Non-Greek Wanting to Portray Sorority Life as Part of Story/Script

[GDIwriter]

Originally Posted by honeychile

If you really feel the need to have a GLO background, read a few books by Anne Rivers Siddon. She's one of the few who uses sororities & fraternities in her novels without offending.

The idea is to have the greek community day, "GDIwriter knows her stuff!", not "that creepy GDIwriter is a real user". We work hard on a day to day basis to maintain good PR about our community. We don't need a GDI to muck it up. In fact, it would be easier for us to list subjects you should avoid like the plague - such as hazing.

Actually, I am a him, but I see what you're saying.

And what are other subjects you would want to see avoided in a plot/story?

[honeychile]

Sorry about the gender mistake. I think there are a lot of hot button issues, so I'll just start off and let others chime in:

-sorority women are only interested in looks and fraternity men.
-getting wasted (fraternities or sororities)
-greeks needing at least 5 years to graduate.
-greeks are all in school on "Daddy's money".
-greeks having no friends outside of the greek system.

How's that for a starter?

[LatinaAlumna]

I am wondering if a script that portrays Greeks as basically good people would even get picked up.

[GDIwriter]

How's that for a starter?

Thanks. I'll make sure to try to avoid those stereotypes. In terms of the general plot, here is what I am thinking (this is still in kind of brainstorm form):

MOTIVATION FOR MURDER:

A couple of years ago, Sorority Girl A and B were driving home from a party and 'A' had had too much to drink (it is not meant to imply they all drink, just this one) and ran over someone. 'A' is a very ambitious, intelligent and unscrupulous person. Since they were on kind of a deserted road, 'A' decides to just hide the body and she pressures 'B' (who is kind of malleable and scared) to keep quiet.

Now, 'B's conscience is getting to her, leading to some mental health issues. 'B' is planning to see a psychologist and 'A' is concerned that 'B' will confess the whole thing, thus ruining 'A' so 'A' decides to murder 'B' and make it look like a suicide and set it up so that 'B' will leave a note confessing to the hit-and-run, thus ending two concerns for 'A'.

The college is in a small community and the police are readily able to accept it as a suicide.

PROTAGONIST:

A newly-ordained Catholic Priest who is in charge of the Catholic student ministry at the college. 'B's parents know the Priest's family and through that roundabout connection, the Priest agrees to at least look into the issue.

The Priest would be intimidated by the sorority women and he would feel like a loser among...well...sorority women, but he begins to notice some suspicious issues (the suicide note/confession was typed and printed and he notices the appointment with the psychologist scheduled on her PDA [why would someone make an appt. w/ a pshrink if they were going to kill themselves the day before]).

The Priest's work is cut out for him:

1) Find out who killed 'B' (fairly quickly, he begins to suspect 'A' but can't prove it)
2) Figure out a way to bring the murderer to justice (the police are reticent to view it as anything other than suicide)

Sound interesting?

[33girl]

No. You say you want to avoid stereotypes and in the next breath, use them. The story would be no different if it was Jane and Jen, two best friends who live in the dorm. The sorority angle is just an attempt to "sex it up" and play to everyone else's stereotypical thinking about sororities.

Why would he feel like a loser among sorority women? That makes no sense. A priest who's intimidated by 19 year old girls, I have trouble believing would have even been ordained.

PTITY??? SRSLY??

[GDIwriter]

No. You say you want to avoid stereotypes and in the next breath, use them. The story would be no different if it was Jane and Jen, two best friends who live in the dorm. The sorority angle is just an attempt to "sex it up" and play to everyone else's stereotypical thinking about sororities.

Remember, isn't the use of any setting and characters an attempt to try and play up the story? I mean Agatha Christie's "Murder on the Orient Express" could have taken place on any old train or not even on a train, just some flophouse that got snowed in.

In terms of plots, there is a limited number of unique plots (Polti claimed 36, I think Aristotle claimed there seven or eight basic plots). In terms of a murder mystery, there are only so many reasons why someone is driven to such an extreme act.

Although the antagonist is depicted as being evil, I will try to portray the sorority women as diverse (like any group: some better than others) and I am thinking it will be another sorority woman that helps the Priest (I come up with names when I start writing) bring 'A' to justice.

[33girl]

Whatever. You're obviously not listening to the advice people are giving you and you're gonna do what you're gonna do anyway.

[GDIwriter]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Whatever. You're obviously not listening to the advice people are giving you and you're gonna do what you're gonna do anyway.

Then how would you do it?

[Leslie Anne]

Originally Posted by GDIwriter

Although the antagonist is depicted as being evil, I will try to portray the sorority women as diverse (like any group: some better than others) and I am thinking it will be another sorority woman that helps the Priest (I come up with names when I start writing) bring 'A' to justice.

Oooh, oooh! How much you wanna bet it's a member of the rival sorority?

[33girl]

Originally Posted by GDIwriter

Then how would you do it?

A wise man already told you.

Originally Posted by RU OX Alum

write what you know.

You seem like you don't know about greek life at all so why set your story there? Set it in a GDI all freshmen dorm or something.

[thetygerlily]

Originally Posted by GDIwriter

Then how would you do it?

I agree with 33girl. There's nothing remotely related to sororities in your plot other than as some sort of hook. Could be any "it" girl. I also think the priest thing seems forced, like you have two scripts shoved together.

If you're going to write about sororities, I would rather see something about recruitment or general house life that is specific to Greeks. Something that actually gets it right. Any time there's a sorority-related movie or show, I watch to see if they manage to get something right. They rarely do.

However, if you can't get the terminology, rules, regulations, ideals, and other factors of Greek life correct- don't do it. You would need to do a lot of research, beyond just message boards, to get it right and do the system justice as you are saying you hope to do.

[GDIwriter]

Originally Posted by Leslie Anne

Oooh, oooh! How much you wanna bet it's a member of the rival sorority?

LOL. I hadn't thought of that.

If you're going to write about sororities, I would rather see something about recruitment or general house life that is specific to Greeks. Something that actually gets it right. Any time there's a sorority-related movie or show, I watch to see if they manage to get something right. They rarely do.

I see you're point, but (and maybe this is an unfair question to ask) how would one market such a plot (whether in novel form, or TV/movie)?

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by 33girl

No. You say you want to avoid stereotypes and in the next breath, use them. The story would be no different if it was Jane and Jen, two best friends who live in the dorm. The sorority angle is just an attempt to "sex it up" and play to everyone else's stereotypical thinking about sororities.

Originally Posted by GDIwriter

Remember, isn't the use of any setting and characters an attempt to try and play up the story? I mean Agatha Christie's "Murder on the Orient Express" could have taken place on any old train or not even on a train, just some flophouse that got snowed in.

You're definitely not understanding what 33girl was saying.

The point is... why do they have to be sorority women? There isn't anything about the story that requires Greeks to be represented. Most movies that portray Greeks are ABOUT Greeks. Or they have parts of the plot that are more focused on Greek life (even if they're stereotypical or innacurate).

You just came up with a story about a girl being drunk and running someone over, and decided to throw some Greek letters on it.

[GDIwriter]

Originally Posted by ASTalumna06

You're definitely not understanding what 33girl was saying.

The point is... why do they have to be sorority women? There isn't anything about the story that requires Greeks to be represented. Most movies that portray Greeks are ABOUT Greeks. Or they have parts of the plot that are more focused on Greek life (even if they're stereotypical or innacurate).

You just came up with a story about a girl being drunk and running someone over, and decided to throw some Greek letters on it.

I guess I thought it would be interesting.

[Leslie Anne]

Well, it might be interesting if you worked on it some more. You've gotta start somewhere.