So I recently started writing a book, my first attempt on a book since nano (which was my first..).
The basic premise is that a man and his wife are eating dinner, when they hear a knock at the door. They figure it's just girl guides selling cookies, and ignore them. The knocks continue louder and louder. They open the door, and a man falls through the door, dead. He has been stabbed, and was banging on the door for help.The man wants to call the police, but the woman persuades him that the police will think they are responsible, and they bury the man in the backyard.
That's really all I have so far, I'm about 2000 words in. I plan that next the man will see a suspicious car lurking around outside his house, and he will become paranoid that someone knows what they did. I also plan that his best friend will be killed in a hit and run accident, which he begins to think was not an accident. Maybe there is a larger conspiracy here or maybe he is just paranoid, I don't know yet.
Does this sound like a decent enough storyline? Is it complete crap? Is it too similar to another story?
All comments are welcome :)
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36,649 / 50,000
Ene 6, 2008 - 14 18
i'd just be sure to explain why they wouldn't call the police. the woman has to be hiding something from her husband. or she must have some paranoia coming from somewhere. preferably, it's related to the plot. I'm not going to believe she's affriad of blame unless I see something in her behavior that I want to figure out, and how dumb is this guy? What's his story that he would let her convince him to be that dumb?
160,056 / 50,000
Ene 7, 2008 - 05 02
Yeah, what he said. :)
If you can figure out a good enough reason for her to be terrified of calling the police (maybe she was wrongly accused of killing someone else in the past or something) then it sounds like it could make quite a good story.
You may want to have your MMC have some kind of history that would make his growing paranoia slightly more likely too.
This kind of thing is very hard to get right though (trust me I've tried and failed), so I wish you good luck with it. If you can pull it off, this kind of psychological thriller always makes for a good read. (IMHO of course) :)
50,049 / 50,000
Ene 7, 2008 - 06 35
I do recall something very similar in its storyline. Everyone loves a mystery.,Suggest you write a brainstorming outline. Such as turn on some music to inspire a visual in you. Then contrive a list of possible scenarios and play them out in your mind. If plausible or believable. Take the extra time to create a basic structure. To really be creative, imagination is inspiration, so sit reflect on how bad you can be and think if you were the one plotting or work backwords in the story. Ending first and then, how you came to that end. This is a great trick I learned in beginnning to write. How do I wish this story to end. A real mind tangle that takes some serious twists and turns or a surprise ending you'd never expect or perhaps something absolutely off-guard such as the ones who answered the door were the instigators of this murder. Explore all avenues. Be clever and make your story difficult to untwist but, drop the subtle hints throughout. WELL Good Luck ! ENJOY the experience.,
50,333 / 50,000
Ene 7, 2008 - 07 54
Yeah, I think I've read something similar before, but a long time ago. Don't think that matters much since everyone's take on the different scenarios usually turn out so differently. Your plot's success will hinge on the reason why they're afraid to call the police. In the US, if the guy was on parole, that would work perfectly since even being in the vicinity of a felony could send him back to jail. Just a thought. M
63,376 / 50,000
Ene 10, 2008 - 14 02
Sounds like a great start to me. You won't have any problems making it start with a bang.
There could be any number of reasons why the woman might be afraid of the police, although I'd have thought the guy would be more likely. Maybe they just don't happen to live in a culture / environment where the police are "on your side".
I can imagine some fantastic twists too. On the one hand, they want to keep it hidden. On the other, the killer(s) probably think they witnessed the crime. And maybe, on some other limb, it turns out that it wasn't just coincidence that it was their door after all (even though they've never seen the victim before).
50,032 / 50,000
Ene 12, 2008 - 16 27
It does sound like a great story. The only thing I can think of that's (somewhat) similar is the ending to the movie Unfaithful. The reasoning there is that the husband is responsible for the death, which should be classified as manslaughter from a legal perspective, and neither he nor the wife want to tell anyone because no one will believe his death wasn't out and out murder.
You really need a plausible explanation for why they agree not to call the police. Maybe one of them recognizes the guy? I can't think of anything, but whatever you do, I think you should leave it a mystery for a good portion of the book. Have the wife convince her husband it's a good idea, even if she refuses to say why. Let him go along with it on faith, even after a heated argument for calling the authorities. Then have it slowly unravel for the reader. That would have me turning the page till I reached the end. If the wife is involved, I think it should be written entirely from the husband's POV.