Drama: August 03, 2016 Issue [#7784]
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Drama


 This week: The Dramatic Journey of the Superhero
  Edited by: NaNoKit Author IconMail Icon
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Table of Contents

1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions

About This Newsletter

The Superhero genre is not merely about big battles - the characters' internal journeys are just as important.

This week's Drama Newsletter is all about the difficulties surrounding special powers.

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Word from our sponsor

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Letter from the editor

Superheroes are the in thing, it seems. As someone who collected comic books when I was younger I quite welcome this, because it means that I am no longer seen as a complete and utter geek. The downside is that superhero movies risk focusing too much on the physical battles rather than the mental ones.

Drama is at the root of the superhero genre. A superhero can be born with special powers, or those powers can reveal themselves later in life, or the powers can be obtained either accidentally or on purpose. Mostly, the superhero never asked for them, and they can be a hindrance as well as a benefit. The onset of the powers can be a great shock. It can be frightening. The person may not know how to control their powers. They can be destructive. And all of a sudden, the person no longer fits in with general society. They are different, and this tends to have consequences.

Take, for example, the character of Rogue, from the X-Men comics. For Rogue, her powers feel like a curse. For most of her life she felt unable to touch others, because if she did, she would drain them. Imagine being Rogue. What it would feel like to live a life without intimacy. To care about people, but you can't get too close. To fall in love, but to always have to keep your distance.

Many people imagine, at some point in their lives, what it would be like to have special powers. I admit to being one of them – I would love the power to heal others, both physically and mentally. If I think this through, though, there would probably be a lot of problems with an ability of this kind. People would be suspicious of me. Some people might take too keen an interest in me. If I proved myself, how would I ever be able to heal all the people who are in need of healing, from all around the world? That would likely be impossible, so I'd end up feeling as though I was always letting people down. And my life would never be my own again.

With great power comes great responsibility. It can be used for good as well as bad. That the temptation to abuse one's powers is there can be seen even in a world without superpowers. An interesting experiment that demonstrates this is the Stanford Prison Experiment, in which volunteers were divided into guards and prisoners. Very quickly, some guards gave in to the temptation to test and abuse their powers. The experiment had to be terminated before its scheduled end date, because it rapidly got out of control.

The line between hero and villain, then, may well be a thin one. Let's say that someone did have the power to heal. They would also have the power to deny healing to those they didn't like. If they were a racist, they might only heal people of their preferred ethnic background. If they were misogynistic or misandrist they might only heal people of their preferred gender. And so on. If this happened on a large scale, this would create a division in society. And there would probably be people cheering them on.

If you write in the superhero genre, then, there is plenty of room to explore the dramatic implications of having special powers. There are many avenues open to you, from the character's psychological journey, to the societal impact of there being people with superpowers that can be used for both good and bad, to politics – would a government try to use these powers for their own ends, or would people with certain powers find themselves persecuted?

What if a character obtained special powers that were pretty much useless? What if that happened and they were surrounded by others with far more useful powers? How would that feel?

The opportunities in this genre are endless. The abilities to trigger the emotions of your readers are endless. Have fun with it. *Smile* Good luck!


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Editor's Picks

Here are some of the latest additions to the Drama genre:

 She Is Me Open in new Window. (13+)
Who is in the window of the old plantation house? GoT week 4 prompt 5
#2091677 by Purple Holiday Givings Author IconMail Icon


 
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World Upside Down Open in new Window. (13+)
spelunking down to the heart of the matter.
#2091904 by Lexi Author IconMail Icon


 A glitch in the system. Open in new Window. (13+)
Helping you connect, one question at a time.
#2091886 by Winnie Author IconMail Icon


 
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Heirloom Cavern Open in new Window. (E)
Inspired by the Short Shots Contest Prompt: The Zadok's Gather At The Cavern
#2091839 by ♫~ Kenword~♫ Author IconMail Icon


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A Laughing Goddess Rhamnusia Open in new Window. (18+)
A dish served cold
#2091729 by WakeUpAndLive~doingNaNo'24 Author IconMail Icon


Some contests and challenges to inspire you:

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FORUM
I Write Romantic in Winter Open in new Window. (18+)
Three months long contest of romance and erotica contests.
#1919444 by NaNoNette Author IconMail Icon


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FORUM
30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS Open in new Window. (13+)
WDC's Longest Running Blog Competition - Hiatus
#1786069 by Fivesixer Author IconMail Icon


Image Protector
FORUM
I Write in August-September-October Open in new Window. (ASR)
One contest entry and one review per week to win!
#1924309 by NaNoNette Author IconMail Icon


Image Protector
FORUM
Kit's Higher Ratings Contest Open in new Window. (18+)
A contest for items with a higher content rating.
#887621 by NaNoKit Author IconMail Icon


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FORUM
Kittiara's Writing Contest Open in new Window. (ASR)
Short story and poetry contest, with a theme!
#861112 by NaNoKit Author IconMail Icon


And don't forget:

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SURVEY
Journey Through Genres: Official Contest Open in new Window. (E)
Write a short story in the given genre to win big prizes!
#1803133 by Writing.Com Support Author IconMail Icon


 
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Ask & Answer

The Drama Newsletter Team welcomes any and all questions, suggestions, thoughts and feedback, so please don't hesitate to write in! *Smile*

Wishing you a week filled with inspiration,

The Drama Newsletter Team


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