Copyright November 20, 2012
I am working on two manuscripts during 2012-2013: First Earth and Third Way (working title). I spend many hours listening to music, visualizing the stories while I write. I’ve been listening to Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard’s Gladiator soundtrack while editing the current chapters in First Earth. I’ve been listening to Steve Curtis Chapman’s Speechless to help me visualize the beginning and ending for Third Way. After I return from Peru, (I hope I am able to go back soon.) I will write the bridging parts of Third Way and then flesh in the story that’s been banging around in my head for years.
This morning while I was designing a home, I listened to one of my favorite Steven Curtis Chapman songs− God is God −to help me visualize the overall theme of Third Way, kind of a movie trailer view of the novel.
I hope someday if the novel series is successful, that it becomes a movie series as well. I think the coolest scenario would be I become wildly successful with Second Birth, get established as a player in the writing industry and get to collaborate with Mr. Chapman on the screenplay for Third Way. I think in order to be historically accurate; the movie will have to be a musical.
The story is of an ancient missionary/scientist, who started out self-absorbed and privileged, had a life changing crisis and turned his life around. He spent the rest of his life trying to save the world. He traveled the world, accompanied by a band of dwarfs and several other scientists. He would sing to the people to win them over and earn their trust. He is remembered most for how he loved orphans and widows. I have seen his story in a dozen ancient cultures, most prominently in the Maya. I am anxious to go back to Peru and seek out his stories in the Inca culture. I think there is undiscovered evidence to support Don Richardson’s life’s work beyond what he so beautifully pieced together. I think it hides in the surviving architecture of the Inca.
If you are interested, here is what I see when I listen to Chapman’s beautiful song, God is God. It is a kind of movie trailer. For a novel it would be the three minute pitch to an agent. I use a single song to help me keep the story’s overall concept cemented in my mind as I work on a novel in between everything else.
If you play this YouTube link and watch the timer, the following outline matches the timer. The setting is 9000 BCE. The star of the story will remain unnamed for now. I’ll call him P for protagonist.
Here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnipZyK3ET4
To do this you will have to have two windows open at the same time to watch the timer and follow my outline.
0:00
P standing at edge of a stone platform. Dressed in red robe, curled toe shoes and gold jewelry. Priests standing behind him. Enormous crowd stretches from base of platform to horizon. King introducing reluctant P to crowd. King commands crowd to kneel. Crowd drops. P horrified. He turns and walks away. King and priests, furious.
0:27
P standing on bow of sailing raft. Accompanied by three human companions. Trahls working the rigging and manning the tillers. Rolling ocean swells reveal distant shoreline and setting sun beyond.
0:49
Fade to Chapman singing to us.
1:17
Fade back to P standing on beach, watching distant storm sweeping across vast valley. Ruins along shore and jutting out of the ocean. Small group of ragged people approach P, his companions, and the wary trahls.
1:34
Fast montage of P singing to the children while the trahls play musical instruments similar to those used in ancient Egypt. P. dances for the small crowd. P does some “magic” tricks. Companion A shows people how to pick food that is safe to eat. They show them how to clean and cook the food. P. teaches math and points out stars. Companion B teaches personal hygiene. Companion C makes a plow and shows how to plant crops.
1:50
People lead P and companions and trahls inland into mountains to cliff edge.
Clouds part revealing distant city ruin. Old pyramid at edge of city. Thousands of campfires flicker from rooftops and open walls.
P invited into city. Sees wreaked machinery and vehicles. Helps them rebuild city and machines.
Companion C gets old pyramid to power up. City comes to life.
P standing on cliff months later, overlooking city. Companions tearful. Trahls furious.
2:21
Long line of slaves carrying bricks to base of new pyramid in middle of city. People being whipped as they build.
2:49
P declaring this from cliff.
3:08
P shaking sandals at King in throne room. Turns and walks away.
3:18
Chapman standing on cliff singing this to us.
3:30
P, dwarfs, and beach people sneaking into city and freeing some of the slaves.
3:45
Fast montage starting with massive invasion fleet landing on beach, army marching to city with repaired weaponry and some flying aircraft. City forces racing out onto beach to meet invasion. Back and forth shots of armies racing headlong into each other.
3:53
Black screen. Fade in name of P.
4:08
Fade out name of P.
Fade in: “Coming to theaters June 2015”
(I believe it is always good to dream big.)
