EX2 Major Work: The Fallacy of Commodity Fetishism (1 Viewer)

[Lonely Magpie]

In today's society, people seem obsessed with the concepts of wealth and status, more so than ever before. So much so that to some, much of what life truly means has been replaced with a futile, unending mission to have more things. If you ever ask them why they have more things, they either shy away from the questions, or give a response that barely scratches the surface of what you asked.

I want to do a story, set in the very society of today, about a man intoxicated by greed he cannot hope to satisfy. His life has become a mere drudgery of earning, and buying, to the degree where the needs for material possessions overtakes his very humanity. He begins to work harder and for longer. He loses touch with his family and friends, and grows distant from the things he once loved. Indeed, his life eventually devolves into slaving for a number in his bank statements, and this becomes his only gratification. He knows not why he works, merely that he must. He's almost like a slave of his own making, yet the irony lies in that he holds the key to his own freedom.

The idea isn't fully fleshed out yet, insofar as I don't have an actual plot, only the message I want to get across. I posted it here to get some feedback, to see what you guys think about it. It'll probably be a dark story, perhaps culminating in him buying a whole new identity for himself, or the realisation that his actions have been worthless due to one thing or another. But that's still up in the air, and I'm asking you guys to help me pick where it lands.

 

[LoveHateSchool]

Just a heads up, it's great to have an overarching message you want to get across in your writing. However it is easy in EE2 to get caught up in the concept and the metaphors and the artistic stuff so to speak-and easy to neglect the tangible plot and fleshing the writing of the story. I'm afraid to say it's probably where my MW was weakened a little, the plot wasn't as squeaky clean as it ought to have been, as I wrote it for the concept and not for the actual narrative which equally or arguably more important.

I suggest you try and get the plot down before you start writing. Otherwise you'll get stuck with the 6-8K words and you don't want be adding mundane filler at the end to bolster the word count.

To help you flesh it out...what is the complication? Will something trigger the man to change his ways? Will a situation arise where there's conflict that you think he might change, but then he can't? It is a question only you as the writer can answer.

 

[Shadowdude]

I'd also say that might be a fantastic plot for a... novel, but you have 8000 words max for a short story.

Can you cover all of that and write to maximum effect in 8000 words? I have serious doubts.


The idea is great, but I don't think you can condense it into the required word limit. Maybe take a portion of it, or concentrate on one key scene you had in mind or something but... I don't think you can fully flesh the entire thing out in 8000 words.