I don't have a decent title yet, but tentatively it's called Corrinne Kennedy, Mall Spy. It's about an ordinary teenage girl who works at the mall and gets recruited into the underground mall secret service, to battle the ever-present influence of the infamous Dr. Bangkok, who's intent on mall domination.
It's crazy and fun and I can't wait to get started. I think the idea came to me in a dream, probably inspired by watching too much Phineas and Ferb on the Disney Channel. Call Me Crazy, but I'm just a huge kid at heart, even though I'm a grown woman.
So what's your novel about, and where did you come by the idea? Inquiring minds want to know.
C.
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0 / 50,000
Oct 22, 2009 - 06 46
Notes on character
Assuming I decide to write the story of Adam, all bets are off until the day of, my inspiration initially came from a theme that crops up sometimes when I write. I often ponder what it means to have an identity. Who we perceive we are is informed by how society treats us and the roles that we play. We internalize those roles and we feel unnatural when we step outside of the boundaries we have set for ourselves. I find it fascinating that people can switch roles, like a clown can switch masks and yet keep a sense of a unified self. The rationalizations we can perform boggle me.
I guess I am interested in identity, and what I am planning is a coming of age story. Young man seeking his place in the world is great setup for an author with my interests. The twist that the boy is not a boy but a robot is just my way of turning the dials to eleven and allowing for the discussion to go beyond the normal level of discussion and ask things like: Will robots be able to think? Do they have a soul? What rights should they have? What do I owe my toster if I wake up tommorrow and it is self aware?
So my idea I guess is coming from my interests.
I like the concept of your Young Adult novel. It sounds like it will be a lot of fun, which I am sure will make it easier to write in the time constraints we are putting on ourselves.
Till later
Jeremy
8,781 / 50,000
Oct 22, 2009 - 07 21
I completely see where you are coming from. I am very interested in gender, gender roles, sexual identity and how society perceives both which is how I got the idea for mine. I don't think love should be limited in any way nor do I think that we should be so hard pressed to categorize everything like we are so apt to do, so in mine, I'm going to try and venture away from that and just show the struggle of two people falling in -- and staying in -- love with no mention as to how their love is affected by their gender identity.
It never sounds as good on paper as it does in my head. Let's hope it comes out better when I start my novel :(
13,786 / 50,000
Oct 22, 2009 - 07 26
Hey Jeremy, nice to meet you. I like the sound of your novel, too. It reminds me of that movie (I forget the title) starring Robin Williams. You could do a lot with it.
Not only does outside society define the way we identify ourselves, but out family and friends have a HUGE impact on who we become. The environment in which we live, too. What our parents do for a living, their hobbies, their values imprint on us for good or bad. My dad was a truck driver, and taught me how to read maps and road signs. He was a Jimmy Buffett fan, so I picked up that type of music from him. My mom likes to travel, and so do I. Lots of conflict can come from family, too. Like if your parent has a specific career they want you to go into and you don't want to.
Reading other's plots always makes me wonder how I would write something. If I had your plot, I'd make my robot character new technology, and have a family with one child "adopt" him/her as a companion for the child, and they grow up together. This opens up all the questions you rose about a robot's rights, as well all the ones I thought about. :OP
Happy writing!
C.
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Oct 26, 2009 - 16 50
Oh, let's see.
My story is a Steampunk Romance. The idea started with mythology --and I wondered, what if the Greek gods were like real folks? They don't have magical, mystical skills so much as they are empowered by technology (steampunk technology o'course). Then, a character introduced herself to me and explained that she was a Fate. Or, more accurately, the niece of the three Fates and destined to take the place of one of them. Which then got me wondering what that would do to the average person to learn that they were destined to be responsible for the lives and deaths of others. Of course, my heroine doesn't really want this future, and fights it. At this point there are a couple of other subplots going on based in Greek mythology, but that's the concept of my main story, anyhoo.
Can't wait to get started. I have gotta get this outlined (though I have most of it figured out now) before Saturday night!
----------Melissa
>Official ML for Murfreesoboro, TN<
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