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Help!
I have a problem with starting projects before I finish my current one, so, less than halfway through TAoSS, I got a "brilliant" idea for a novel at approximately 10:00 pm last night as I lay in bed trying to fall asleep.
First, don't worry, TAoSS readers. I'm NOT abandoning the story. This is more of a half-baked concept anyway, and it's going to need a LOT of planning before I can even consider starting.
The working title is "In Love With a Ghost," or ILWAG, but I'm probably going to change it before the end of the process becasue that's how I roll, man.
As follows is the rough summary via my notebook. I'd like a little feedback on the overall concept, if that's okay, and there's a couple things that I need help with.
----
On an unassuming day in February, an 18-year-old girl by the name of Eloise Valencia disappears from her small New Jersey town. She takes with her a single leather suitcase, presumably empty, and leaves behind a bouquet of lilacs wrapped in gold paper.
Two years later, she remains missing. Her case, having garnered no further leads, fades out of public interest in favor of more recent, dramatic, news.
Her former best friend, Sarah Goldberg, is a struggling college student slogging her way through medical school, knee-deep in debt and scattered broken dreams. She's trying to carve out her place in the world, but no prospective employer takes a second look at a gum-chewing guttermouth.
Within her own tribulations, Sarah doesn't have that much thought to spare for the honey-eyed girl who leaped into her life freshman year of high school, then hopped back out again without so much as a goodbye.
Meanwhile, Eloise's ex-boyfriend, Maxwell Wyatt, has somehow stumbled into a modeling career and become America's favorite hearthrob. He's beginning to learn that having his face everywhere is more a curse than a blessing, though, and that Hollywood tastes sour behind the stage lights.
He knows that the whitewashed, photoshopped, Max that appears on magazine covers isn't really him, but can't exactly figure out what is.
Sarah, going through her apartment to find things to sell for extra cash, stumbles on the suitcase that supposedly disappeared alongside Eloise. Its possession puts her into the position of prime suspect in a case long considered a dead end, and, upon discovering dozens of letters sewn into the lining of the travel bag, she finds herself rethinking everything she's ever been told about Eloise's disappearance.
It's her and a papparazzi-trailed Max in a race against time to figure out what really happened that dreary winter afternoon, where Eloise is, and if she's still alive.
Even with the help with a tattoo-covered street artist, an optimistic journalist, a scatterbrained flower vendor and a one-armed forsenics expert, the task seems near impossible. But then again, if you've got enough chewing gum and grit, anything's doable.
... Right?
----
So, what do you think? Interesting? Over-dramacized? Too cliche? Would you want to read this book? Put it down? Chuck it into a trash burner?
See, my main problem is that I have everything planned out... Except what actually happened to Eloise. This is the kind of thing that I need a solution for before the book begins, considering I'm going to need to drop clues about it as things progress. It's really a problem.
Also, does anyone have any information about the following? (Mind you, I probably won't use all of this information. I'm still in the character development phase.)
a) How much/often one would wear a hijab. Does it vary? Are there situations where you really wouldn't wear one? Would you keep it on inside your house?
b) What it's like to lose a limb. What things does it make difficult that you wouldn't expect it to? Are prosthetics helpful or annoying? Is the amputation painful? For how long after would one experience phantom pains?
c) Deafness. Is it easier/harder to lip-read versus sign language? How often do you meet people who understand sign language if you use it? If you're not born deaf, do you "remember" what hearing is like? Can you hear them in your head? What's the most frustrating thing about deafness?
d) Synesthesia. Does anybody have smell-color? (If so, I have some questions for you!)
Google is being REALLY unhelpful with all this, giving me photos of sportscars instead of the information I need, as if it's any consolation. Sigh.
Anyway, thanks for listening to my long-windedness. Love ya. :P
submitted by Abigail S., age 12, Nose in a Book
(March 26, 2017 - 1:47 pm)
(March 26, 2017 - 1:47 pm)
I have exactly the same problem, Abigail! I am always rushing around, trying to finish old projects and start new ones. When I get over that problem I'll tell you how to solve it!
It sounds like a really good idea! And trust me, I'm a hard book critic. My mind is one of those weird ones that can predict the plot on page 3, so books can sometimes get really boring for me. (That doesn't stop me reading them!) Let me see if I can help with your questions.
a) I don't know. I am not of that religion, and don't want to be disrespectful to those that are by making a wild guess.
b) I also don't know. I've never even broken anything. I would guess a lot of things would be harder than expected, like showering or walking (depending on the limb you lost). As for prosthetics-- I would guess annoying at first, but then you get used to them. Depends on the person. Amputation-- was the person unconcious or not at the time? Even so, I have no idea. On phantom pains, I yet again don't know, but I would say (as a fellow writer) that the phantom pains should keep going as long as it fits the story.
c) Deafness-- literally no idea. And no guesses, either. I think you could take some creative liberties with this one, since deafness varies so much by the person.
d) Ooh! Finally one I can answer! Well, sort of. I don't really smell colors, but I do interact with colors in a different way. Like sometimes I think in colors. For instance, Charleston and West Virginia are the same magenta color in my mind, so I always know that Charleston is the capital of West Virginia.
Wow. I just looked back at my very long winded answer and saw that it basically consisted of "I don't know". Sorry about that. I just wanted to give my opinion but still let you know that you should fact-check me somewhere.
Thanks for reading all the way to the bottom of my ridiculously long answer! Hope this was helpful somehow!
~Starseeker
(March 26, 2017 - 3:53 pm)
Thanks for commenting, Starseeker! Yeah, the end result will probably be riddled with creative liberties, but oh well. :P I appreciate the feedback!
(March 26, 2017 - 9:02 pm)
I actually have synesthesia, but it's where I can hear colors, and taste food words (Ex: If someone other than me says "Bacon" I will taste bacon). I think your story is pretty good, but maybe a bit confusing in the middle.
Kilp says ooff.
You need to watch where you're going, little buddy!
(March 26, 2017 - 4:02 pm)
Thank you!
I'm sorry it's a little confusing, but hopefully it'd make more sense in context rather than as a rough summary. :)
(March 26, 2017 - 9:03 pm)
Yeah I would read this! I mean, first off, it's an intreging story, secondly, you're the author, so I know it'll be good!
As for Synesthesia, you know I have it, but my form is sound-color and words-colors. I'm not a projector, so my colors appear in my mind, not in the space I see. But it's like a sudden burst at times. Like, I'll be listening to music and suddenly a huge wave of color will wash over me. (And usually completely derail my train of thought because I'll be too involved in looking at the pretty colors.) Sometimes I'll try to describe what I see to other people, but it usually takes a long time to make them understand. Or make them say they understand to keep me from waving my arms around excitedly and talking really fast. One day, I'll draw my colors.
(March 26, 2017 - 9:45 pm)
Aww, thank you! I'm very flattered. <33
And that's really cool about your synesthesia! I've always wondered what it would be like to have it, but that's not something I'll get to personally find out, for better or for worse.
Also, I find it interesting about getting distracted by the colors and using the train of thought. That fits well with the character I was planning to have synesthesia.
(March 27, 2017 - 12:16 pm)
Glad I can help! Another thing: My friends tell me I get a certain look on my face when I'm seeing the colors. I look really unfocused and I usually stare at a point in the distance. It occasionally freaks out people who aren't used to it. Sometimes it can take me a while to come back into 'the real world', espesially if I don't do it on my own, like if someone decides it's a good idea to wave their hand in front of my face. This is one of the most annoying things ever, actually. Right up there with 'Oh, you wear glasses? How many fingers am I holding up!" Just trying to give you some more ideas on what it's like to have synesthesia. Hopefully you can use this?
(March 27, 2017 - 4:52 pm)
Yeah, I have the same problem too. It also occurs with me with pictures as well as short stories. I always start to draw something, but I wind up getting bored or distracted, and I close the notebook and stop working on the artwork.
(March 26, 2017 - 10:03 pm)
*Also, I think that sign language is easier than lip reading because when you do lip reading, you can get the words wrong. If you do sign language, you can't get the signs wrong, unless the person you are signing with has sloppy sign language.
(March 26, 2017 - 10:21 pm)
True, but I was thinking that not a ton of people know sign language fluently, so in general lip reading would be easier to pass as hearing. Thanks for the feedback! :D
(March 27, 2017 - 12:14 pm)
Wow, I absolutely love that idea! The characters all seem really interesting, and I would gladly read about them. Please do post this story if you ever write it? Also, I'm glad you're not abandonning TSoSS. Scared me there for a sec ;)
(March 27, 2017 - 10:43 am)
Thank you, Booksy! I'd never abandon TAoSS, and I'm going to try to finish it before I start another long-term project. Doesn't mean I can't plan, though! :P
(March 27, 2017 - 12:13 pm)
This is so original and intriguing. If it were published, I know I would definitely read it. It sounds like one of those books that are so good it takes me an hour to finish them. I hope you write it!
Also, on the prosthetics/missing limbs, I think that they aren't very helpful. They're like sticks protruding from your stump. And I also know that you have ghost images of the missing limb for quite a while after you lose it!
(March 27, 2017 - 3:58 pm)
That's an interesting summary! I think I'd read that book, especially to know more about Max. I really like the idea of him being trapped by celebrity fame without much decision in the matter and not quite knowing who to be. As for your questions:
b. I've never lost a limb, but I've broken two bones. Maybe that would help? I broke my collarbone in kindergarten, and I don't remember much other than it's just very difficult to do things you normally would, especially if you broke/lost your dominant arm. My second was my wrist in 4th grade, and I also don't remember much there. However, I've read a few books with conditions like those, and they describe phantom pains as being the sensation of trying to do something with your lost limb and realizing it isn't there. Broken/mobilized bones also make it just really hard to perform simple activities, like tucking in sheets or grabbing things from the table or any other menial activities.
d. I have slight synethesia! It's not super powerful, but certain words or sights can trigger feelings. For instance, I've always imagined the number 1 as a bright, shiny red. 2 is green and softer, and 3 is purple, so on and so on.
(March 27, 2017 - 2:00 pm)
Ah, thank you! My concept of Max was originally kind of a self-centered jerk, but I've fallen in love with his character too, so there's that. :P
Also, thanks for your help on the limb/synesthesia thing! Everyone here has been super-helpful!
(March 29, 2017 - 8:25 pm)