A man resolves to hi-jack a talk show so he can tell jokes to the nation.
A man with Asperger’s syndrome rises to the top of the mob. And he does so without lying.
An investment banker is forced to visit a shady part of town where he realizes money actually does buy happiness.
By Ashish Seth
This morning, I decided to write up one sentence plot lines to ridiculous stories. Some of them I may actually write. I found this an interesting exercise in concision. It’ll help when I get to my elevator pitch for my first novel. I find if you write a one sentence plot line for your novel, it helps you get excited about the prospect of writing it. Here are my exploits:
A mob boss, trying to connect with his son, goes to his Grade 5 career day class and has to explain to them what he does for a living. He stays vague and discreet but lets slip a crucial piece of information that keeps the kids talking. They gossip about him on Facebook and the information spreads like wildfire. Eventually it reaches the ears of a rival mobster who puts a price on his head.
A hitman discovers a victim’s wardrobe and has a makeover that changes his life.
A man with a broken heart falls for a closeted bisexual woman. She falls for him. They get engaged. Everything’s dandy. Then he introduces her to his ex-wife, who left him because she came out of the closet as a Lesbian. The bi-sexual falls for the ex-wife who reciprocates. For the first time she sees a chance to come out of the closet. But will she do it at the expense of his already tortured heart?
The evil Terrormite seeks to flood Queen City. When good men will do nothing, a hero will carry twice his weight to save the people he loves. He is Ant Man.
“The National Anthem”. The tale of a love song that united the world. And the band that hated itself for writing it.
A cop. An ex military soldier. A Black Ops sniper. A mob doctor. A drug cartel enforcer. A serial killer… And a baby.
A couple, dangerously in love, suffer a serious case of amnesia after a car accident. Not knowing who they were and not used to this lack of love, they become each others nemeses in a plot to suck up all the love in the world.
A writer discovers a cube that sucks creativity from other writers and cures him of his writer’s block. At first he questions the moral implications of using this device. Are these ideas he gets after using the device really his? Is it really fair to feel better off of someone else’s misery? Out of desperation, he starts to use the device on writers who he deems unworthy of having what they have. Eventually things get out of hand. Even with all that creativity, he still can’t reach the measure of success he wants. He becomes jealous of his girlfriend’s success and fears she’ll leave him if she surpasses him. He uses the device on her. This puts her in a state of depressed vulnerability and keeps her from leaving, but at the cost of happiness. How far are you willing to go for your passions? Are you willing to hurt those you love?
By Ashish Seth
https://twitter.com/TheAshishSeth
If you can’t win her heart, win your’s back. If you can’t breathe around her, drown yourself in music. A cure for love is just the sharpening of your vision at the optometrist’s. Sometimes reality switches focus.
The danger in risking it all is a drug. Gets stronger with repetition. Siphoned emphasis.
By Ashish Seth
Why I Write. Here’s why.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmerFuzRNZ4&feature=youtube_gdata_player
This scene is one of Will Smith’s highest achievements. It was all improvised. And he has a great relationship with his father. I think about that and it marvels me. How does someone give a performance like this without having gone through something like that? How is this just improvised? Some art is magical in how it mimics life. I saw this scene when I was very little. Fresh Prince had a lot of scenes that were very formative for me. This one felt like real life. This is the most powerful scene I’ve ever watched. Nothing has ever really come close. This scene reminds me of what the essence is of what I’m trying to do with my writing. It may all seem dark. It may all seem twisted and creepy and messed up. It may all seem like it’s a plot unfolding. But I’m honestly trying to get to the underlying humanity of why people are the way they are. That has always been my aim. Like Will Smith in this scene, the goal has always been to reach a cathartic depth that transcends the fact that you’re reading a book, a depth that all people can connect with even if they can’t, and to do so all with a crazy handful of nothing.
By Ashish Seth
If you can’t win her heart, win your’s back.
Wherever we have to go we don’t want to go.
Wherever we want to go we aren’t welcome.
Wherever we end up we work to accept.
Wherever we are we never want to leave again.
Lost paradigms lie in sweet nostalgia.
We put in the work and the time.
We never miss the bad parts whenever we think back.
We always live the bad parts whenever we go back again.
Your posterity lacks good posture.
You’ve been down this road before.
Do you ever think the gravel will turn to paved road?
You’re like that scatter plot graph
Where the curvy line never reaches a point.
The closer you get, the older you get.
There’s no end to this trek but death.
But maybe we aren’t meant to reach a point.
Maybe there really is no end to this road.
If we believe the end isn’t meant to be reached,
We will always have a place to go.
By Ashish Seth
https://twitter.com/TheAshishSeth
“Never judge a book by its cover. Judge it by the author’s picture at the back.”
By Ashish Seth
https://twitter.com/TheAshishSeth
The main is a stream we all drink from
But some of us drink more than others
And the ones that drink less tell
The ones that drink more they’re drunk.
But we all require the same amount of drink
So the ones that drink less get drunk off other streams
And don’t know they’re drunk
Until they return to drink from the main,
once again.
By Ashish Seth
https://twitter.com/TheAshishSeth
It’s like watching a movie with the lights on
You’re paying attention to the glare
You’re not paying attention
Pay attention to the glare
You’re not paying attention
I should’ve,
could’ve,
would’ve
If I could
But I didn’t even do that
I could’ve done this
I should’ve done that
Maybe if I did those
Maybe if I did this
By now, I should be here
By then, I should’ve been there
Before that, I must’ve been there
After this, I hope to be here
When did I ever get here?
I had originally planned to get there
There must’ve been a mistake down the line
My hopes and fears are words on white paper
And someone crossed them with a line
Who crossed them with a line?
Were these dreams ever mine?
What if it was me that crossed them off?
What if I don’t want them anymore?
Why isn’t it full yet?
Why did I miss that?
When did I miss it?
Why did it pass me by?
Why didn’t the others warn me?
Maybe it happened differently
If this happened like this
Then why is it like that?
If only it went like that way
If only that way went like this
If this is the end
Have I even got there yet?
Maybe we passed it
Maybe you distracted me
Maybe I should’ve done this alone
Maybe I should’ve had someone else
Maybe we went the wrong way
Maybe we haven’t reached it
Maybe we don’t know what it looks like
Maybe I’m the only one who made it through
That can’t be true, no, I still have you
Maybe my hopes and fears didn’t shine through
Maybe I was ambushed
Maybe they left me
By then, I should’ve had this
By now, I should’ve been here
Maybe I’ve fallen behind
Maybe I’m ahead of my time
By now, I should’ve seen this
By now, I should have this
But I haven’t even done that yet
But I haven’t even been there yet
But I haven’t even felt this feeling
But I haven’t even seen this through
Maybe we will get there even now
Maybe we will get there even still
Baby can you pause the love?
Things take time for me to shake out
It’s like watching a movie with the lights on
Can’t help but pay attention to the glare
By Ashish Seth
Your dreams are a collage under your feet that blurs as you age.
By Ashish Seth
The Brick of the Bard
By Ashish Seth
https://twitter.com/TheAshishSeth
Only if we believe we’re broken, nothing fixes.
Ashish Seth 