5 Days to Light the Fire, Part III

As I sit through the early seminars, roundtables and presentations, rather than writing notes on what people are saying, I've been writing questions that I think will lead me to uncovering a new story. These questions have included the following:

What's the greatest story you know--about a person you actually know?

What are the most embarrassing moments you've ever had?

What are you obsessed with?

Why are you so self-conscious?

Who's the most "unexpected" person you've ever met (meaning, the person who didn't sound like they looked, or knew what you wouldn't think they would know, etc.)

What movies do you truly love?

Who's the most obsessive person you've ever known?

Why do you like satire so much, and is that a sign of weakness or a neutral trait?

When you have been under serious stress, and how did you react?

If you were to write a modern story based on a classic, which classic would you choose?

What was the most romantic moment in your life?

What's the nicest thing anyone's ever done for you?

What's the nicest thing you've ever done for somebody else?

What are 10 moments that made you cry?

I've only just begun to answer these questions, but the results are very interesting.

Comments

Aunt Christy said…
So what's everyone else doing?
Marc Conklin said…
Probably the same thing I'm doing. Today were seminars on structure and character dev. The highlight for me was getting to meet Kirk Ellis, who wrote the John Adams series for HBO, and actually lives in Santa Fe.
cookielady said…
ooh, if you see Kirk Ellis again, please share with him how much I loved the hyper-realistic details of life circa seventeen-hundred-and-gross. The flies buzzing, teeth rotting, skin crumbling. Sometimes I swear I could smell John Adams' unwashed...feet.
Marc Conklin said…
Yeah, the Abigail cure for smallpox is something I won't soon forget. That reminds me of the most important question I forgot to include: What are you most afraid of?
Mike said…
Great questions, Marc.

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