Show Your Progress 2: brain storm

Idea #1:

I want this short story to feel like the song “The Genius of The Crowd” by Charles Bukowski, in its thematic message and impact

** Submit a short story project that is loosely based on American Horror Story (season 1984) about Margarette Booth the camp religious leader, and her past secret of massacring her peers when she attended the summer camp as a child I want to combine themes in (AHS 1984) with themes in Fight Club by Chuck Pallanuck, to create a psychological short thriller like story, about the implications of disassociation, trauma and violence, relating to the subject of Margarette Booth’s secret. (I’ll probably name her like Maggie Durden instead or something, and it will be a clever and interesting concept to write about the fusion of two of my favorite fictional characters).**
-How do Margarette Booth (1984) and Tyler Durden (Fight Club), relate to each other psychologically to form Maggie’s character in my short story.
-What structural and thematic motifs will be utilized throughout the project?
-How can Mr. Jingles (AHS 1984) relate to Tyler Durden (Fight Club)
-Plot and characters can be introduced on the bus ride to summer camp
-Where the main character (Maggie) will be introduced upon the camp goers arrival, as the director of the camp and a prominent religious leader in the community
-Maggie will state the camps mission and some rules for the teens, including a strict curfew—after details and imagery is provided of Maggie (presently) Maggie will find—a group of teens drinking alcohol past curfew around a fire and gossiping about the horrific massacre that occurred at the very camp —- and reprimands them for the gossip because it is not the true story She will then begin telling the story of how she survived the massacre at this camp as a child and recount the chilling true story of her encounter with the killer This story she tells will comprise the conclusion to the introduction of the plot and setting (the killer will actually be Maggie’s split character—who represents a blend of Mr.Jingles (AHS 1984) and Tyler Durden (Fight Club) Maggie’s split personality will be revealed in the main body—- Maggie scolds the teens and sends them back to their cabins, then sits alone by the fire to ponder somberly on the trauma of the massacre (seemingly)— the group of teens will be overheard noticing this— expressing their guilt and tension they feel after being told the story When Maggie overhears this—the narrative will switch from conversational—to her inner reflection of the actual truth related to the massacre, the events before it and the split personality that has now consumed her personality This will be done through a stream of thought sequence— she reflects on her disgust and disdain toward the group of teens nativity and innocence— leading to an explanation of her group of friends at camp in her childhood (the massacred ones) Introducing similarity’s to (Fight Club and AHS 1984 ) and themes of the creation of a secret society—the corruption of her old group will be revealed Leading to the mentioning and allusion of a traumatic event that occurred during abuse she experienced as a child—that will be eerily similar to what the (present time) group of teens that she scolded were discussing about the disturbing details of the massacre This will introduce how her split personality manifested through trauma and lead to the massacre of her friends at camp— directly connecting the child abuse she experienced to the details of her crime, implying it as the source of her disassociation—that culminated in her splitting from her identity— presenting the trigger event— that explores the trope of a seemingly normal mild mannered young girl having a masculine, vindictive and charismatic alter ego, capable of committing brutal acts of violence This will convey one of the main themes of the story —encapsulating the extremes of how abuse in early childhood perpetuates the affects that a society dominated by masculinity and violence has on people who are victims —leading to a cycle of abuse—exemplified when the details of the acts of child abuse she experienced are reflected in the nature and details of her male alter egos violent actions. Showing how trauma leads to a victims transformation into behaving just as their abuser did towards them, and how Maggie now enables and hides her alter egos behavior, which shows how the cycle of abuse leads individuals to accept cruelty as an extension of their lives, selves and relationships . Instead of viewing themself as a victim. —how a brutal loss of innocence in one’s childhood can result in manifestations of brutality for the individual as they progress through their youth and adult life — This is strongly referred to with themes of Maggie experiencing childhood trauma — leading to the formation of a separate violent (male) identity capable of corrupting others and murder —- exemplifying the cycle of abuse occurring in society, through the perspective of a (female) victim who’s trauma impacts her psyche —-causing a split in her personality, that results in a separate (violent male) identity’s formation —that exhibits toxic masculinity’s upheaval on victims, through the martyring of innocence in the name of corruption, violence, power, control and compulsion —using the single character Maggie, and her psyche that is being affected by dissociation, resulting from her childhood trauma, as a device to centralize the theme:** cycles of abusive violence against victims and the roles of individuals, society and corruption in the viscous cycle

Key Concepts

  1. Thematic Core

    • Cycle of Abuse: The story exemplifies how childhood abuse perpetuates violence, leading victims (like Maggie) to transform into figures mirroring their abusers. This includes enabling and hiding the alter ego's behavior, showing an acceptance of cruelty as an extension of one's self.

    • Disassociation, Trauma, and Violence: These are central to Maggie's character and the plot, directly explored through her childhood experiences and the manifestation of her alter ego, leading to extreme acts of violence.

    • Societal Impact of Masculinity and Violence: The narrative examines how a society dominated by masculinity and violence affects female victims, leading to the formation of a violent male alter ego that embodies toxic masculinity.

    • Loss of Innocence: A brutal loss of innocence in childhood is shown to directly result in manifestations of brutality throughout an individual's youth and adult life, as seen in Maggie's progression from victim to perpetrator.

  2. Character Genesis: Maggie Durden

    • Fusion Concept: Maggie's character is a clever psychological blend of Margarette Booth (AHS 1984), a camp religious leader with a hidden murderous past, and Tyler Durden (Fight Club), a charismatic, nihilistic, and corrupting alter ego. This fusion allows for a deep exploration of dissociation and hidden violence within a seemingly normal façade.

  3. Alter Ego and Split Personality

    • Manifestation through Trauma: Maggie's split personality, the true killer, manifests directly from her childhood trauma and abuse. The alter ego is a masculine, vindictive, and charismatic identity, reflecting a response to her abuse. This is the source of her disassociation.

    • Blend of Influences: This alter ego represents a blend of Mr. Jingles (AHS 1984), known for his slasher persona, and Tyler Durden (Fight Club), a force for corruption and the creation of a secret, destructive society. It encapsulates how toxic masculinity impacts victims, leading to the

  4. Structural and Narrative Motifs

    • Introduction: Bus ride to camp and Maggie's present-day role as camp director and religious leader.

    • Inciting Incident: Maggie confronts teens gossiping about the massacre; she tells a deceptive survivor story.

    • Reversal/Revelation: The narrative switches from conversational dialogue to Maggie's inner reflection, using a stream of thought sequence to reveal the actual truth of the massacre, the events preceding it, and the consumption of her personality by her split identity. This internal monologue will expose her disgust towards the teens' naivety and innocence, leading to details about her childhood friends at camp and the creation of a secret society, ultimately revealing the corruption of her old group.

    • Shift to Stream of Thought: Following the superficial conversational exchange and the group of teens overhearing Maggie, the narration will transition abruptly into Maggie's internal monologue. This shift will utilize a stream of thought style to deeply delve into her true reflections on the massacre, the underlying events, and the complete takeover of her psyche by her split personality. This sudden immersion into her unvarnished thoughts serves to immediately contrast her public persona with her disturbed inner reality.

    • Symbolism: Connecting details of Maggie's childhood abuse to the violent actions of her male alter ego, highlighting the cycle of abuse.

  5. Inspiration & Tone

    • Thematic message and impact inspired by Charles Bukowski's "The Genius of The Crowd."

    • Loose basis on American Horror Story (1984) for setting and initial character.