Misologists
Pleased so far with the shape of the story’s new outline. Clearly, though, Dante and I don’t agree on the hierarchy of evil. He left some evil-doers out too, like the Misologists. He puts traitors at the bottom of Hell, but I think it should be people who hurt children, either intentionally or through ignorance.
In the story, Price’s grandmother scars his psychie for life when she uses her authority to terrorize the child with threats of burning in Hell. Grandmother wasn’t stupid. But she was a misologist. She could reason that God wasn’t going to send an eight year-old to burn in Hell for eternity because he told his mother he hated a sister. Everyone in the family, including Grandma, knew the out-of-control sister was tearing the family apart. Grandma’s words were deliberately designed to terrorize and control Price. After all, if it’s okay to hate a sister tearing the family apart, then it’s just one little step to hating a grandmother who terrorize children with threats of burning in Hell.
Using the structure of the Divine Comedy as a starting point has helped me focus, perhaps even simplify the plot and subplots. I’m going to keep following Dante’s order of evil (when it works) while I finish the outline. But eventually the story will come first. However, if I write a good story, it should have building conflict. And since this is something of a parody on the Divine Comedy, my notion of the increasing order of evil should emerge.
