Funny Story

     So, over the summer I went on a mission trip with my church. Since I don’t attend the Youth Group, I didn’t really know any of the other kids. I found myself in the middle of a split—there was one group of girls in their early twenties who had known each other for years and years. They weren’t clicky or anything, but they were so close it was hard to just break in. And then there was another group of petty, obnoxious eighth graders that I wasn’t interested in. I started talking to the only other girl my age, and it turned out she liked to write fiction. We started exchanging ideas, and she told me about a novel she was working on. It went a little something like this:    
    
     The average, run of the mill, teenage girl one day walks into the woods behind her house and discovers a magical fairytale land where the beautiful elves are at war with the nasty trolls. This normal girl turns out to be the prophesied savior of the fairytale world, and ends up falling in love with the handsome elf prince. Oh, and her little sister follows her into the world and gets kidnapped by the nasty trolls, and they have to save her!! :O
    
     As she told me this, I just smiled, nodded, and gave her as much advice as I could, knowing that this was one of the most predictable, over-used story ideas ever. Because we don’t see each other very often at church, we didn’t talk much after the mission trip, but whenever we did meet up, I could tell she was really eager to talk to me.
    
Then, the other night, she chatted me on facebook.
    
     “I’m finished with my story!” she told me. “And now I’m looking for an agent so I can get it published.”
I’m sure I smirked. The only way she could get that story published was if she threw in some sparkly vampires and shirtless werewolves. Still, I was supportive, told her I knew a couple people who were published; that if NaNoWrimo went well, I might be in contact with them, and I’d pass any info along to her. Then, I told her my idea, which I’ve outlined in a previous blog, about the guy who finds a notebook that has every day of his life written down in it.

Her first response was,

     “And he dies, right?”

I didn’t quite follow.

     “Well, yeah, eventually…”

Then I understood. She thought the notebook said he was gonna die soon, and that the whole plot was him trying to keep himself from dying.

     “No, no,” I explained, “The focus is more about how the girl he’s in love with is not the one he’s destined to marry, and stuff like that.”

…

Her response:

     “It’s a good twist to a somewhat common tale.”

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Need I say more?