Monday, January 09, 2006

If inspiration fails...

Yes, folks, if inspiration fails, in your quest for fictional stardom/movie script sale/Nobel Prize next year type thing, then you can always turn to the web for help.

My son kindly points out that there is a helpful blog, The Generator Blog, which provides all kinds of software that may prove useful. Just recently, for instance, someone has kindly posted a piece about a late-night movie plot generator (4 January). This turns out to have its own web site, and is an invaluable tool for the film-world ambitious if ever I saw one. A guaranteed route to success.

Back to the Generator Blog, and on the right-hand list of previously posted generators you will find, just by way of example, a story generator. The plots offered here are a little minimal, I feel. But hey -- why not generate two or three, and bolt them together? Can't be difficult. And if you choose two or three plots of different genres, then you could have yourself a highly original cross-genre masterpiece. Break new ground. And all like that.

Should the story generator not meet with your entire approval, click on the word 'writing' in the box at the top left, and you get links to enough generators to keep the average writer in business for several years.

And, best of all, if you are one of those people who think that what comes free can't possibly be any good, the story-generator site features lots of Google ads for software that you can pay for. Try, for instance, the Writer's Cafe -- a UK-based site, and therefore, by definition, a quality product.

And, finally, don't overlook the easily missed log-line generator. A log-line is (I understand) one of those plot summaries that you see pasted across a poster for a movie. You know the kind of thing. Two men, one woman -- and she loved them both. Or some such. And now you don't even need to think up your own. Just press a button.

Never let it be said that the GOB does not provide entrees to cutting-edge stuff. Software will change the world. Not necessarily for the better, though. No promises about that.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Grumpy Old Bookman,
Extremely useful stuff. But the Luddite in me says get a good light Smith-Corona (this has been brought out before) and then find a good author to emulate, at least for your lead. E.G., George Orwell:
"Marriage to the joyless Hilda was becoming a nightmar for George Bowling."
You might just come up for air.
But only imitate so far, just enought to get you going.
Cheers,
Ivan