Ever started writing something where you have the beginning and the end but still have to figure out how to connect them? This always happens to me. The idea I'm playing with right now is this - The story starts with Christie, who is sort of an alpha girl, meeting up with her friends at their junior prom. Her friends are a group of about 5-6 kids who are sort of a cross section of a typical HS class (Brandi the cheerleader, Matt the straight A student, Ace the surfer boy, Sue the artsy girl, etc.). After the dance they all pile into Ace's car to go to a post-prom party. Next thing she knows it's the middle of the night and she's lying in the street in front of the school with no memory of how she got there. All she has is a vague memory of being pushed out of a car but she doesn't know whose. In a panic she calls her best friend Brandi to come pick her up (the girls were planning to spend the night together at Brandi's house). The following Monday at school things get weird. Christi feels like people are looking at her oddly or snickering behind her back like they know something. Even a couple of her friends start acting uncomfortable around her. Only Brandi still acts normally. So that's what where the story is so far, with Brandi offering to help Christie find out what happened that night. The twist I want at the end is that Brandi was the one who engineered it from the start (Brandi is jealous and tired of being the beta girl). Does this seem plausible so far? Still trying to work out the next bit for now.
I think you'd need to know what exactly happened (as the writer, not in the story itself). Then leave clues and have them investigate until they get there. Then throw in your twist.
The only scenario that comes to mind for me is that Christie was drugged by Brandi and as a result had a humiliating experience that has gotten around the school. But if this is set in contemporary times, I would find it hard to believe that there wouldn't be some sort of clues or evidence on social media as to what transpired. I have to agree that figuring out what happened during Christie's memory loss is essential to the plot if this is anything other than a very short story where you might be able to get away with leaving it up to the reader's imagination.
In addition to the social media, I'd be surprised if at least SOME of the people who clearly know what happened wouldn't tell her. Not necessarily out of kindness... there are probably people who'd do it just to see her reaction. I'm not sure how to solve that...
Sorry to put the mockers on this but even if it gets written and written well it's in danger of being lost among the thousands of American teen stories and films out there. You say your self the crowd is very typical. Have a think about changing the Setting. Could you set it in a office/work environment, with older characters or maybe keep the school but set it in a different country with different traditions. Ignoring all what I've just said, the concept of it is good. You could add a characteristic to the story that takes it away from reality while still being set there. Give someone the ability to wipe minds, or to freeze time or something else a step away from the norm. Another idea is that all the friends are in on it, Christie could be the pawn in their sick game with Brandi the ring leader. That's why no one tells her what is going on. She could be the unwitting star of a candid camera show Truman-esque Ultimately I think you need to decide what genre the twist takes. Does it stick to the outline and keep it light hearted teenie bopper, or do you take it more sadistic or horror like and throw a murder in (does she commit one after being drugged) I don't think you can go any further with it until you decide the audience you are playing to
Sticking to an old idea of how things end will probably make it a lot more difficult to predict the most likely outcome of each action. Start with your beginning, write a list of main story points, and see see where it takes you. Sooner or later, you'll find something better than what you originally had in mind for the end by trying many abstracts. Always be open to revise your abstract while writing if it doesn't fit a character's motives or doesn't make a good scene. The main points should be your last resort if you get a writer block, so that you always keep writing.
