Day 5

Critted 4 stories today.

There was no lecture, but Walter had us help plot out a partially done novel outline written by a person in the group. It took almost two hours.

The exercise was interesting, but the story idea didn't hook me, and I thought we could've completed it sooner.

I had to skip my fitness break today. C'est le vie.

I'm writing out my second week story right now. I think it'll be OK, but I'm a bit blocked now.

Oh, we're expecting George R.R. Martin this weekend. There was a little trouble finding him a room in the area since Bastille Day is coming up, and a lot of the local inns seem to be owned by Frenchmen.

Très curieux.

Later--

Oh!

I also turned in a summary of a restructured story. Walter bade us to do an exercise in which we identify a turning point in an existing novel/film, reverse it, and write what happened from there.

I chose Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith.

Here's my reworked version:
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Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith (Revised)

At the beginning of the film, Anakin and Obi Wan board General Grievous’ ship to save Chancellor Palpatine (aka Darth Sidious). Count Dooku confronts them. Dooku knocks out Obi Wan, but Anakin cuts off both Dooku’s hands, takes Dooku’s light saber, and angles both their light sabers at Dooku’s throat. Palpatine urges Anakin to kill him.

Divergence: Rather than kill Dooku, Anakin spares him and lets him flee. Anakin goes on to save Palpatine and Obi Wan and land Grievous’ ship when it crash lands on Coruscant.

Dooku escapes with General Grievous to a Trade Federation battleship. As they clear the Coruscant system, Dooku tells Grievous of Palpatine’s treachery and Darth Sidious’ original plan to lure Anakin to the Dark Side and let Grievous be destroyed along with the rest of the Separatist leadership.

When Sidious contacts Grievous, the biodroid general pretends that Dooku isn’t with him and the Separatist leadership. Sidious says that Dooku betrayed him on the ship over Coruscant, so Grievous must kill Dooku on sight. He also orders Grievous to lay a trap on the planet Utapu for any Republic forces chasing him and relocate the Separatist leadership on the planet Mustafar.

Dooku has droid prostheses attached to his wrist stubs and contacts Master Yoda. Dooku tells Yoda that Palpatine is also Sidious and that he wishes to renounce the Dark Side. He also warns Yoda that Sidious seeks to lure Anakin into the camp of the Sith.

Yoda tells Dooku to dangle Grievous as bait. He assigns Obi Wan and Anakin to go after Grievous to keep Anakin away from Sidious. Yoda bids Dooku to give himself up at the Jedi Temple, but Dooku says he must attend to other matters first. Yoda worries, but orders Mace Windu to arrest Palpatine after Anakin leaves Coruscant.

Before Anakin leaves to pursue Grievous, though, Palpatine has Anakin come to his office. There he tells Anakin that he’s afraid of Dooku and treachery from the Jedi. When Anakin disbelieves him, Palpatine says only the Sith have the power to raise people from the dead, playing on Anakin’s forebodings of Padme’s death, then reveals that he is Sidious.

Anakin is torn. Dooku then appears to claim his revenge on Sidious. Anakin watches as Sidious and Dooku battle ferociously. Finally, Dooku has Sidious at his mercy. But before Dooku can strike the final blow, Anakin cuts him down. Anakin then pledges his allegiance to Sidious in exchange for his help in saving Padme’s life.

At Sidious’ order, Anakin attacks the Temple with clone troops. Sidious also issues Order 66 to all Republic clone forces to kill the Jedi across the galaxy. Mace Windu sacrifices himself to let Yoda and Obi Wan escape with their lives. They make contact with Senator Organa, who takes them to Utapu. There Grievous shelters them.

Sidious orders Grievous to abandon Utapu and await further orders on Mustafar. Unaware of Yoda’s and Obi Wan’s location, Anakin goes to Mustafar to destroy the Separatist leadership. But before he goes, he assures Padme that he is all right and that he will end the war once and for all.

After Anakin leaves, Obi Wan contacts Padme via Holonet transmission and tells her that Anakin has attacked to the Temple and killed many Jedi there. Padme disbelieves him, but flies after Anakin to confront him herself.

Anakin arrives at Mustafar and goes to the bunker, where the Separatist Council hides. Instead he finds Obi Wan, and the two men fight.

Grievous and the Separatist Council meantime attack Coruscant with all their remaining ships. Under cover of the assault, Yoda confronts Sidious in his chambers and battles him.

Obi Wan eventually gets the better of Anakin and leaves him with his limbs amputated and set afire by a lava river. Padme arrives then. When she learns of Anakin’s injuries, she goes into shock and collapses. Obi Wan takes her with him.

Back at Coruscant, the clone forces destroy Grievous, the Separatist Council, and their armada. Yoda also fails to kill Sidious, and steals away from Coruscant on Senator Organa’s ship.

Sensing a threat to Anakin, Sidious hurries to Mustafar. There Sidious finds Anakin and takes him back to Coruscant, where he is transformed into Darth Vader. Sidious founds the Empire and begins construction on the Death Star.

Meantime, in a remote medical facility, Padme gives birth to Luke and Leia before dying of a broken heart. Yoda, Obi Wan, and Organa split the twins to wait for them to grow up in safety.

The stage is set for Luke, Leia, and Han to lead the Rebellion against the Empire.