1. AHewlett

    AHewlett Member

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    Plot idea for short story

    Discussion in 'Plot Development' started by AHewlett, Oct 16, 2011.

    Hey everyone,

    I was going to write a novel but I'm having trouble with an ex co-author and I won't go into many more details, but he's taking the idea without my permission so I hoped to write a novel to get it published before him. I've been told writing a short story would be best at the moment which is what I want to but I can't decide on an idea and I wanted to check with all of you to see what you thought.

    One idea was going to be the prologue or chapter one in the novel. The main characters, Ryan and Lile, meet at her parents annual Christmas party. She bumps into him and causes him to spill his drink, a little flirting happens and he leads her into the ballroom where the party is happening. They part and he goes to get himself a new drink, talk to some people while she goes to eat some of the food and stand like a wallflower. He asks her to dance and they do but her parents see, coming over and stopping them. An argument comes around and they reveal she's only fourteen where he's twenty one which is illegal plus Ryan is having a secret affair with her mother. He leaves and the story would end with Lile vowing that Ryan would hers one day.

    Any other idea would either be based on Ryan and the mother or the physical relationship between Ryan and Lile where she wants him to love her where he's just using her for physical things as she looks like a younger version of her mother.

    So, any ideas? Thanks for all the help!
     
  2. Berenice

    Berenice New Member

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    I have a hard time believing in a 14-year-old arriving at the legal 16 and still having a crush on one specific man (then 22) who she hasn't been close to or been with between now and then. Not that that such pairings don't happen, but they usually involve regular contact and no diversions.
     
  3. AHewlett

    AHewlett Member

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    Well, regular contact would be her seeing him very often at the family business and having some contact with him. Of course there would be gaps but absence makes the heart grow fonder.

    If that wouldn't work, do you have any ideas on how it would?
     
  4. AHewlett

    AHewlett Member

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    EDIT - Double post due to site error
     
  5. Berenice

    Berenice New Member

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    Well, think back of how you fell in love with your boyfriends, how you started off your relationships, what kept you going or what caused you to not continue or become more serious about them.

    I'm not saying it can't work, but the more realistic situation would be for the girl to meet a boy at her school, fall in love with him and forget about the older guy. And think about what it would need for someone to fall that deeply in love to wait. My personal opinion, but that's just me, is that there needs to be more than just a short meeting at a party.
     
  6. AHewlett

    AHewlett Member

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    If I did do the novel, there was going to be a point where the two characters would part and they would find other people but with me doing a short story, I couldn't really add that especially with the idea that I picked.

    The only other idea that I could think of, like I said, was with them already in that relationship but that's not much conflict unless you count the parents finding out.

    Maybe I should stick to a novel, haha.
     
  7. Berenice

    Berenice New Member

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    Well, there *is* lots of potential conflict.

    As British law goes just about any sexually meaningful activity (includes e.g. a kiss) is illegal and can mean years in jail if prosecuted. For both actually if there is a mean prosecutor, as the girl is just as forbidden as the guy to engage in sexual activities. So there is a lot potential danger and angst to play with, especially if the mother could be jealous.

    You might also consider what constitutes the gist, the centre theme of your story idea and work from that.

    As to you doing the parting or not, nothing stopy you from "joining" the story at that stage of things and write on to the climax.
     
  8. Berenice

    Berenice New Member

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    deleting the double text
     
  9. AHewlett

    AHewlett Member

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    I wanted the story to be set in New York City where I believe the legal age is 17 though I'm not filled in on the law in America. Of course, as you say, if the mother found out then there is the chance of jail

    I did want the short story to be about how they meet, finding out her right age and her vowing to keep him no matter what but now that I think about it....it just doesn't seem like a story that anyone would want to read. It's more suited to a prologue or just a little piece of writing for me to keep my mind on the story.
     
  10. Berenice

    Berenice New Member

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  11. AHewlett

    AHewlett Member

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    Oh great, that's not gonna work either. Thanks for giving me that since most sites don't go into great detail about the law.
     
  12. Berenice

    Berenice New Member

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    Ooops - sorry!
     
  13. James Berkley

    James Berkley Banned

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    In NYS it is/was a strange tried thing ( I remember this one form the NYPD exam, but rules might have changed). If one party is over 18 its different. its also different if one is over 21. At lest that use to be the story. But a 17 can consent to anyone. Then there use to be a weird 4 year rule if the younger was between 13 and 15.
    if you move it to Mass or CT it is 16
     
  14. AHewlett

    AHewlett Member

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    Well, when the actual relationship starts, she'll be seventeen and he'll be twenty four (I decided to change her age just to mature her slightly. Sixteen isn't a mature age...nor is seventeen but it's there).

    But getting back onto the subject of story ideas.....is there any other story ideas that could be possibly thrown out there for these two?
     
  15. AHewlett

    AHewlett Member

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    Can anyone give anymore input or ideas? Thank you!
     
  16. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

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    sorry to have to be the one to say this, but if you want to be a writer, you need to be able to come up with your own story/plot ideas... that's what 'real' writers do, y'know...
     

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