Twisted Timelines
Events take on different connotations depending on the viewpoint from which you chose to view them. This exercise is designed you get you looking at events and writing about them from different vantage points. Take the sinking of the RMS Titanic for example, what if, instead of the grandest ship on Earth sinking on her maiden voyage you turned the event around? The news reports might read something like this:
"EXTRA! Titanic Sinks Iceberg! At 11:40 p.m. an iceberg, on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic, struck the steamliner RMS Titanic, broke up and disappeared beneath the sea two hours later with a great loss of life. When the sun rose over the calm ocean this morning all that could be seen were a few chunks of ice floating on the surface."
The combining of two seemingly unrelated events can have surprising results as well. Let's stick with a theme here and combine the sinking of the RMS Titanic with The Last Supper. You could spin this at least a couple of ways:
The Last Supper On The Titanic - Scenario #1: Jesus and the disciples eat the Last Supper in the First Class Dining Room
The Last Supper On The Titanic - Scenario #2: Cast Captain Smith as Jesus and the ship's officers as the disciples and create a tableau of the Last Supper in the First Class Dining Room.
THE EXERCISE
1. Make a list of events. Make it a good mix of events that are both historical and normal
everyday occurrences. The sinking of the RMS Titanic, a birthday party, a wedding,
discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb, etc.
2. Using your list of events, write a scene, which combines two seemingly unrelated events.
Let your mind wander. No holds barred. What would happen if you combined Elvis and
the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb?
3. Rewrite the scene looking at the events from different viewpoints.
