So this woman is abducted by her stalker and the idea is that she falls in love with him. Essentially what happens is that she tries killing herself and wakes up in a make shift cell. Now her stalker he's not the typical possessive psycho stalker he wants to be with her but he cares more about saving her from herself. He's not the type to harm her in fact for most of the story she's hurting herself and he's keeping her alive. It's a very twisted dynamic because he's holding her against her will but he's trying to keep her from killing herself. She's a model and she doesn't really have anyone in her life that really cares about her and that's part of why she's trying to commit suicide. She ultimately grows dependent on him eventually she begins to care for him and is quick to defend him when he does eventually get arrested. They both have a lot in common background wise like they both grew up in the foster system and neither really had a family. Which is part of why both are so messed up. It gets to the point where it's hard to tell who is the delusional one between the two. The idea is that they are both crazy and screwed up and a theme of the story is about how obsession, love, and madness can all coincide and the whole point is whether which of those three the two characters have between them. For her it's that he's the first person to show genuine affection (even though it's very messed up it eventually starts to mean a lot to her) and that's why she becomes equally obsessed with him. I'm just wondering is this a dynamic that would be appealing?
It sounds like an idea that would ultimately not be my cup of tea, but it probably would be someone else's because it sounds quite interesting. I have to admit, when I first started reading this post, I wasn't so sure. Your first sentence to sum it up seemed a bit Beauty and the Beast. But I like the fact that everything is turned on its head a bit, and I love the fact that it's going to raise lots of questions as they both fall in love with each other despite the abduction and stalking between them. This, especially, I like. Good luck.
Thank but how should I depict her insanity? I mean should she gradually lose her mind or be disturbed to some degree from the beginning? How should the general reaction to their relationship be? I ask because even the few friends who genuinely cared about her didn't even notice she was mission for a year and her reaction is one of anger when he is "taken" from her because in her mind after a year he's the only one who helped her and the only one who cared enough to do something.
It depends what you mean by insanity. If she's suicidal, then she is already struggling with some mental issues from the start. Then, I thought the other character would help her get a bit better, but then she becomes unhealthily dependent on him. That's the impression I got from what you said in your original post. I think most people's reaction would be disgust and confusion because she's fallen in love with her kidnapper. And if her friends genuinely care for her, they would notice that she was missing for a year. If they didn't, then they don't genuinely care for her. Her neighbours would probably notice that she was missing at some point, too.
I think the only way this type of plot theme works is as a social commentary on the cliche, or done as a parody. Honestly put your self in your characters shoes. You just tried to commit suicide, and your stalker keeps you alive and locked up in a homemade cell. What does this make you think if it was a real situation? Gonna side with the ladies on this one, it is creepy not romantic. I don't care how pretty/handsome the captor is, more freaked out that some crazy person has imprisoned me in their home for their delusional fantasies. Kinda falls into Misery territory. Obsessive person saves/imprisons the person with/from some injury, and then things go down hill from there.
I mean it's not necessarily going to be appealing, but you can make it interesting. You said she grows dependent on him. Maybe she becomes easily corrupted by him, doing bad things with him and eventually realizing how toxic and fake the relationship actually is(loving the idea of one another instead of the actual person) . I'm actually working on a similar story involving a female vampire essentially making this guy a slave over the pretense of love, and they commit awful acts out of "love" and by the end of it... he ends up murdering her and committing suicide. So there are various ways you can make this stick out to audiences if you play your cards right. I think the problem with this sort of Stockholm syndrome cliche is that it's been done a thousand times, so unless you turn it on it's head it isn't going to captivate critics or audiences. In my opinion if you want Stockholm syndrome done right(granted it's under different pretenses) study Gone Girl(both the book and the film, though I would argue that Amy is better portrayed in the book than the movie).
So, you're saying that he doesn't want to harm her, he just wants to save her from herself so he abducts her. Or, to put it another way, he abducts her out of a sense of noblesse oblige? I'm sorry, but that's a HUGE pill to swallow. I can think of countless number of less extreme ways for him to try to help her. A very twisted dynamic, indeed. And, the fact that she's a model and doesn't really have anyone in her life to me isn't sufficient reason for her to be suicidal. Without knowing why he gets arrested, I would say that it is not unusual that a captive grows dependent on her captor. The fact that "they are both crazy and screwed up" will not, by itself, allow you to put this concept over. Both characters have to be seen by your readers as acting reasonably based on their situations. I don't think you've done that, here, but I haven't seen your ms.
You just sound like a girl who everyone just witnessed being back handed in the face by her partner, then trying to tell everyone that "He's not that bad." And it is an intriguing idea. What I suggest is not to forget empathy for where it is appropriate. If people do not feel empathetic to this girl, they will not understand why she chooses to stay in a toxic relationship. So this is where back story is going to be your best friend. And it has to be a logical back story. And you might have to actually study cases of Stockholm syndrome or couples who kill or commit crimes.
Isn't a stalker kidnapping their victim a way of harming them? Is there an actual reason for why he abducts her or is he just cra-cra? Either way it does sound interesting, just don't romanticize the whole thing, because that if you do then goes straight into bad fan fiction terrroity. For female characters as long as you avoid the whole "i let out a breath i didn't know i was holding" thing, you should be good. Just imagine yourself in that situation and you should be golden
I'd read it. Think about your audience, though. Is this a thriller? A romance? A young adult novel? Literary fiction? Christian inspirational? Self-help book? Like-- depending on who you're talking to, this either a cool idea or a terrible one. Loads of people might find this offensive, but others might enjoy it, y'know?
Your most difficult uphill climb in this, I think, is the fact that all stalkers fall into two categories: they stalk because they "love" the person (their twisted version of "love"), or they stalk the person because they hate them and plan to harm them by either making their life miserable or killing them. So, regardless of this guy's actions and your justifications as an author for his actions, he still falls under Reason #1. I say this having been one who was stalked. Twice. The first time fell under category #1: an ex who used to watch me through the windows of my home and workplace. The other was category #2: someone who did not like what I wrote and followed me and my family to try to intimidate me into shutting up. I agree with @Kallisto . Definitely read up on Stockholm Syndrome, and tread very, very carefully.
