Carol Starr and the Dump of Discarded Characters

Book Cover

ADVENTURE CHILDREN'S COMEDY SATIRE FABLE YOUNG ADULT CRIME FAMILY FOLKTALE

2000s

Kevin T. Rogers

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Logline

We've all heard about the famous heroes and villains of Literature - but who spares a thought for those who were written out before the final draft? Perhaps Carol K. Winters should have. For not only is she the most successful writer of children's Fantasy stories there has ever been; but more importantly, she has just woken from a serious accident to find herself on the way to the very place where all of those fictional personalities end up: The Dump of Discarded Character. And Carol doesn't like it. Fortunately, she has a new side-kick who is going to help her get home - un-fortunately, it's Dweeble the Undying Dwarf - and he's a total idiot.

Genre

Adventure, Children's, Comedy, Satire, Fable, Young Adult, Crime, Family, Folktale,

Short Summary

Carol K. Winters is a wildly successful but curmudgeonly writer of children's Fantasy books. She suffers a traffic accident from which she wakes to find herself on a journey to the Fantasy world of the Dump of Discarded Characters. Can She get home - and become a decent person in the process?

Setting

London, Glasgow, the fantasy world of the Dump of Discarded Characters

Based on a True Story

No

Plot - Premise

Overcoming Monster/Villain

Plot - Other Elements

Happy Ending

Mature Audience Themes

Information not completed

Main Character Details

Name: Carol K. Winters

Age: 33

Gender: Female

Role: Protagonist

Key Traits: Narcissistic, Power-hungry, Outspoken, Sexy, Blunt, Complex, Funny, Insecure, Seductive, Sarcastic, Beautiful, Aggressive

Additional Character Details

The author has not yet written this

Additional Character Details

The author has not yet written this

Additional Character Details

The author has not yet written this

About The Author

Target Audiences

Age: 13-17

Target Gender: Universal

Group Specific

Information not completed

Publishing Details

Status: Yes: self-published

Year Published: 2017

Hard Copy Available

No

ISBN

Information not completed

Genre

FANTASY

Brief

A petty, self-centered, and wildly successful fantasy writer suffers a serious accident and ends up in a strange, magical place called Dump of Discarded Characters. There, she encounters many characters who were thrown away, some even by herself, and manages to reconnect with her own personality. Finally, back from a comma, she becomes a different person and corrects all her past misdeeds.

Overall Rating

FAIR

Point of View

THIRD PERSON

Narrative Elements

Authors Writing Style: FAIR

Characterization: FAIR

Commerciality: GOOD

Franchise Potential: EXCELLENT

Pace: FAIR

Premise: EXCELLENT

Structure: FAIR

Theme: GOOD

Accuracy of Book Profile

Yes, but the author doesn't describe any of the supporting characters.

Draw of Story

The idea of a fantastic world full of characters discarded from well-known stories.

Possible Drawbacks

The characters feel a little flat. Their personalities deserved to be more complex and further explored.

Use of Special Effects

THE STORY RELIES HEAVILY ON SPECIAL EFFECTS

Primary Hook of Story

The idea of a fantastic world populated only by characters who were discarded from narratives.

Fanbase Potential

Potentially yes, but only after undergoing many changes and revisions.

Awards Potential

Not as it is, since it feels a little to naive even for a fantasy book made for children.

Envisioned Budget

LARGE BUDGET

Similar Films/TV Series

A CHRISTMAS CAROL - AFTER EXPERIENCING A NIGHT OF SUPERNATURAL EVENTS, A GRUMPY, MISER OLD MAN LEARNS THE IMPORTANCE OF CARING ABOUT OTHERS. READY PLAYER ONE - A TEENAGER HAS TO ENDURE A DIFFICULT JOURNEY IN A VIRTUAL WORLD FULL OF POP CHARACTERS AND REFERENCES.

What’s New About the Story

Mostly the main concept of a reality inhabited by previously discarded fictional characters. However, more sophisticated writing, better characterization and a more compelling structure would make the narrative even more unique.

Lead Characters

Carol is a self-centered, kind of hateful character who manages to find the best parts of her inner self after a journey of self-discovery.

Uniqueness of Story

Not really. Writing, characterization and structure still need improvement.

Possible Formats

Film - Studio, Film - Streaming

Analyst Recommendation

WORK IN PROGRESS

Justification

While the story has many positive points, it has room for improvement (see possible paths below). If you can't change the story at this point, my suggestion is using your notes as a guide to highlight the best aspects of it when taking the next steps, either putting a pitch page together, a treatment, or a presentation.

Tips for Improvement

First, the writing is too simplistic even for children literature. It lacks more detailed descriptions, storytelling resources, and even a little more fooling around with the language, things that could enrich the narrative and the manner it is told even in an adaptation. The way it is now, it feels too plain and safe. Characterization is another aspect that requires deeper changes. The way characters are and act is too much what we expect from the very beginning, failing to surprise us or build something less clichéd, which also wastes the potential of so many interesting characters that derive from the main concept. And finally, situations and actions in general should be better developed structurally. As it is now, they don't always build up tension when it is needed, which leads to a story that fails to have the overall impact it should. With a lot of work put into these issues, an adaptation would have the potential to attract and please large audiences.