what do you think of this story idea?

Question

There's this boy, 16, who doesn't have many friends and is sort of a loner. He likes skateboarding and stuff like that. His brother is fighting in iraq and his mom divorced his dad, then died from cancer when he was 5. His dad is an alchoholic and they leave each other alone. He lives in, not an urban area, but it isn't quite suburban, some where in the middle.

So theres this kid, 16, no friends, torn apart family, loner. Then this girl moves in down the street, and they become friends. She is really nice, pretty, not really a cheerleader girl, or totally girly(as in, pink. only pink) but not punk. The books all about there friendship, and there lives. I just need to know what you think of the plot. I'm trying to think of something exciting that happens near the climax, so if you have an idea for that, id appreciate it.

Answer 1

first of all, i have to congratulate you on your name. before i even read your question i was amused. But in all seriousness, that sounds like a decent storyline, and it seems you know your characters fairly well, which is good. don't worry about finding out all the specific points of the story just yet; write what you know now, and see what happens. sometimes your characters will take hold of the story and lead it off in their own direction, one you may have never thought of before. so don't worry, and keep on writing. good luck with it, i think it has the potential to be quite awesome.

Answer 2

You've gotten some great advice. Your characters are likable, and that's a great start. You have some idea about the setting, which is good, too. You also have some character flaws (father's alcoholism) that can certainly lead to problems.

The part about the boy's brother being in Iraq got me thinking right away. Hulk Hogan's son was driving with a friend just back from Iraq, and he almost dies here in a car accident. Crazy. Are they close? Were they close? Does he feel deserted because his brother went away? Age difference?

I guess this boy has basically raised himself. What might that have done to him? Does he try to protect his father, since it's the only family he has, or is he angry and combative with him? Maybe he can have something like a scar that was caused when he was young and he was boiling water to make dinner, because his father was never in any condition to do so. Hm...

And since skateboarding is important, and he must be good, what happens with that? Does he start to receive recognition perhaps? Is he fearful someone will discover his father, or does everyone know and turn a blind eye?

It will be interesting to find out more with the friendship between himself and his neighbor down the street. Who knows? Maybe she has something to hide? Some tragedy or shame? I just had an idea, and I know this is your story, but it went through my head that the girl has a younger sister, only the younger sister is really her daughter. You may not want her to go in this direction, I don't know. But the questions about who she is, why she moved there and how they get connected led me in this direction.

And what if his brother comes home and falls for the girl down the street? How would he feel then? Are they just friends, or does he discover he wishes they were more?

Okay, I went on entirely too long. So much you can do - just think, you've created these people and you're in charge of their past, present and future. Start seeing where they will take you! Have fun.

Answer 3

This story idea has a lot of great elements in it. It makes it really relevant to today to have the brother fighting in the Iraq war. Sounds like the kid has had a pretty rough time. These circumstances are moving and even heart-breaking.

For the story though you may also really want to focus on the unique and heart-felt experience of the boy:

What might he remember about his mother? What is his relationship like with his brother?

What about the father's alcoholism? Might it be related to the mother's death? Guilt for getting divorced and then the mother dying?

What makes this girl so special? How do they become friends?

If you want a real heart-breaker, you may have the girl in the story die of cancer like his mother did, but then somehow maybe it could bring the father and the son together.

Hope this helps!

Answer 4

You haven't told us a plot. You have just told us some character study information. The plot is what happens to these people. Usually a plot involves some kind of a challenge, conflict or situation that occurs to people and then what they do to resolve it. The climax is the point of resolution. All you have told us is that these two are friends and hang out together. What is the conflict? What happens to them? That is your main plot. Then you need some subplots and backstories. Those involve how the lives of your main characters touch the lives of other people. Think of the main plot as the spine that runs through your story and the subplots and backstories as branches that run off it. The idea is that in the end, both the plot and the subplots and backstories are all tied up and resolved. It sounds like you are starting to know some good stuff about your two main characters. Start working on a plotline for them and continue fleshing out their characters. For instance - why did she move to the town? Does she like it there? How do they wind up becoming close? Those are the things you need to really delve into in order to flesh these people out. Pax-C

Answer 5

I think it could be touching if written correctly but I would be careful if I were you. When writing you don't want to tell the same story a thousand others have. You have to find it a way to make it unique. Right now the 'thing' is being from a dysfunctional family. Nickelback keeps singing about it and all the movies have that one little guy that just doesn't fit in because life has been so hard . . . . . .So, make sure you add something original in there to make the story your own. Good Luck.

Answer 6

Nicely formed plot. The plot is, after all, the center of the story. I think that you should concentrate on the storm going on inside your character's head & his surprise when the girl comes along.

For the climax I can see that when the girl arrives his world would center on her so try making the dad pop out of nowhere.

I write. Comment on my work. Tnx!

http://morethanimagination.blogspot.com

Answer 7

well, I know there are tons of other books about the same thing. No offense (really NO OFFENSE) but it does sound kind of.... uninteresting. Remember to spice it up

Answer 8

i don't think this is a very good idea. And you should learn which form of their to use. You said there, which refers to a location when you should have used their which is possesive.

Answer 9

that sounds really interesting,
but sort of typical. i mean, im
not trying to be mean or harsh
lol but it does sound interesting
definitely try to spice it up :]