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Category:
Drama
Type: Fiction
Copyright: Jan 1 2003
In the Midwest, in the vast open space called the great plains, there is a city, a "Magic City", a prairie gem with all the culture & society of a coastal metropolis, yet retaining the neighborly charm of a frontier settlement. The family down the road is truly your neighbor & random acts of kindness are commonplace/part of everyday life. Here you can ask a neighbor how he is without being thought nosey. Where everyone feels like a big, happy family even if they are not related.
The road narrows as it leads out of town; the rows of houses give way to a checkerboard of crops & fallow. The droning, mechanical pace of the city gives way to gentle breezes and songs of the Meadowlark. At the heart of this quaint corner of heaven is a special community known to ALL the region as Atherton.
True to its name, a spring in the farmyard creates a ribbon which encircles the park & [it's inhabitants]. This haven is fortified against the travails of the world by a gateway. There is no wall or fence to obstruct the view of the by-passer, rather a stream that twines about the park, carrying serenity to all who sojourn here. As visitors traverse the entrance they are transported to another way of life.
This Eden has become the social center for the meek of the city, an oasis for the soul. Visitors come to retreat & inevitably take a piece of paradise home with them. Righteous families find Atherton a refreshing alternative to Malls filled w/Name Brand commercialism, Theatres dedicated to R-rated movies [theaters relying on social degradation to increase their profit], expensive restaurants dimmed by smoke, Night Clubs crowded with intoxicated mate seekers,... This is a place made for families. Wholesome, enriching activities abound. The focus is on family pastimes likely to induce memorable shared experiences. Enjoy homemade apple pie made from fruit organically grown under the supervision of the resident gardener. Purchase a future heirloom for a sister starting a new family handmade by a rising artisan.
This is the place where dreams and traditions are made.
Atherton provides a setting of many stories. In addition to the novels mentioned below, look forward to short stories featuring a moment in the life of various residents. These short stories will provide the material for contests and the opportunity to appear in magazines in order to build a portfolio of published work. Eventually, these stories will be published into an anthology providing bedtime length stories for young and old, alike. The exploits of the residents of Atherton will also be found in personal letters from the Estate Steward to her dear friends and family that will appear as a daily serial—a little longer than a comic strip and as addictive as a soap opera. After defining the actual formula through a newsletter distribution, I hope to reach a larger audience by distributing through daily newspapers, daily newspaper web sites, office newsletters, Palmgear, ebook sites…even direct mail subscription if there is a market.
Atherton boasts many talented artists and their creativity is what Atherton is all about. Several non-fiction books will be franchised with the Atherton stories. A cookbook by the jovial, world-renowned chef and his darling daughter will be a sure hit filled with words of wisdom and quips from Atherton residents and patrons. The event expert at Celebrations will guide us through the calendar with rituals that are sure to become American traditions. Bart & Bea co-write a definitive manual on provident living featuring bygone gardening and preserving practices, wise use of natural resources and survival skills in case all else fails written in a style reminiscent of “Poor Richard’s Almanac” with all the wisdom it can hold. Atherton’s resident florist/herbalist will publish a gardening/cooking/decorating guide no one with a green thumb should be without. Each artisan may in turn publish a treatise on his or her field of expertise as a step to becoming masters in their craft. When the Manor House is at last added to the estate, a building and decorating notebook which combines gilded age artistry with modern innovations will inspire a return to craftsmanship in homes not seen for nearly a century.
Excerpt
FUTURE STORIES:
•The building of a Dream
*-Lay the foundation for the Setting of all the stories.
*-struggle between dream & reality--ideals & economics, values & socio-economic restrictions, gratitude for blessings & desire to achieve potential,...
-first person --Elizabeth, a personal struggle to give birth to a dream.
•Community Team Building
*-Selecting the finest for the community
*-Could perhaps resemble a reality TV show
-Third person-omniscient
•Artists' Haven--Life in Utopia
*-Building a righteous community
As a community they are invincible.
-third person-omniscient changing to each new character as they make the choice to join the community or vote about another family joining (montage?)
•The Wedding
*-Story of love, romance, growing up, growing old, the "perfect" wedding, reflection on family, new beginnings & closing chapters.
-third person-limited --Mother of Bride -a mature insight on human relations, yet still has a few things to learn about herself (authenticity)
•A Harvest of Friendship
*-Gardening brings generations together, learning to preserve and the basics of self-sufficiency. As a community they are invincible.
*-community profits from sweat in the field--shared recipes, insights, etc.
-first-person --troubled teen (or young mom)
•Holiday drama
Hostess type resident helps put on a wonderful holiday atmosphere for everyone to enjoy --spirit lifting, insightful, eases guilt everyone can't help feeling at holidays.
--spin-off how-to for holidays
•Family Reunion
*-respect for sage, experience of elders
*-appreciation for history, blood connection, God's plan
*-hope for the future in the younger generation.
-first-person --Alan
•The Pageant
*-Town History re-creation [Based on Frontier railroad town] from conception to contemporary.
*-Lesson about what can be accomplished when we work together like a real community. As a community they are invincible.
-first-person --high school scholar m/f?
May combine with Harvest story.
•Civic Duty --mystery
Mystery novel but not about violent crime--make it greed.
Politician or businessman (no, make it School Administrator) pilfers funds. Character from Atherton is on jury, must find truth among various testimonies. Perhaps wrong person on trial & looks like convicted until she realizes obscure discrepancies in testimonies. Must be written very cleverly--
•Daddy Reinvented
*-Father has to decide what to be when he grows up after a 20yr career supporting children who have now flown the nest—One man's quest for authenticity.
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