Preview Young Frankenforward (...yes, this stupid thing is still going!)

[Gekko71]

I had been wondering if this thread still… had life… excited to see the next chapter

Thanks for posting.

No this thread definitely has life - I'm having far too much fun writing it. Seriously - I am going to finish this puppy, even if it takes me years (which it won't!!! )

 

[DragoDelph]

 

[Gekko71]

O

Okay, Okay - I'll upload another damn chapter

 

[Gekko71]

PART EIGHT:

 

[Gekko71]

PART NINE:

 

[Gekko71]

Ahhh... the joys (and frustrations) of being an aging satirist in a digital, critical, social-media enabled age.

Full confession time folks: This is the first time during this whole creative writing process that I've been hesitant to upload a chapter (or two, in this case)... and its not going to be the last time it happens either.

The bad thing about this movie is its sometimes lapses into humour that was mildly amusing in 1973, but now just feels horribly tired, sexist and very boomer-ish in its worldview.... it's almost feels like a carry on film in some spots, so when I got to this particular spot in the storyline, I cringed at the idea of remaining true to the script.

I've been wrestling - literally for months now - trying to wrap my head around how to deal with Terri Garr's character frequently being treated as a brainless sex object by Mel's script (I only spotted this problem when I was already several chapters in and fully committed in my mind to finishing it.)

This also raised the related issue for me of just how far I can take this thing in terms of taste -- for an age, every potential line I thought up to replace Terri's dialogue had me second guessing myself, asking if I was pushing the boundaries of good taste too far. (I know this is BigFooty we're talking about, but this is also technically a public forum, and some of the throwaway lines that came to me on occasion (while hilarious to me personally) were just too easy to take out of context and be insulting to a portion of the audience I was trying to reach.

In other words, I was constantly self-censoring and breaking my own creative flow mid writing... which is NOT a good way way to do it at all.

I found three ways to deal with this impasse though, which should hopefully make future updates less spasmodic.

The first solution to this roadblock came when I decided Terri's character should be an openly sexual woman, who always maintains and protects her own sexual agency, and doesn't put up with other people's rubbish.

This insight got me past the mental roadblock I had over her character, but this is also a character-type I've rarely had to craft before, so this will be both interesting and a learning experience for me.

To all my readers who identify as female, and have no tolerance for sexist bullshit wrapped in a humorous or satirical layer, please do keep me honest with her character as the story develops, and please do feel free to message me directly with any concerns or comments.

I promise you I will listen, and consider your position respectfully. I cannot guarantee you I will always agree with you, but I WILL always listen carefully to your opinion, and then ask myself if I am wrong.

The second solution to my roadblock was deciding to allow the site's moderators to do their job and censor / censure me where necessary, instead of me censoring myself... but I'm also implementing the back-up plan of mirroring this story on my own private web server, lest I attract the attention of someone determined enough (and with sufficient cause or motive) to remove this whole thing from public view (not the first time it's happened to me.).

Please PM me for the URL if you should ever want to follow the story away from Bigfooty. In the meantime however, I will keep posting this silly stuff right here, till I'm officially told not to.

The third part of the roadblock was me thinking up a way to get around the bits of the movie that were otherwise boring or just not terribly funny (Mel himself said long after its creation that out of all the movie's he's made, Young Frankenstein was not his funniest movie by a long shot.... but it was still his personal favorite (I agree on both counts).

Rather than spill the beans on that one, I'll just leave you to discover it when (and if) it comes, should I ever decide to use it.

Hope you're enjoying the show folks, and my huge apologies for this very long-winded (but in my opinion necessary) bit of extra explanation and arse covering from yours truly.

 

[Gekko71]

PART TEN:

 

[Gekko71]

PART ELEVEN:

 

[Gekko71]

PART ELEVEN CONT...