Hello all, I'm writing a one-act-play and I wrote a scene where the protagonist goes to a fortune teller. The problem is, I'm not happy with the scene or how the fortune teller's role is played. I turned the fortune teller into a male, which was an uncomfortable surprise for the protagonist, but it could still be a woman. The point is I'd like to veer from the cliche. I was thinking of going one step further and making the fortune teller show his true personality - i.e. that he's a bit of a phony, but that ends up giving some good advice - like he's 'off duty' or finished his 'shift'. The protagonist is trying to discover if he's dying, and finally, even with a satisfactory answer (ambiguous and easily misinterpreted) asks if there is some kind of trinket to ward off death (effectively ignoring the veiled message that he's probably not going to die from what he thinks). So il bullet form, I'd like the community to help me with the following: - Tell the protagonist he's probably not dying, but with the possibility of interpreting the message in his own way. - Give him a trinket to ward off death - ("I'll give you what I give all my clients" sounds funny and phony but honest) - Hint at a love interest that he's blind to. - Offer a form of fortune telling by a person that's not ordinary but not a stretch of the imagination of a regular audience. Thank you! Foxe PS, it appears this month is my one year anniversary on the website!
If you sail up the East River from New York Bay, you pass under two bridges in quick succession that link Brooklyn with lower Manhattan. The first is the fabled Brooklyn Bridge, a classic example of engineering and style that is widely regarded as one of the most aesthetically pleasing bridges in the world. It was designed by John Augustus Roebling. This is quickly followed by the much lesser known Manhattan Bridge, a pedestrian structure that even lifelong residents of New York would probably have a hard time describing, other than noting that subway trains pass over it. It was designed by committee. Plots designed by committee are about as riveting as bridges designed by committee. My advice is to figure it out yourself.
I've learned a great lesson today. And while I was waiting for an answer, I figured it out myself. Thanks gang. P.S. Down with committees!
Since we're all being so sagely let me leave you with this: If you want to know what salmon tastes like, do you poll random people on the street until enough people agree on the answer? Or do you go eat some salmon?
