Thread: Notes for a short story

- Title "It's Just a Game"

- The protagonist, Maya, is 16 years old.

- The Games are a deathmatch where The Chosen risk their lives for control, status, and respect in an anarchist society.

- All leaders have either been overthrown or killed when the citizens revolted and burned down most of the cities.

- Kay, an aging, overthrown leader calls The Games "chess for savages" and believes they should be abolished for the good of the society. He says The Games are "very extreme" compared to the war games played by those in the past.

- The process of becomming Chosen involves behind handed a card. The card will either be blank or say "CHOSEN". Cards cannot be transfered and one may not refuse to enter The Games if they recieve a "CHOSEN" card.

- There is no age limit to be Chosen, as children as young as 8 have been chosen.

- All Chosen Ones are given the basic weapons when they enter The Games for the first time. They will accumulate points from each round survived which can be used to upgrade. They can also accumulate their victims' weapons or posessions.

- "Chosen ones" continue to battle until the day they die.

- Maya's older brother Lake was killed in The Games not long after Maya enters The Games.

- Kay thinks that the only way to save Maya is to abolish the games once and for all.


The story is sligthly based on the ideas of Running Man and "The Lottery". I can't decide yet how The Chosen will battle in The Games. I was thinking either empty handed or swords, but then I thought it sounded a bit too archaic, considering the story most likely takes place somewhere in the future.

"Slightly based"...add "the Long Walk", another Bachman/King book to the list. Also Kate Wilhelm's "The Funeral". What's your point of writing it? I mean, there's a reason why the protagonist is the age she is, the leader is that age, etc., yes? How does the game evolve into its current state? Running Man and Long Walk have good backstory (well, they're novellas, so there's room). Is Maya named so because of the similarity to the Mayan version of soccer/basketball?
Lotta female characters...are you channeling Joanna Russ too?

Yes, Maya is a reference to the games/sacrifices of the Mayans. As for how The Games evolved into the current state, it has to do with the state of the society. Kay (male character by the way), the former leader, was overthrown by the citizens out of desire for anarchy. When there is no leader in power, the citizens find a way to establish their own system of control, status, and respect. The way they have chosen to do so is through "The Games".

Well, you would seem to have it all thought out, then. I'm sure folks here in the workshop will be glad to give you a critique when you're finished. Good luck.

Fine.

Now go write it.