WRIT201-B03_ Short-Short Fiction Outline Assignment: Outline for The Misadventures of Stan and His Spectacular Spectacles

Outline: The Misadventures of Stan and His Spectacular Spectacles

*NOTE* The place in time or “era” of this story is yet to be concluded.

I. Overall Theme: What message do you want to share through your story?

A. The ability to think for oneself.

B. The conditioning of collective thinking from radical socialism— “seeing

what you are told to see.”

C. These glasses give young Stan the ability to observe and reveal the

“vices” of those around him and the “reality” or “bewildering truths”

behind the lives of adulthood.

D. Emotion vs. Mindfulness

E. Trust

F. Control

G. Futurism (The busy world focuses on the hustle and bustle for

advancement and technology)

H. Postmodernism (dismisses the importance for the “things of old”)

I. Independence or “independent thinking”

J. Strength and Willpower

II. Main Characters:

A. Stan:

a. a young boy between the age of 8-12 who always does what he is

told.

b. Stan’s cycle of “following orders” impresses to both the reader and

the public or other characters in the story that this noticeable

quality of his allows him to be taken advantage of.

c. He is quick to lend help; however, this can sometimes get himself

in trouble if he does not learn to say “no” or “think for himself.”

d. Young Stan discovers and develops apathy as he emerges in

adolescence due to the lifestyle of mundane discord and repetitive

normalcy from that of his parents and the adversity from others (a

“bully” of some sort perhaps) he encounters in the story.

B. Stan’s father:

a. typical hard-working male.

b. Have yet to decide what type of job he has. *TBD*

c. A bit short-tempered.

d. Stressed middle-aged man.

e. The toils of daily occupational routine weigh him down.

C. Stan’s mother:

a. loving wife

b. lacks the love and attention needed from her husband due to his

stress and obsession with his work.

c. Does she work too or is she just a stay-at-home mother?

D. Are there pets in this household?

E. Does Stan have siblings? *TBD*

F. Neighbors and the public *TBD*

a. Sees Stan as a helpful, friendly, and kind young boy but mistakes

him for ONLY a goody-two-shoes type character.

b. They are unaware of Stan’s own personal problems that he faces

internally and back home.

III. Conflict: What is the main problem that needs to be resolved in the story?

A. Man vs. Man:

a. Stan’s resolve concerning the relationship with his parents and the

people that invoke the most adversity in his life.

B. Man vs. Society:

a. The truth behind the reality that adults live whereas children do

not get to see or even some young adults understand quite yet.

C. Man vs. Self:

a. Later in the story, after Stan discovers these special glasses, he not

only uncovers truths among society but truths about his future self.

b. This will lead into the part of the story where Stan will settle

scores with his future self. (Perhaps an antagonist of the story

where further on Stan meets this cunning entity or future

doppelganger.

c. This character also befriends Stan at first but only to deceive him.

IV. Exposition:

A. Stan and his parents are gathered at their house somewhere at the

beginning of the story.

B. Stan occasionally ventures out into the neighborhood and town.

C. His local library is among his favorite places to visit.

D. Father comes home distressed about something with work.

E. Stan’s mother is stressed over both her husband and something else

(finances, her immediate family, maybe an illness).

V. Rising Action:

A. A significant argument breaks out between Stan and his parents.

B. This is, sadly, much of the norm for Stan.

C. This argument specifically does it in for Stan and he takes off in an

emotional state.

D. He seeks comfort and escapes to the library.

VI. Climax: This is where Stan discovers the ominous “Spectacular Spectacles” that will

deliver the shift in the story.

A. Stan rushes through the library doors in an emotional breakdown.

B. The librarian at the desk tries to stop Stan over concern about the

emotional young boy.

C. Stan is overcome by his emotions, seeks to be alone and goes deep into

the library where no one ever goes.

D. He finds himself in a part of the library that has not been accompanied in

a very long time— a suspicious large old door captivating the young

boy’s attention that leads to a large sanctuary of old books (books of

which people nowadays may find “boring” and “unattractive”)

E. This room houses old knowledge with literature dating back to old

times.

F. While venturing through the musty and unusual halls of the abandoned

room, Stan stumbles across a pair of ominous and vintage, or ancient,

spectacles (lenses) of some sort.

G. *TBD* The illustration to which these glasses are being presented to

Stan in the story, I will have to further examine to better set the scene.

VII. Falling Action:

A. These glasses open a whole new world for Stan to discover.

B. He first notices his reality changes once he revisits the librarian at the

front of the store.

C. Stan is both heavily distraught and amazed by what he is witnessing

upon his first time wearing the glasses.

D. *KEY PART OF THE STORY* The librarian says something to Stan

(maybe some “words of wisdom” or “advice on life”) on his way out

that will both stay with him and invoke the reader over the course of his

adventure with these strange glasses).

VIII. Resolution:

A. *KEY PART OF THE STORY* Stan notices his reality changes once he

revisits the librarian at the front of the store (the librarian says something

to Stan (maybe some “words of wisdom” or “advice on life”) on his way

out that will stay with both him and the reader over the course in his

adventure with these glasses).

B. Stan’s emotional state leads him to become oblivious to the power that

these glasses wield.

C. There are consequences of both good and evil when dawning these

special glasses.

D. As result of finding these glasses and obtaining this “new found knowledge,” Stan has also now released a future (adult) evil side of

himself he must now face in the latter of the story and must conquer this

evil he has now unleashed.