A Story from DLR/Tramlink - discussion
- RobbieM
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Re: A Story from DLR/Tramlink - discussion
Great stuff. Yes, the multi-authored nature of these stories means we get a lot of variety of screenplay to suit a wide range of tastes! Just like what makes a good film - a combination action/romance/morals/edgy characters/crazy horses...
One of the beauties of starting these stories the way we do is that no-one actually knows the plot at the start. The early posts are crucial in just throwing the material out there for everyone to try and use!
For future stories I think we need to continue letting a few posts run randomly before any attempt at making a plot is made. It was only when I spotted various connections emerging in 'Travelling Light' that I saw possible ways to draw them together. And as I did so, more and more co-incidences emerged. The story actually seems to make a lot of sense (in a bizarre way, of course!)
"Why 'Eye-Man'?" should be a fun story when we eventually do it!
One of the beauties of starting these stories the way we do is that no-one actually knows the plot at the start. The early posts are crucial in just throwing the material out there for everyone to try and use!
For future stories I think we need to continue letting a few posts run randomly before any attempt at making a plot is made. It was only when I spotted various connections emerging in 'Travelling Light' that I saw possible ways to draw them together. And as I did so, more and more co-incidences emerged. The story actually seems to make a lot of sense (in a bizarre way, of course!)
"Why 'Eye-Man'?" should be a fun story when we eventually do it!
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Re: A Story from DLR/Tramlink - discussion
It's good, isn't it? At the beginning, no one knows what's going to happen. Then, gradually, someone allows the plot to take shape. The Orange One did it with Over the Top, I did it with Off the Rails, and you've done it with Travelling Light. Three similar stories, and yet with completely different outcomes. It's very subtle!RobbieM wrote:Great stuff. Yes, the multi-authored nature of these stories means we get a lot of variety of screenplay to suit a wide range of tastes! Just like what makes a good film - a combination action/romance/morals/edgy characters/crazy horses... One of the beauties of starting these stories the way we do is that no-one actually knows the plot at the start. The early posts are crucial in just throwing the material out there for everyone to try and use!
Absolutely. And I hope we can get more contributors - the more the merrier as far as I'm concerned.For future stories I think we need to continue letting a few posts run randomly before any attempt at making a plot is made. It was only when I spotted various connections emerging in 'Travelling Light' that I saw possible ways to draw them together. And as I did so, more and more co-incidences emerged. The story actually seems to make a lot of sense (in a bizarre way, of course!)
You bet! Let me get on with editing Travelling Light, and then we can start."Why 'Eye-Man'?" should be a fun story when we eventually do it!
My only concern is that T&W Metro has a mere 60 stations, which on past experience is barely enough to get started. I thought 83 (DLR/Tramlink) would be enough, but in fact we needed 176 (DLR/Tramlink/Metrolink). Can we include other metro/light rail systems?
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- RobbieM
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Re: A Story from DLR/Tramlink - discussion
I guess we'll need to. I wonder whether we can split the story into chapters, titled according to the network. "Why 'Eye-Man'?" may be the first chapter of a longer story featuring other systems later. Maybe "An Electric Orange" could be the first chapter of a story which then features the whole SPT.GuyBarry wrote:Can we include other metro/light rail systems?
(I guess I just like the titles! )
This might surprise you, but I've yet to read "Over the Top" !!!!
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Re: A Story from DLR/Tramlink - discussion
Just come back from yet another trip and read the completed 'Travelling Light'. I really liked the way it all fit together at the end, and Rev. S. Bury's sermon was heartwarming.
I never quite realised until I read the new ending that the way we just dismissed 'junction spotting' as ridiculous never sat that well with me. But then, it did have that kind of spin on it from the start:
Is the Reverend S. Bury the Canon Bury from Over The Top? If so, I may have to work on understanding his personality - he actually works with Don in Over The Top to apprehend Roy Aloak and turn him over to the authorities. Mind you, Roy isn't a particularly nice man at all (you don't even need to mention the animal abuse, just look at the way he treated Wes, Colin and Stan - at that point only Wes had committed a crime, stealing birds from London parks) so Rev. Bury may have chosen to act for the good of humanity.
I never quite realised until I read the new ending that the way we just dismissed 'junction spotting' as ridiculous never sat that well with me. But then, it did have that kind of spin on it from the start:
With this last story, Don is now the only character to have actually appeared in all four of the main stories! Richard Bromley came close, oh so close (I decided to cut his mention in Over The Top at the last moment as I couldn't think of a plausible reason to bring him in). Ken Sington is actually mentioned in all four (though not always by his correct name - he's gone by Sington, Nington, Pington and Dington so far). DS Roaden also came pretty close (had cameo in Over The Top, a few mentions in Travelling Light with a main role in Off the Rails; would probably have been around for the events of Hidden Underground had we come up with him back then)."BECK ENHAM, JUNCTION spotter here," she said. "What do you want?"
"Junction spotter?"
"You've heard of a trainspotter, haven't you? See that pub over there - the Earl of WATFORD? JUNCTION with Hope Street?"
"Yes."
"Well, I spotted that. I've got them all down in my notebook, you know."
Is the Reverend S. Bury the Canon Bury from Over The Top? If so, I may have to work on understanding his personality - he actually works with Don in Over The Top to apprehend Roy Aloak and turn him over to the authorities. Mind you, Roy isn't a particularly nice man at all (you don't even need to mention the animal abuse, just look at the way he treated Wes, Colin and Stan - at that point only Wes had committed a crime, stealing birds from London parks) so Rev. Bury may have chosen to act for the good of humanity.
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Re: A Story from DLR/Tramlink - discussion
Oh, it was always meant to be ridiculous (like everything else to do with the Enhams). How can you possibly make a hobby out of "spotting" something static? (Although when BBC1's "The One Show" did an item about road enthusiasts they insisted on calling them "road spotters", to fit in with their other items on "lorry spotters" and "pylon spotters". The people concerned protested, but to no avail.)The Orange One wrote:Just come back from yet another trip and read the completed 'Travelling Light'. I really liked the way it all fit together at the end, and Rev. S. Bury's sermon was heartwarming.
I never quite realised until I read the new ending that the way we just dismissed 'junction spotting' as ridiculous never sat that well with me.
Yes - I think it's a sort of running joke now that he has to turn up each time with a new name and in increasingly ridiculous guises!With this last story, Don is now the only character to have actually appeared in all four of the main stories!
"Nington" was his stage-name when he performed at Eurovision. The others are a figment of Hillary's peculiar imagination! (She couldn't get Bob's name right either.)Richard Bromley came close, oh so close (I decided to cut his mention in Over The Top at the last moment as I couldn't think of a plausible reason to bring him in). Ken Sington is actually mentioned in all four (though not always by his correct name - he's gone by Sington, Nington, Pington and Dington so far).
And it now seems that one of his ancestors died at Verdun...DS Roaden also came pretty close (had cameo in Over The Top, a few mentions in Travelling Light with a main role in Off the Rails; would probably have been around for the events of Hidden Underground had we come up with him back then).
I'm not sure - only greatkingrat can answer that one! Maybe they're related.Is the Reverend S. Bury the Canon Bury from Over The Top?
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Re: A Story from DLR/Tramlink - discussion
The vacuum cleaner saga in "Off the Rails" will probably make a bit more sense when you do! (I deliberately wrote it so that it could be read as a self-contained story, but it follows on naturally.)RobbieM wrote: This might surprise you, but I've yet to read "Over the Top" !!!!
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- RobbieM
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Re: A Story from DLR/Tramlink - discussion
Interesting you should ask this! When I was writing his 'sermon', I had no idea he'd appeared in an earlier story. (You'll have just read that I still have to read OTT properly!) But later on, I suddenly realised he was 'Canon Bury', and thought he might have therefore appeared! I went to OTT to check, and sure enough, there he was.The Orange One wrote:Is the Reverend S. Bury the Canon Bury from Over The Top?
I've assumed therefore that he is the same person. From what I can gather, I haven't written anything that conflicts with what happened on OTT. I'll hopefully read OTT soon, and see if he fits in with my idea of him.
I guess we can add more info to the biographies pages now!
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Re: A Story from DLR/Tramlink - discussion
I'm really behind. I've got so much to add in about the major characters, never mind the minor ones. I'm sure we'll get there...RobbieM wrote: I guess we can add more info to the biographies pages now!
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Re: A Story from DLR/Tramlink - discussion
No rush! Just glad you're happy to do it. We don't really need to have the info in place until we start the next story, anyway.
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Re: A Story from DLR/Tramlink - discussion
Don't forget it's a wiki, so you can contribute yourselves!RobbieM wrote:No rush! Just glad you're happy to do it. We don't really need to have the info in place until we start the next story, anyway.
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Re: A Story from DLR/Tramlink - discussion
Of course, silly me! Maybe I can have a go at doing Bess, Jane, George, Alan etc. , once I've worked out how to use a wiki site properly.
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Re: A Story from DLR/Tramlink - discussion
It took me a bit of effort! I think the easiest thing to do is to start with this page:
http://hidden-underground.wikia.com/wik ... link_story
That's the plot of Travelling Light up to the point where we switched to Metrolink. If we finish that page off first, then we can create pages for all the individual characters. The wiki-code convention is to put double square brackets round the names of pages, like this:
[[Beck Enham]]
[[Jane Waddington]]
The link to Beck Enham appears in blue, which means she's got her own page (which can of course be edited). You'll note that the link to Jane Waddington is in red - that's because she hasn't got her own page yet. If you click on that red link, it'll ask you if you want to create a page, and then you can go on to make one. It only needs to be a couple of lines at first - they can be fleshed out later.
Confusing at first, but I'm getting used to it!
http://hidden-underground.wikia.com/wik ... link_story
That's the plot of Travelling Light up to the point where we switched to Metrolink. If we finish that page off first, then we can create pages for all the individual characters. The wiki-code convention is to put double square brackets round the names of pages, like this:
[[Beck Enham]]
[[Jane Waddington]]
The link to Beck Enham appears in blue, which means she's got her own page (which can of course be edited). You'll note that the link to Jane Waddington is in red - that's because she hasn't got her own page yet. If you click on that red link, it'll ask you if you want to create a page, and then you can go on to make one. It only needs to be a couple of lines at first - they can be fleshed out later.
Confusing at first, but I'm getting used to it!
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Re: A Story from DLR/Tramlink - discussion
Great, I've done some work on it; will do more.
I've made a couple of edits to the final parts of the story to: (1) resolve Beck and Bess's historical animosity, and (2) re-introduce the elvers!
I've made a couple of edits to the final parts of the story to: (1) resolve Beck and Bess's historical animosity, and (2) re-introduce the elvers!
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Re: A Story from DLR/Tramlink - discussion
Brilliant! Thanks for doing that, and also thanks to The Orange One for his various recent contributions.
I'm slightly behind on my edit of the main story text but I should have it finished in the next couple of days. It occurs to me that for future stories, rather than having this "tidy-up" exercise at the end, it might be easier to put it up on the wiki and edit it as we go along. Thoughts?
I'm slightly behind on my edit of the main story text but I should have it finished in the next couple of days. It occurs to me that for future stories, rather than having this "tidy-up" exercise at the end, it might be easier to put it up on the wiki and edit it as we go along. Thoughts?
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Re: A Story from DLR/Tramlink - discussion
I've finally read Over The Top!
A few things fit together a bit better now. Though now I can't say that I think of Canon Bury and Rev. S. Bury as the same person - but I think they may be brothers. They seem to minister in two different places, and the personalities are perhaps incompatible. Perhaps Canon Bury is the black sheep of the family? (Maybe I should add another little bit into S.Bury's speech which reflects his brother, but it's probably long enough already!)
A few more character write-ups done! Please feel free to add to them if necessary.
A few things fit together a bit better now. Though now I can't say that I think of Canon Bury and Rev. S. Bury as the same person - but I think they may be brothers. They seem to minister in two different places, and the personalities are perhaps incompatible. Perhaps Canon Bury is the black sheep of the family? (Maybe I should add another little bit into S.Bury's speech which reflects his brother, but it's probably long enough already!)
A few more character write-ups done! Please feel free to add to them if necessary.
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