The Fairytale Blogger
STORY
Ben is twelve and dreams of becoming a journalist. His mother has no time for him and he has no true friends. But he doesn't care. He's smart and resourceful. He loves his phone and has quite some followers on internet.
One day, he notices a strange plant growing out of a crack in a wall. He follows it into a cave where an ancient beanstalk is slowly stirring to life.
When Ben touches the stem, he is taken to a decaying kingdom in the clouds. There, he bumps into Cleo; a frazzled little witch chased by a horde of rat like monsters. Together, they hide in a ruined castle where they meet the lonely giant Enki.
This is Ben's chance to become an internet sensation. He decides to help Enki and Cleo to save their world and blogs about every step of the way. So starts a dangerous adventure during which he will meet many foes, but also learn to grow up.
ORIGINS
“The Fairytale Blogger” is based on “Jack and the Beanstalk”*. The ambiguity of this tale particularly interests us. It's thought to have been brought to the British Isles by the Slaves. There, it was spread orally over centuries before being written down by Benjamin Tabart in 1807. In his transcript, the giant is pictured as an evil lord which Jack rightfully destroys. But the original version has a very dubious morality. The beanstalk represents the tree of life. Jack uses it to rob a peaceful home and murder its owner.
So in our story, Jack is a trickster. He steels the golden goose and kills the giant out of pure greed. Dark and horrible creatures are then allowed to enter the kingdom and its peaceful inhabitants are forced into hiding.
But when Ben's adventures start, these events have long since past. With his friends, he takes it upon himself to save the cloud world by finding the goose.
INTERACTIVE STRUCTURE
“The Fairytale Blogger” has been in our minds for years. First, it was intended as an animated series. But a glass wall stood between us and the people with the power and money to make it a reality. Some have reproached us our lack of experience. Others have expected us to hand over the project unconditionally.
Yet we believe ours is a story worth telling. That is why we've decided to give ourselves up to the audience.
Our blog is free and open to all. Readers can interact with the characters. Ben, Cleo and Enki answer comments. They defend their potions or shift their point of views. Thus the course of events can be changed. We hope this will give readers a sense of importance and hook them to our story.
Once the site boasts a strong community, we will expand our universe. We'll create fun games and cool ebooks to monetize our venture. Again, we'll rely on our audience's enthusiasm for funding.**
NOTE OF INTENTION
Fairytales are timeless and have recently gained in popularity.*** “The Fairytale Blogger” updates their classic charm with modern kids' preoccupations.
Our story's main theme is responsibility. All our characters deny the responsibilities they hold. So, they each must go on a journey which forces them to own up to who they are and what they've done. We think it's a very important topic. Humanity current struggles with taking responsibility for its environmental and economical mistakes. We would like to address that issue.
Can people change or will history only ever repeat itself? Ben is truly the descendent of Jack. They share the same cunning confidence. Both deny their shortcomings. And in the cloud world, Ben's egoism gets him into trouble. Can he brake from Jack's dark legacy?
Readers will follow three intertwining story lines. Ben, Cleo and Enki each have a distinctive voice. Yet they are all very intimate in their writing. They simply relate events as they happen.
Our target audience is 9 to 11 year old children. They like to colour their lives by playing action packed games and surfing the web. They are smart and hate to be treated like kids. They'll most likely grow up to become good people. Some might even make a difference. But now they are at the threshold between childhood and adolescence. Soon their lives will become very confusing. So, we want to give them a fun and beautiful place of escape.
* “Jack and the Beanstalk” falls into public domain and does not pose any copyright issues. ** Crowdfunding has become a very popular funding mechanism for artistic projects. Companies such as Kickstarter, Indiegogo or Chipin offer helpful platforms. *** Reference: NPR article
