(Note: I’ve never seen the movie “The Princess Bride” or read the book it’s based on, so if what I’m describing here sounds a lot like what happens in that movie… Sorry, I haven’t seen it, so there’s no way I can know. I *think* that movie involves a bedtime story, but I don’t think it’s a similar plot to what I’m describing here. But I wouldn’t know. And I haven’t seen that Adam Sandler movie, either.)
A bedtime story can be an appropriate frame for a story. You open the story with the little kid who has to go to bed, who insists to be told a bedtime story before they go to sleep, and the parent or grandparent tells them a story, either presenting it as fact, reading it from a book, or making it up as they go.
Here’s a twist on that plot: What if the parents of the kid who wants to be read for are divorced (or, at least, not living together – if I were to write this I would probably have them just have a kid together, without having been married in the first place), and the kid spends every other night with each of them?
What if the kid insists that her mother tells her a story, and she starts telling her a story one night, and the next night the girl is sleeping at his father’s and she begs the father to continue the story? He probably would give it a try, and continue developing the story – but he would have a completely different mindset than the mother, so he would probably focus on other things and let the plot progress in perhaps not the same directions as it would have done.
Every other chapter would be his mother’s work, every other chapter would be his father’s work. Without any direct communication about it apart from the kid’s retelling of what happened last night, they have to cooperate to develop the perfect bedtime story, one chapter at a time, forming a bond over the storytelling. If the two were bitter and angry at each other, perhaps they would do their best to destroy each other’s story elements, but I think we could get a better story if they cooperated to create a story as good as possible for their child.
As for the story being told, it could be anything, but if I were to make it I would choose the typical fairytalesque fantasy kingdom with knights and princesses and stuff like that. And the second narrator would probably introduce some robots to the mix. I don’t know.
But wow, I would love to read such a story. If I get the time someday, perhaps I’ll make it.
92 down, 8 to go.
I know a guy that told his daughter bedtime stories of a family of mice to explain the relationships of his parents and who was related to who. It was easier for her to take it in that way and then realise who represented who, rather than trying to understand it directly.
Very interesting. I’ve always found it amazing how much of the real world one can explain through fiction, and that is an excellent example of that – thanks for sharing it.
This is one of those ideas that I cannot decide if I most want to read, or to write. Huh. Great stuff, man. As for Princess Bride, I have not read the book (though Sarah plans to, I will twitter you with what she thought if she one day gets around to it), but the movie is an absolute treasure, and I am sure you would love it.
Josh: Huh, that sounds both clever and cute. I approve. Hope it worked out well in the long run and that she did not start serving distant relatives cheese at random moments?
Yeah, I think this idea is one of my own favorites, too. I have a lot of thoughts about how this could be written. If I find a decent artist to team up with, perhaps I’ll make it.
Princess Bride is on my “Must see”-list.
I would love to read that. And please do tell me what you think of Princess Bride whenever you get around to watching it!
wow..glad i bumped into this site.. haha, i find this idea very awesome.. it seems really interesting.. i would very much like to actually read this one.. haha..
ps.
oops.. woah, the last comment dates way back to last year…
i just really want to say your ideas are great, i’ve only read two so far, but i think i’d be spending time to read all of them.. hehe ^^
Thank you! This is my favorite idea, too, so I really have to see if there’s anything I can do to make it happen one day. But there’s no way I’ll be able to use all of these ideas myself, so if you want to steal one or know somebody who might, just go ahead!