Summer break has started. In any case, I’ve spared a few minutes to do some writing. This latest project may be read here: (click here)
Entitled “Mistaken,” this is my attempt to get back into the rhyming mode; it’s been quite awhile since I’ve seriously attempted to use rhyme, partially because I haven’t been doing poetry lately, and because it’s not a good mode for trying to express something in an emotionally precise way (since there is only one word exactly right for each situation, and rhyming forces you to use synonyms).
However, I’ve rekindled plenty of interest in one day writing a musical, and given that light-hearted setting, rhymes really slide much more easily and memorably off the tongue, and I’d rather compose a libretto that rhymes than one that doesn’t.
Of course, the lines in “Mistaken” aren’t meant to be sung – they’re usually quite long and have no syllabic regularity (except as enforced by my “intuitive” sense of rhythm). I do hope that, when read out loud, they have a certain flow to them, but I acknowledge that at least 1/10 lines is a bit awkward.
Mistaken: A Rhyming Play in Three Acts.
Very broadly:
Act I represents falling and rejection. – 4 scenes
Act II represents collecting oneself. – 4 scenes
Act III represents re-ascension and acceptance. – 4 scenes and a grand finale.
Characters:
Primary characters:
Reina: A talented, beautiful senior at MIT who’s about to make a decision that will shock all of her friends. Her name means “queen,” and this story is about the ironic way in which she comes to make good of that name. Reina is highly intellectual and complicated, but also eternally stubborn.
Collin: Reina’s boyfriend of several years. He’s also a senior and very dependable. Overall, a pretty decent guy, but if he and Reina argue, she’ll always get her way. He’s got a good job all set to go.
Secondary characters:
Lisa: One of Reina’s childhood friends who has gone to MIT with Reina. She’s the smart but more quiet type, not quite secure in herself.
Marjorie: Another of Reina’s childhood friends, but she goes to a local community college.
Toby: A boy who has a crush on Lisa. He’s goes to the local state college.
Other characters:
Reina’s parents: The strict type that expects their daughter to become a CEO or the President of the USA or something grandiose like that. She’s an only child, so their expectations in her are very high.
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