CARL (Music is the Drug) [694]
Soap! Just washing up my prologue here...well...a third of a prologue. I'm trying to nail this down before moving on (on the second draft of the book, so really trying to revise and refine).
The novel is based off a bit of music festival folklore, about a guy named Carl that got separated from his group one night (either at Bonnaroo or Electric Forest, this is unknown). His friends spent the entire evening running around the festival grounds, trying to find him, calling out his name. Nowadays, his name has sort of become a calling card, not a warning but a celebration that you're part of the culture...I think? That's how I interpret it anyways.
This story is a fictionalized account of Carl and his group, told through a coming-of-age narrative lens (ALA Nick Carraway in Gatsby). It's supposed to be a celebration of festival culture and its contradictions, and more broadly about how we use and abuse youth, where we look to escape our reality/responsibility, only to find this is impossible for anything longer than a reprieve. Some drivel like that, ay?!
Flashbacks feel somewhat cheap, but I'm trying to use it purposefully, by painting that moment where the myth took hold. I'm just hoping this paints that picture! I know there are holes, some connective tissue missing, more detail, perhaps...who tf knows! :D Point it all it! Rip me a new one, make me a shit sandwich on rye!
Hope you enjoy! Just....whatever would clarify the image in your head. That's the advice I am searching for. Thank you!
Posted Sep 2, 2025, 2:52 AM UTC