![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
1. A young woman in Renaissance Italy breaks off an affair and marries the man her parents have chosen for her, but when a dangerous situation forces her and her former lover to work together, she can no longer ignore the feelings she still has for him.
Yes, this is as far as I got with the Renaissance idea. No, I still don't know what the "dangerous situation" is.
The problem is that even though Giovanna's marriage is unhappy and she's known the hero much longer than she's known her husband, she's still committing adultery. And given how young she and the hero both are, their forbidden romance will probably come off more like adolescent hormones than True Love. The friendship she's developed with her new sister-in-law doesn't help, either.
2. A bootlegger in Prohibition-era Detroit finds himself wrestling with his conscience after competition between rival gangs takes a violent turn.
I asked myself the following questions after watching a few too many old gangster movies: "What if the gangster were redeemed—and lived?" and "Why do none of these movies ever take place in Detroit?"
I actually did start working on this one and posted an excerpt from the first chapter, so what happened? One, I outlined it and found that my enthusiasm was nearly gone once I started writing the first draft, because I already knew exactly what was going to happen. Two, I have a feeling it would work better as a screenplay, and I don't know if I have what it takes to write a screenplay. I can write internal monologue for pages on end, but I really struggle with writing dialogue.
3. A girl tricks her eccentric elderly relative into thinking she can communicate with the dead, then encounters an actual ghost.
Another victim of the outlining curse. Even while outlining it, I couldn't come up with a satisfactory reason for why the main character would do such a thing. Besides, it seems like cheating to have her lie about her abilities, then find out she's not as big of a liar as she thought.
4. A tarot card reader and her best friend try to find out the true identity of a mysterious girl with white hair who seems to know far too much about them.
Hey, did you know I'm really into tarot? No? Well, now you do. Anyway, this is fantasy, and I'm not nearly as much into fantasy as I used to be.
5. A boy and his two best friends try to prove they're worthy of initiation into a secret society, but as the temptation to turn his back on his friends and take his dead father's place as head of the society grows harder and harder to resist, he must ultimately decide where his loyalties lie.
That summary is messy and definitely not final. The main character is not as bad of a friend as I made him sound; he just doesn't want to let anyone down. This is what I was supposed to work on for NaNoWriMo. It's closer to my heart than any of these other ideas and has the highest chance of actually getting written, but even if I write it and revise it and polish it until it shines, I doubt it will ever see the light of day. I have a sneaking suspicion that no one but me will think it's any good.
6. Two best friends learn they've been reincarnated many times over centuries—and an old enemy from previous lifetimes is out to get them once and for all.
Again, fantasy. It also involves teen pregnancy, which is not a topic I feel qualified to handle.
Yes, this is as far as I got with the Renaissance idea. No, I still don't know what the "dangerous situation" is.
The problem is that even though Giovanna's marriage is unhappy and she's known the hero much longer than she's known her husband, she's still committing adultery. And given how young she and the hero both are, their forbidden romance will probably come off more like adolescent hormones than True Love. The friendship she's developed with her new sister-in-law doesn't help, either.
2. A bootlegger in Prohibition-era Detroit finds himself wrestling with his conscience after competition between rival gangs takes a violent turn.
I asked myself the following questions after watching a few too many old gangster movies: "What if the gangster were redeemed—and lived?" and "Why do none of these movies ever take place in Detroit?"
I actually did start working on this one and posted an excerpt from the first chapter, so what happened? One, I outlined it and found that my enthusiasm was nearly gone once I started writing the first draft, because I already knew exactly what was going to happen. Two, I have a feeling it would work better as a screenplay, and I don't know if I have what it takes to write a screenplay. I can write internal monologue for pages on end, but I really struggle with writing dialogue.
3. A girl tricks her eccentric elderly relative into thinking she can communicate with the dead, then encounters an actual ghost.
Another victim of the outlining curse. Even while outlining it, I couldn't come up with a satisfactory reason for why the main character would do such a thing. Besides, it seems like cheating to have her lie about her abilities, then find out she's not as big of a liar as she thought.
4. A tarot card reader and her best friend try to find out the true identity of a mysterious girl with white hair who seems to know far too much about them.
Hey, did you know I'm really into tarot? No? Well, now you do. Anyway, this is fantasy, and I'm not nearly as much into fantasy as I used to be.
5. A boy and his two best friends try to prove they're worthy of initiation into a secret society, but as the temptation to turn his back on his friends and take his dead father's place as head of the society grows harder and harder to resist, he must ultimately decide where his loyalties lie.
That summary is messy and definitely not final. The main character is not as bad of a friend as I made him sound; he just doesn't want to let anyone down. This is what I was supposed to work on for NaNoWriMo. It's closer to my heart than any of these other ideas and has the highest chance of actually getting written, but even if I write it and revise it and polish it until it shines, I doubt it will ever see the light of day. I have a sneaking suspicion that no one but me will think it's any good.
6. Two best friends learn they've been reincarnated many times over centuries—and an old enemy from previous lifetimes is out to get them once and for all.
Again, fantasy. It also involves teen pregnancy, which is not a topic I feel qualified to handle.
Tags: