Just watched The Panic Room tonight on DVD (as my wife watched The Bachelor from last night). Hey–there’s a thought. Combine the two. The Bachelor is stuck with the three remaining ladies who go postal and he is forced into a panic room . . .
Okay, besides the fact of stating that I enjoyed the movie again (gotta love David Fincher), it gave me an idea for a future story. This is one I’ll share–not the exact premise but the type of book. I think it would be interesting to tell a story like this that is confined to one setting. In this movie, it’s the house in Manhattan. The timeframe is one night. I would enjoy the challenge of making something in one setting and seeing if I could prolong the action and the tension. In a movie, this works well, but I wonder how it would be in a book.
I did a novel where the timeframe is one night (Blinded). Perhaps the timeframe wouldn’t have to be one night, but rather a week. Still a compressed amount of time, but a little more room to work with.
I have a story in mind that would fit this scenario. I’ll have to save it for sometime down the road.
You never know.
If I'm remembering correctly, Jon Hassler's "Staggerford" takes place over one week, with each chapter being called Monday, Tuesday, etc.
Also, Nicholson Baker's entire novel "The Mezzanine" takes place during one ride up an escalator. Brilliantly written, quirky, & extremely readable if you're a certain type of person… ahem, anal… like me. Not sure if it could be pulled off in pop lit though.
Good suggestions–I’ll have to check them out. The Mezzanine sounds really cool. Thanks.
Just watched Funny Games (the 2007 remake with Naomi Watts). Not only is it tied to time (about 12 hours), it also has a metafictional element that I find really intriguing. Disturbing, but provocative.
I remember seeing the trailer for it. I need to add it to my Netflix list and watch it late at night! Thanks for the suggestion.