Like many great things in life, 'The Narrows' started with a Netflix series.

 

For such a vivid, expansive story, "The Narrows" fell together somewhat suddenly. While I've long been deeply interested in American politics, I initially sought to avoid wading into the political conversation for my capstone project. As I pored over hurried project proposals and scrambled outlines at a downtown Philadelphia coffeeshop in early January, I constantly returned to political themes. Still, I challenged myself to think differently. Everyone has their own distinct political views, I thought, so why does what I believe matter? Why should people care what I think if I'm simply another voice?

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After affirming my refusal to delve into politics in my capstone project, I found myself crossing-off a number of ideas on my now-too-brief list. Struggling to devise something unique yet personally relevant, I fell back on a time-honored tradition: procrastinate. Perusing the seemingly limitless pages of Netflix, I came across a new Black Mirror episode, Black Mirror: Bandersnatch. My friends and I follow Black Mirror religiously for its twisted dystopian takes about the potentially sinister role of technology in society. Suffice to say, I was more than eager to experience Bandersnatch in all of its 1984-esque glory.

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Several hours and matching cups of coffee later, I sat in awe of the intricacy and sheer originality of Bandersnatch. Almost immediately, I knew I wanted to attempt something similar in my capstone project--to create my own choose-your-own-adventure set in a dark, futuristic, and fictional universe. Reviewing the list of my shot-down ideas, I determined that my project was going to be political. It had to be. It couldn't be anything else. I wanted to inspire a difficult conversation about America through my project. That's right--like many great things in life, "The Narrows" started with a Netflix series.

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My mind started filling-in all the gaps for my short-story choose-your-own-adventure piece.

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With the basic parameters for my project set, "The Narrows" just fell into place. Once I understood I wanted to offer a bold, provocative commentary on American politics in our society, my mind started filling-in all the gaps for my short-story choose-your-own-adventure piece. I began sketching out possible pathways for the story's protagonist, identifying different arcs that could occur based on a reader's choices in particular scenes. Alongside the pathways, I developed a working list of character names, ideas, and plot devices I hoped to use in my story. Bandersnatch had completely reinvigorated me, inspiring waves of detailed thoughts for my project and goals for the overall story.

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At the time, my central focus for "The Narrows" was to craft an exciting dystopian tale that challenged audience members to consider the role that politics is playing in driving social polarization and division across the country today. In-effect, I wanted my story to function as an allegory for this type of social toxicity that seems to define American society in 2019.

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My hope is that you--and every other reader--can interact with 'The Narrows' in a unique way that sparks a conversation about the role of rigid partisanship in dividing America.

 

Throughout the process of developing, revising, and re-revising "The Narrows," I kept this overarching goal in-mind. My hope is that you--and every other reader--can interact with "The Narrows" in a unique way that sparks a conversation about the role of rigid partisanship in dividing America. Too often nowadays, our political affiliations color our entire perceptions of the world, and the result is a nation being pulled in two misguided directions out of fear and hatred of the other.

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Let's start to reverse this trend. Let's experience "The Narrows."

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