.
Hank Smoans stared at his computer screen where the words seemed to mock him. The cursor blinked in what could best be described as derisive fashion and Hank could almost believe the computer was sneering at him.
“What’s the matter, Hank?” he not-quite heard. “Brain dead today?”
Hank pulled his cheeks down with his hands until his lower lip almost turned inside out. It wasn’t supposed to be this hard!! There was practically a formula for this sort of thing! But he just stared at the screen and the screen stared back at him.
“You’re going about this all wrong.”
“What?!” Hank sat up and almost tipped his chair.
An almost inaudible sigh. “I said you’re going about this all wrong. Just staring doesn’t accomplish anything! Think Hank! It’s not like you don’t know how to write!”
“Everyone gets writers block once in a while,” Hank said defensively.
“Sure they do. But you don’t have it, do you?”
“No,” Hank mumbled. “But…”
“But nothing! C’mon Hank! Think!
“But it’s all been done before!” Hank wailed.
“Don’t think Disney Hank! Think about where those stories came from!”
“Not Disney,” Hank mused. “No, not Disney!” Now he was getting excited. “Grimm!”
“Right! The Brothers Grimm knew that there wasn’t always a happy ending!”
“Put on the red-hot shoes and dance until you die?” Hank had a wolfish grin on his face.
“Could be! Could be! Or how about Sleeping Beauty? You know, Princess Aurora?”
Hank thought, but all that immediately came to mind was that the Disney movie had been set to Tchaikovsky.
“Think Hank! You know you know it!”
Hank pinched his lower lip as he always did when he was thinking hard. “Princess Aurora…Aurora…” Suddenly it came to him.
“She was raped!” He exclaimed. “While she was sleeping, the Prince raped her!”
“Now you’ve got it! And what else?”
“She got pregnant!” Hank was practically glowing with excitement. “And she had twins!
“YES! And what can you do with that?”
“OOH!” Hank burbled. “She has twin boys and she doesn’t tell them about their father until she’s dying…”
“Good! Go on!”
Hank began typing feverishly. “She tells the twins about their father when she’s dying and the boys…better make them about 18 or so…” Hank muttered to himself. “And they vow on her deathbed to find their father and make him pay for what he did to their mother.” His fingers flew over the keyboard. “Maybe I could have the Prince be a wicked king when they find him and one of the sons…names…they need names…decides that Dad isn’t so bad, he’s rich, yadda yadda, so he’s going to throw in with him and the other son has to fight them both.
“Or they go off and learn how to become great warriors from their Mother’s faithful old servant who’s really a retired knight or something like that. And he loved Aurora and wanted to marry her but he couldn’t…although that’s a bit sexist…still, for the times...”
Hank was totally caught up in the story now. Words poured out of him like sweat.
“This is going to be great!" He muttered to himself.
“That’s my boy! I knew you could do it!”
Hank payed no attention. He just kept on writing.
Hank Smoans stared at his computer screen where the words seemed to mock him. The cursor blinked in what could best be described as derisive fashion and Hank could almost believe the computer was sneering at him.
“What’s the matter, Hank?” he not-quite heard. “Brain dead today?”
Hank pulled his cheeks down with his hands until his lower lip almost turned inside out. It wasn’t supposed to be this hard!! There was practically a formula for this sort of thing! But he just stared at the screen and the screen stared back at him.
“You’re going about this all wrong.”
“What?!” Hank sat up and almost tipped his chair.
An almost inaudible sigh. “I said you’re going about this all wrong. Just staring doesn’t accomplish anything! Think Hank! It’s not like you don’t know how to write!”
“Everyone gets writers block once in a while,” Hank said defensively.
“Sure they do. But you don’t have it, do you?”
“No,” Hank mumbled. “But…”
“But nothing! C’mon Hank! Think!
“But it’s all been done before!” Hank wailed.
“Don’t think Disney Hank! Think about where those stories came from!”
“Not Disney,” Hank mused. “No, not Disney!” Now he was getting excited. “Grimm!”
“Right! The Brothers Grimm knew that there wasn’t always a happy ending!”
“Put on the red-hot shoes and dance until you die?” Hank had a wolfish grin on his face.
“Could be! Could be! Or how about Sleeping Beauty? You know, Princess Aurora?”
Hank thought, but all that immediately came to mind was that the Disney movie had been set to Tchaikovsky.
“Think Hank! You know you know it!”
Hank pinched his lower lip as he always did when he was thinking hard. “Princess Aurora…Aurora…” Suddenly it came to him.
“She was raped!” He exclaimed. “While she was sleeping, the Prince raped her!”
“Now you’ve got it! And what else?”
“She got pregnant!” Hank was practically glowing with excitement. “And she had twins!
“YES! And what can you do with that?”
“OOH!” Hank burbled. “She has twin boys and she doesn’t tell them about their father until she’s dying…”
“Good! Go on!”
Hank began typing feverishly. “She tells the twins about their father when she’s dying and the boys…better make them about 18 or so…” Hank muttered to himself. “And they vow on her deathbed to find their father and make him pay for what he did to their mother.” His fingers flew over the keyboard. “Maybe I could have the Prince be a wicked king when they find him and one of the sons…names…they need names…decides that Dad isn’t so bad, he’s rich, yadda yadda, so he’s going to throw in with him and the other son has to fight them both.
“Or they go off and learn how to become great warriors from their Mother’s faithful old servant who’s really a retired knight or something like that. And he loved Aurora and wanted to marry her but he couldn’t…although that’s a bit sexist…still, for the times...”
Hank was totally caught up in the story now. Words poured out of him like sweat.
“This is going to be great!" He muttered to himself.
“That’s my boy! I knew you could do it!”
Hank payed no attention. He just kept on writing.