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Terrified of his parents suspicions, a freshly outed gay high school senior must get a girlfriend so his parents will think he is straight.
Concur with Dkpough1. ? If he's already been outed, what are the stakes -- what does he stand to lose -- what MORE does he stand to lose -- by not being able to get a prom date?In crafting a plot, you have to imagine the absolutely worst thing that can wrong in the situation you set up -- the protagRead more
Concur with Dkpough1. ? If he’s already been outed, what are the stakes — what does he stand to lose — what MORE does he stand to lose — by not being able to get a prom date?
In crafting a plot, you have to imagine the absolutely worst thing that can wrong in the situation you set up — the protagonist’s worst nightmare — and then design the plot as a conspiracy to make that nightmare happen to the protagonist.
What is the absolutely worst thing the teenager will face if he’s already been outed ?at the start of the story versus the absolutely worst thing he will face if he’s outed at, say, the prom??If seems to me that there would be more infinitely dramatic tension and more at stake if he’s trying to get a female date to cover up his sexual orientation from friends and family.
What am I missing in the scenario you propose?
fwiw
See lessAn immature government programmer’s promotion is denied by his overbearing boss, so he resorts to childish pranks with his beleaguered coworkers in the hope he’ll get transferred.
NikkiArcane:In response to your questions:No. Yes. ?Yes. Yes. ?(And you?)Contract employees can be easily gotten rid of ?because they don't have civil service protection. ?I saw that happen (too) many times in IT. ?"Snivel" service?employees are, of course, harder to get rid of. ?Actually, practicalRead more
NikkiArcane:
In response to your questions:
No. Yes. ?Yes. Yes. ?(And you?)
Contract employees can be easily gotten rid of ?because they don’t have civil service protection. ?I saw that happen (too) many times in IT. ?”Snivel” service?employees are, of course, harder to get rid of. ?Actually, practically impossible to get rid of after they pass probation unless they commit a felony.
So yes, lateral arabesque transfers to another department are a tried and true method of dumping problem employees somewhere else.
But I suggest that to optimize the dramatic conflict in your premise, the protagonist’s nemesis should be a worthy one. ?In this case, one malicious and competent enough to make life a bureaucratic hell for the protagonist. ?So that the harder he tries to get transferred, the harder his boss games the system to block him. ?And ?get retribution with the 1,001 petty bureaucratic rules and procedures he can inflict on him. (I’ve seen that happen, too.)
IOW: I suggest the boss should come off as a genuine foe, not merely a comedic foil, an oh-so-convenient plot pi?ata. ?Make it ?a credible threat that the boss and the system can crush the employee. ?(Because it does all the time, as I presume you well know.)
There’s a rich vein of dark comedy to mine in the situation. ?Good luck mining the ore.
fwiw
See lessAn immature government programmer’s promotion is denied by his overbearing boss, so he resorts to childish pranks with his beleaguered coworkers in the hope he’ll get transferred.
Problem is his immature pranks won't get him transferred; they'll give his boss the pretext to get him dismissed ?-- fired. ? (There is nothing in the logline to suggest that he's too valuable to dismiss, to replace with someone who will play along by the rules.) Furthermore, his pranks will go on hRead more
Problem is his immature pranks won’t get him transferred; they’ll give his boss the pretext to get him dismissed ?– fired. ? (There is nothing in the logline to suggest that he’s too valuable to dismiss, to replace with someone who will play along by the rules.)
Furthermore, his pranks will go on his permanent work record and come back to ?plague him any time he applies for a promotion or the tries to get a transfer to another department. That’s the way government bureaucracies work.
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