Carol Starr and the Dump of Discarded Characters
ADVENTURE CHILDREN'S COMEDY SATIRE FABLE YOUNG ADULT CRIME FAMILY FOLKTALE
2000s
Kevin T. Rogers
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
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
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.