I’m a dreamer that had a hard time growing up and letting go. That’s a part of my story.
But I loathe Peter Pan. I don’t want James to be Peter Pan.
For a long time I’ve leaned toward the opening act of TWOLD involving a trope-subverting story arc of James transitioning from chasing windmills to being a responsible adult.
But I just don’t like that arc.
Over the past year I’ve found myself leaning toward skipping that arc and cutting straight to a more mature James.
I still want to keep the backstory, but the omission is not simply a matter of trying to be clever through implicit storytelling. It’s leveraging what distinguishes Dawn Summers from Elinor Dashwood: whining vs. taking the punches.
I’m not certain it is possible, but I’d like to see if implying what James’ sacrificed just might generate a hint of awe.
Part of the key is to not try to show James’ long for the dreams, but make the audience long for the dreams. Make them surprised that the story is not running with all of the fantasy. Though if it is mishandled it will backfire.
The key is to make the audience want things even better, and give them those things.