You
know, if there's anything that I have learned in this life, it's that when
something terrible happens, it makes you re-evaluate your life a lot more. And certainly, the news about someone
passing away certainly causes one to think about how they live their lives.
And
one thing that I've been reflecting on is trying to make a living doing
something that I love. Not that I don't
love mixing paint at a hardware counter.
That's actually kind of fun. But
after writing a blog for four years, having something published recently, and
having thoughts of starting up a sign making business, it's got me
thinking...life is way too short to keep procrastinating about making dreams
come true.
So,
I've been trying to come up with a way that I can keep my dreams alive, and I'm
thinking that starting a short story is a great way to do that. And if I'm really in the groove, I think
that I could turn that short story into a novel.
But
sometimes one of the hardest things that one can do is come up with the
storyline behind the novel. Coming up
with a plot can be one of the most difficult things in the world, especially
when you consider that you have to make the plots work with the rich character
development that you give to your main protagonists and antagonists. Believe me, it's a lot harder than you
think.
In
fact, I want to show you one tool that I've used in recent weeks.
This
is a site called "The Writer's Plot Idea Generator", and what it does is
simple. Click the button on the site,
and it will come up with a random plotline.
Go on. Try it! Here.
I've already done one below.
Yikes! That sounds really outlandish, don't you
think? I mean, a manipulative nanny
preparing a bankrupt holiday resort that is apparently set to get blown up real
good anyway? Why, that's even more
outlandish than some of those plot lines that you see on soap operas!
Say. That's a fantastic idea for a
plot...ahem...blog topic! In fact,
let's play a little bit of a game here.
I'll
post a list of...oh...let's say...a dozen plot lines. And you will have to make a decision as to whether the plot line
really happened, or if it's just a figment of my own imagination. I'll reveal the answers at the end of this
blog, just so I don't keep you hanging like a Friday cliffhanger.
And
trust me...it might be a challenge.
After all, soap operas are getting stranger and stranger.
Okay,
let's begin. And remember. All you have to do is tell me whether the
plot is true or false.
1. In
the spring of 1995, a plot unfurled on one soap opera which saw one of the
show's main characters become possessed by the devil himself. Or, should I say...the devil HERself.
True
or False?
2.
Have you ever wondered what one of the strangest ways to die on a soap
opera is? Well, how about getting crushed
to death by a gigantic letter "c"?
The death took place in the last half of 1986.
True
or False?
3. In
August 1979, one soap opera made history by having two children tie the knot
with each other. Apparently arranged
marriages begin really young on this sudser.
The bride and groom were both only ten years old at the time!
True
or False?
4. In
the summer of 1999, a soap opera made its debut, and two of the stars of the
show were a three hundred year old witch and her companion...a talking doll named
Timmy.
True
or False?
5.
How does one cope with the news that their sister is really their
mother, and that their father was their uncle who raped her mother when she was
just thirteen years old? It's a family
affair as one teenager finds out that her sister is her mother and her uncle is
her father in the autumn of 2001.
True
or False?
6.
One soap opera supercouple (who were united through a rape, surprisingly
enough) had to do whatever it took to save their city from being completely
frozen over by a madman. The final
confrontation happened in September 1981, and by November they were married.
True
or False?
7.
What do you do when your wife is presumed dead in a plane crash? Well, you take some of the eggs that she
harvested for IVF and create an exact clone of her. The storyline aired throughout 1998, and it likely was inspired
by the sheep cloning incident that made everybody exclaim "Hello,
Dolly!"
True
or False?
8. It
certainly was a spectacle on one soap opera during the winter of 2012 when a
character not only came back from the dead, but also brought home a pet
dinosaur!
True
or False?
9.
One of the most controversial storylines of 1996 involved a fashion
model who posed for pictures, smiled for the camera, and became involved with a
man she had a crush on in high school.
The only thing that could go wrong?
If people discovered she was born a man.
True
or False?
10.
Someone probably didn't tell this woman one cardinal rule. Never chase after your daughter's
husband. But she did, and the daughter
found out about their tryst after overhearing a conversation between the two of
them over a baby monitor! To make this
scandal even more shocking? Mother
became pregnant with son-in-law's baby.
Talk about keeping it in the family.
True
or False?
11.
Welcome to the year 2003, a year in which a teenage girl fell in love
with an Internet pervert and contracted an STD. Teenage girl's best friend ends up confronting pervert, and he
locks friend in a walk-in cooler at a restaurant and sets the place
ablaze. To make this story even more
unbelievable, ten years later, Internet pervert ends up being an assistant to
the city's police force!
True
or False?
And
finally...
12.
What does one do when a show is set to end? How about flood the entire town and kill off some of the dead
weight in the process? After all, if
the show is being cancelled, why keep the sets around? The show wrapped up its soggy run around the
Christmas season in 1986.
True
or False?
Okay,
I'll give you a few moments to think about it a little.
Time's
up. Let's see how you did.
1. The storyline is TRUE. In 1995, "Days of our Lives" made history by possessing the character of
Dr. Marlena Evans. Don't believe
me? I have proof!
2. This is also TRUE. 1986 saw the death of Mary Duvall on the soap opera "Santa Barbara" by having a letter C fall on top of her. I don't see this scene being shown on
"Sesame Street" any time soon.
3. Sorry.
This plotline never happened.
It's FALSE.
4. This is TRUE. Mind you, "Passions" was always known as the show that
never really made sense during its whole run.
But the Tabitha/Timmy plotline was one of the show's first, and it ran
until actor Josh Ryan Evans passed away in 2002.
5. You may have gotten stumped with this
one. It is absolutely TRUE. This plot featured Kat and Zoe Slater on the
international show "EastEnders". Have a look.
6. Yep, this was the storyline that aired just
before Luke and Laura's 1981 wedding.
And yes, Mikkos Cassadine really did plan on freezing the whole world on
"General Hospital". Mark this one as TRUE.
7. Cloning may seem farfetched. But Josh Lewis really did try to clone his
deceased wife Reva on "Guiding Light". It's 100% true. Of course, Reva ended up surviving anyway, and the
clone...well...you'll have to see for yourself how that ended.
8. No soap opera has ever had a dead character
bringing back a dinosaur with them when they come back from the dead. FALSE!
9. This storyline did happen. Though "The Bold & The Beautiful"
is currently doing a transgender storyline, "The City" was the first soap to tackle the issue, which saw fashion model
Azure C have her past life exposed...as average male Lee Chen.
10. And speaking of "The Bold & The Beautiful", this plot happened on this show which saw
Brooke Logan have an affair with Deacon Sharpe, who was married to her daughter
Bridget. That love affair produced
Brooke's daughter, Hope.
11. Once upon a time on "The Young and the Restless", Lily Winters fell in love with Kevin
Fisher. Kevin gave Lily an STD, Lily's
friend Colleen told him off, and Kevin set a restaurant on fire with Colleen
still inside. Now, Kevin works for the
police (!!), Lily married someone else, and Colleen died.
12. Finally, this plot is TRUE. And you have to admit, flooding the whole
town is definitely one way for "Search for Tomorrow" to go out!
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