The 4 stories of Stage IV

So, since I’ve been so buried in engine work, I’d nearly forgotten what it was that I wanted to address with Stage IV in the first place. I did a little exercise just now to help remind myself what I wanted to do. I just wrote a short, first-person statement for each character that gives a general sense of what their motivations are. Here they are… nothing brilliant, but essentially what I think the stories will expand around. Oh, and btw… since I’ve yet to give names to characters, I’ve taken up the practice of referring to characters as follows: D = Dad/husband with cancer, M = Mom/wife, B = Boy/son of cancer man, and G = Girlfriend of B.

D:  I’m terrified at the idea of abandonding my children before they grow up, so I’m going to fight this cancer as best I can.

M: I fear the loneliness after D is gone, but I’m going to trust in God to provide for me.

B: I don’t see M’s God in any of this, but there’s got to be some reason for what’s happening. A man like D can’t just die and be no more, can he?

G: I know that I don’t fully understand how it feels to be B, M, and D, but I’m sad that B is pushing me away (and being a general jerk). But, since I’ve loved him, I’ll try my best to support him.

So there you have them… the roots of the 4 main stories. Essentially, those 4 motivations will collide and interact in what I hope is a meaningful way, but guess we’ll wait and see, ya?