Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Note to self: Stuff not to write

Here are some plots I've been reading a little too much of lately:

1. The angsty teen. This girl/guy is way messed up. He/she is in major self-destruct mode. This person is on drugs/ driving drunk/ flunking school/ suicidal or all of the above, messed up because they want to die. Death seems like a picnic compared to their life, which is filled with backstabbing friends, an abusive relationship, clueless teachers, and screwed-up parents. But wait, it gets worse. The real reason our hero hopes to meet death in a dark alley is because....

2. Teen thinks he/she is responsible for someone else's death. Yup, there was a terrible accident. Lost soul-type friend/ innocent little sibling/ perfect parent would still be alive if our hero hadn't failed to save the day. He/ she is guilty of Being in the Wrong Place at the Wrong Time. Except, of course, it wasn't really our hero's fault. But since our hero doesn't have a time travel machine to go back and fix things, he/she is buried under a mountain of guilt, but puts on a brave face and rebuffs everyone who tries to break through said Brave Face. Everyone, that is, except for...

3. The tortured relationship that will eventually end in bliss. Hero and love interest meet, and ka-pow! They are struck by the amazing insight that Hot Girl/ Boy is, though perhaps a little quirky, awesome--unlike everyone else at Rich Snob High. But alas, the First Twist happens as Love Interest hugs another person! Oh, no, misunderstanding ensues! Fortunately, the Other Person ends up being a relative, like a sibling or cousin. Phew. Crisis averted. But then, Major Crisis time. One discovers a horrible secret in the other's past, and thinks this is the end of their relationship, because this means that Other Person is not as perfect as previously thought. "What? She's not perfect? She should have told me that. I seriously thought she walked a different plane than the rest of us mere mortals. Now, not only is she not perfect, she's a liar, too, for keeping this from me." This all leads up to the Great Reconciliation in which Love Goddess reveals that she actually had a noble reason for not revealing her secret. This restores her status to perfection and everyone lives happily ever after.

2 comments:

Melanie said...

#3 sounds like North & South - one of my all-time favorites. All three sound good to me. :) Can you tell I have a hard time coming up with new book ideas?

becky rigby said...

I'm just excited to read whatever you write. I think we all agree your the best writer we know. I miss you. It was good seeing you at Syracuse Heritage days.