TROGDOR'S MONDAY THOUGHTS #10

I watched The Substance, a week or so ago. Pretty good Body Horror flick/social commentary, very well shot, excellent acting.

It's a movie that consistently fakes you out with endings. Like you're watching it and you get to a point and think "Ok damn, this must be where it stops" and then it keeps fucking going. It does that like three fucking times.

While watching it I couldn't help but think about my writing.

Two things came to mind. One is how much expansion erotica and body horror flicks overlap in storylines. The plotline of "Aging actress takes a mysterious drug to give herself what she needs to get ahead" would not at all sound out of place as the heading for one of my stories. Just the outcome is obviously much...much different. Erotica is what happens when that situation goes right, The Substance is when that situation goes very wrong...

The other thing I considered is how I approach details in writing. When writing I sometimes get the feeling that I'm not giving enough detail, enough evidence or logic for why things are happening. The Substance was a refreshing reminder that that's not always necessary.

How exactly does the Substance work? Doesn't matter, don't ask. How does a woman who's been an aerobics star for thirty years have the knowledge to complete a bathroom reno on her own? Don't worry about it. Why does any of the shit that happens in the last 30 minutes of the movie happen? It just does.

Even little irrelevant details are simply glossed over. The main character goes on a talk show that's just called "The Show". Her big goal is to host an event on New Years Eve that's called "The New Years Eve Show". The company she works for isn't named, the substance is literally just called "The Substance"! That's literally as placeholder a name as you can get! And that's ok.

Sometimes you don't need to paint a picture, you don't need every single facet of an environment to be meticulously explored and developed. Sometimes you can just tell a story and let the events be the focus. I don't know how much of that less I'll let impact my writing, but it's still food for thought.

So, in conclusion. Good movie. Disturbing, gross, but good.

Looking ahead, this Wednesday's story is about a middle aged politician who takes a mysterious drug to...give her...what she needs to get ahead... Hmm.

(I wrote this story before I watched The Substance, I swear to god)

-TROGDOR