2022-05-09: Plot, Character, Setting, and Poetry

So I have a concept and a timeline that can serve as a plot outline. Good so far. I have one of the four pillars of storytelling: Plot, Character, Setting, and Poetry. (I know my college narrative writing classes talked only about those first three, but Poetry is critical.)

The plot is just sitting there in plain sight. It has plenty of drama, conflict, action, violence, destruction, even death. A big-ass plot. (But sometimes, the obvious plot isn't the only plot. War stories have all that, yet the best of them have character-driven plots woven into that larger tapestry.)

So which characters should we portray? Mike Pence, obviously. Trump, but he’ll suck all the oxygen out of each scene. Congresscritters, cops, rioters (but which ones?), the National Guard, the press - all deserve consideration. 

The story could be told from the POV of someone who went to DC for one purpose but got caught up in the action. Or a reporter. But there were 120,000+ people there. (How do we portray that on the stage?) 

The setting is clear: Washington, DC. That’s where the action is.

And G&S help me set the tone for the poetry. Maybe.