[2007.06.22] Writing prompt - philosophy or fluid genres...

[Moonlit Naiad]

So... gonna try doing these off and on again. Don't expect them with any periodicity however...

Bear with me, this one requires a bit to set up.

--

I think I've asked this question before, but here goes again, just because...

Set-up

Picture a story that begins in media res with a charming young lass who is trying desperately to find a way to be transformed into a charming young lad. Sounds like consensual FtM, right? Even if it is kinda rare around here... But as the narrative progresses, we learn that she's not exactly trying to turn into a lad but rather back to a lad.

That little tidbit changes the whole mindset of the story. It appears to have flipped both our qualifiers for it. No longer is the change consensual, nor is it FtM. Now the story is about a character who has undergone a non-consensual MtF transformation. Or is it?

Provided we stick to the general formulae of writing these sort of stories (and thus avoid any sort of The Lady, or the Tiger? nonsense), the general ending will have one of two results -- the lass does indeed change back into a lad as she desired, or she doesn't manage to find a way to do so and remains a girl. For purposes of this discussion, assume a detailed transformation scene (if the ending requires it) rather than a poof-type or off-screen event.

So... now with the story pretty much leading up to the detailed FtM transformation and the occurrence thereof, this makes the story predominately FtM despite the fact that the character was originally a lad to begin with, right? And if the transformation never occurs, for whatever reason, the story ends up predominately MtF despite us never having seen the character as a lad at all, right?

So now, a couple questions to think about / discuss before the actual "prompt."

Questions

1. Would the story (and the confusion surrounding the 'genre') significantly change if we began ab ovo rather than in media res? That is to say, we 'see' the character initially as a lad, the transformation to a lass, the bulk of the story as a quest for change and the transformation - or lack thereof - at the end.

2. How would the story and the reading experience change if the revelation of the protagonist's original identity did not occur until just before the climax (being or not being transformed)? Or just after the climax?

3. Now consider the two possible endings... and twist them a bit so that the protagonist either a) does change back to a lad as she thought she wanted, but discovers he was happier as a lass and regrets the change or b) chose (for whatever reason) not to change back to a lad having thought she was better off as a lass and then later regrets that decision. How does this change the label/classification (MtF, FtM) of the story?

4. How does the story change if the initial transformation (the one off-scene with the story in media res, or the one on-scene with the story ab ovo) was consensual and desired rather than non-consensual? (Even if the lass does indeed regret having chosen to become so.)

5. How would you feel/react to reading a story like this - where you couldn't tell for sure if you were reading an FtM or MtF story? And, would this work with a 'The Lady, or the Tiger?' type ending?

Assignment (in addition to the questions above ^.~)

For a story like this to work, the writer has to know the character, his or her motivations, and what the ending is going to be before even really starting. Draft a character either originally male or female (or fictionalize yourself) to fit into this sort of story. What would be the cause of the initial change (willing or no) and reactions thereof? What would be the major obstacles to returning to "normal" and would the character really desire to do so? And when it comes time for there to be an ending, will there be a change or not and regardless, will it be what he or she wants?

Bonus

Write the story (three to ten pages). Best of those submitted to MSF (and linked/posted in this thread) by 2007.08.01) will be entitled to a custom short (three to five pages) or detailed transformation scene (three to seven hundred words) by yours truly (certain restrictions apply).

Submissions will be judged predominately on theme/mood - that is, how well they establish and maintain the uncertainty of being an MtF or FtM story. Grammar, spelling, appropriate use of punctuation, and appropriate use of story mechanical elements (plot, dialog, narrative, etc) will be taken into consideration at a lower priority.

[Queen Octavia]

I'm currently sitting on an overambitious idea for this. I believe the scope to be well over 10 pages long, and am letting it stew before deciding if I want to write it or not.