Obviously it's the same with Hemingway. I think it's extremely hard to mimic. Bukowsky- intentionally or not- is doing something with seemingly mundane details that somehow act as lubricant for his important ideas. That is my theory.
I have to disagree there, I think whether or not your story is set in "reality" means little...especially if it's a story that can't be told in our reality. Besides, reality is boring ^^ I live in it every day.
Well the intention was never that he should live forever and go through history, the scope isn't that grand...it's not even the "immortal" part that's important, it's the "losing humanity" part, because under normal circumstances he could die and escape it, but here it's inevitable.
I agree there's nothing wrong in fictional settings - all writers are creating worlds - even those awarded the Man Booker - so real and fictional settings are no different in all honesty.
That said, the way the overall theme of the setting is set up, it could easily be applied to our reality. As mentioned it started out as an RPG and from the beginning the intention was that it could be applied to any type of RPG, whether it be fantasy, horror, sci-fi, swashbuckling or even a modern day setting...so may explore it in a later story.
If you are an interesting person and a good writer, I may be interested in your reality. However, for me to be interested in your imagination, you'd basically have to be a genius.
Guess that's the good old case of "to each their own" ^^ Besides, it's not my reality...nor do I want it to be.
A plot, as far as I understand it, is a series of events that lead from the start to the conclusion. These events should demonstrate your story's themes and character's growth. In essence, the events can be symbolic of the character's inner journey - for example, the shy school girl who finally plucks up the courage to sing on stage. Singing on stage isn't anything that special - but it demonstrates that she has finally overcome her shyness. But basically, a plot is what happens, what do the characters do? A plot that works would be a series of such events that make logical sense, connect with one another, and that builds up to a final goal.
