9. How?

Whenever there is an idea, there must be execution. The Great American Novel just like any other idea, only requires execution. What questions would you ask yourself when you consider the execution of an idea? What? Where? When? Who? Why? How? All important questions of course, but for me, it all comes down to the how. How would you plan to execute after conceiving an idea?What’s my plan?

How will I tell a story that constitutes as a Great American Novel?

Well, simply put, my plan is to break the fourth wall. I’m aware of you as the reader and in turn are aware of me, writing and narrating a story to you.

Before explaining further, I want to ask you a question.

• What do you think a narrative is?
  • My understanding of narratives comes from the fact that they all share the same purpose. To communicate a story, point, or idea, that’s it. There are two innate components for narratives to be successful in their telling, communicator, and audience. For example, I’m (communicating by means of) writing this blog for you (the audience) to read and understand my thoughts.

• This leads to my next question, what do you consider a narrator?
  • To me, a narrator someone who recounts the details of an event or a series of events. What I want you to consider is that the role of narration in storytelling is not just limited to the typical constraints of the medium like a book, or movies. Its functions can be used in different and have varying effects beyond just recounting details. That’s what I mean by breaking the fourth wall. 

There are four separate forms or paradigms I believe are critical in this attempt to construct a narrative that will contend the title of The Great American Novel.

• Semiotic – Ultimately, The Great American Novel is just like any other idea, it has both a societal, and an individual meaning. What I’m challenging you, the reader is your understanding of the idea. I want to change your perspective of the idea ( or in this case, the sign) by challenging how you interpret it.

• Material – The twelve part novel series should be considered internal texts to the story, while all the writings from my blogpost or social media pages are external texts for the story. But all of it, canonically stems from the foundation of my goal to achieve The Great American Novel.

• Spatiotemporal – The way time and space are organized within the fictional world and portrayed in a narration. The setting of the story I aim to tell won’t simply exist within the twelve novels. But since I’m speaking to you through my social media and blogposts, the setting of the entire story and its organization through space and time are extended to those media forms too.
• Sensorial – Of course my wish is for you to come to your own conclusion, but with of my story expanded things how the effect of my narration, how I make you feel is important to consider. In this story, I can use visuals and sounds in different mediums that hopefully evoke different emotions from you.

When I think about the idea of The Great American Novel, it only seems to be a self-contradicting concept, a paradox. That’s why I want to employ paradoxical narrative devices in this story. There are two in particular that will be critical to this story, that will break the fourth wall in this narrative. 

Metaleptic Rhetoric

• I, unironically challenge you for The Great American Novel.
  • That phrase was created with the specific intent to immerse you in the story I plan to tell. It’s deceptively simple because from the framing of me challenging you, I’m able to transgress different narrative levels. 

Extradiegetic Narration

• The reason I write these blog posts or post on my social media pages is meant to tie into my canonical attempt. I’m not just communicating my thoughts with you, I’m narrating a story to you with the hope that you will become an active participant in creating.
  • Between the blog posts or the social media posts, all the writings I share with you through these mediums should be understood as a consistent stream of consciousness.

So, how will I construct an overarching epic narrative to exist as a parallel for The Great American Novel?

There are inherent factors that make up any epic narrative, but I plan to place a greater emphasis on a few for The Dream Series.

• Elevated Language & Rhetoric
  • Grandiose or “Over the top” language will be used throughout the progression of The Dream Series, whether through
• Invocation and Involvement of Supernatural Forces
  • God (The Divine), The Devil, and Death as supernatural forces will be prominent in my discourse throughout the completion of The Dream Series.
• Hero & Heroic Deeds
  • I’ll provide more detail on this in another post, but as you already know, in this epic narrative you, the reader, are the hero. It will be you, the hero who will be the one to perform the heroic deed in this epic.

Basically, I plan to expand the story-world of The Dream Series narrative beyond the words inside the twelve novels. I want to show and tell. By speaking (narrating) to you outside of the twelve part novel series I’m aiming to creating a narrative that is not only contingent with my goal of achieving The Great American Novel, but also becomes a parallel for the very idea itself.