Board Thread:Writer's Workshop/@comment-26444017-20160818160039/@comment-26444017-20160826050742

Okay. I see what you're getting at.

First, gonna knock some questions out real quick, just so we're on the same page. The narrator of the story is a lock that holds back all of the evils of the world. Perhaps the lock is on a sort of Pandora's Box, or perhaps it is a padlock on a cemetary gate. That's the first, most basic thing that I should add in; a setting, a place where the lock actually is.

The man in the story, then, would obviously be the key, separated from the lock shortly after their creation. The lock cannot be removed without the key, but if you've ever lost the key to a padlock before, you'll know that the next step for most people is trying to get it off with a hammer. That's where the "torture", "beatings", and "abuse" come from. But a lock made to hold back the evils of mankind is not so easily removed, and only the matching key has the power to do so.

The feeling that I wanted to convey was one of dread. The feeling that a small scrap of metal is the only thing that protects us from what we fear. I mean, if you knew that all of your worst nightmares were locked in a box and, at any time, someone with ill intent could find the key and open it, you would hope and pray that it never came to that.

So, this is what I'm trying to work with. Obviously, if this is ever worked enough to get greenlit, I would put it in the objects category, but I need to figure out if this works better as a shorter or longer story, and go from there. As is, it seems like longer would be better, and I can swing that if I need to, but I have to know where I'm going with it before making a change like that.

Main question becomes: Should I try to extend the story or should I try to add more to what is already here?

Oh, and overbearing is fine, as long as it's constructive, which it has been so far.