1. Masli

    Masli Active Member

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    motivation to tell one's life story

    Discussion in 'Plot Development' started by Masli, Dec 28, 2012.

    My story is basicly about my MC's lifestory. Now in order to just tell the story I thought it might be a different twist to have my MC tell his own story to someone.
    But what would be a motivation for him to do so, and why would the listener be interested?

    Any ideas? Or does it sound like a lame thing to do?
     
  2. NoDanico

    NoDanico New Member

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    Have you ever heard of The Name of the Wind? The main character is a famous wizard-type who faked his death long ago and bought an inn. A scribe hears a rumor that the legendary Kvoth is alive and gets him to tell his life story. It’s an amazing book, so no, I don’t think the idea is lame.
    Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk is another good example. He starts the book with a high numbered page and counts down to one, page one being the present and the start being the past.
    Maybe the MC is contemplating how things went so wrong. Maybe she’s considering suicide and calls one of those helplines. Maybe she’s confessing to a priest.
    Or perhaps she’s happily telling a friend about it over a headset while they play videogames online. ‘Ya know, Sue, fighting this dragon reminds me of the time I had to vanquish my own dragon.’
     
  3. Masli

    Masli Active Member

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    I haven't heard about neither stories, but I'll see if I can find a copy, so I have a better insight in what you mean.
    I've only seen it used by Anne Rice, who used it in most of her vampire chronicles, but wasn't sure if there were oher examples out there. So thnx!
     
  4. EdFromNY

    EdFromNY Hope to improve with age Supporter Contributor

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    Correct me if I'm wrong, Masli, but it sounds to me as if you are simply talking about a narrative in the first person. And if that is the case, you don't need a motivation. Lots of stories have been written from a 1st person POV.
     
  5. Nighthunter

    Nighthunter Member

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    I haven't seen it yet so I am not 100% sure, but from what i gathered form the trailers the upcoming movie "A life of Pi" i believe its called seems to be about a retelling of his life, his story to another person.

    I hope this is what you were looking for.
     
  6. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

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    as ed noted, it's been done often enough that you don't have to worry about it not being acceptable... the only thing that matters is writing well enough that others will want to pay good money to read it...
     

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