So... What's Your Novel About ? ? ?

Hi Susan. Great idea for a thread! Thanks for posting it.

My novel, tentatively called Honorable Deceit, is at this moment two threads. The first is about Karen who is a widowed single mom living alone in a small town, supporting herself and her kindergarten son, Bobby. She is reclusive and doesn't ever let anyone near her heart. It is sort of "present day."

The second is about a teen woman named Margie who is dealing with the sexual assault at the hands of a boy she trusted implicitly and the murder of her father while the store he managed was robbed. This part takes place some years ago.

Where is this going? Well, in the first part of Karen's story we find out that she hasn't always been Karen. We'll soon have the two story lines converge. We'll find out how Margie became Karen and why. We'll find out why Karen is so reclusive and we'll be with her as she finds it more and more difficult to keep her secrets hidden.

I know I can do it. I just haven't ever done anything like this before. We'll see how it all works out.

Wow, Corina! That is quite an assignment you have given yourself. So intriguing, separating the time lines that way, and then showing that they converge. Are you dropping little clues along the way that (hopefully) no one will notice? How fun.

I am at a point where I need artifacts symbolizing/activating means of growth: one is a flute that, when played, takes one to the place of the deepest longing of his/her heart. I was also thinking of a mask that, when put on, shows one's true character. I'd love to hear some other ideas, if anyone cares to make suggestions.

Susan

I love the idea of a mask that reveals the true character! Super!

Let me see if I can suggest anything...

Maybe glasses of some sort that let the wearer see the immediate past and future (like maybe a few minutes on each end);

and how about shoes/boots that let you feel what another person is feeling (walking in someone else's shoes).

On my novel, I am alternating chapters odd for Karen and even for Margie. The clues are there. Not too clear at the beginning but as we progress, the Reader will make the connection between Margie's brother Roberto and Karen's son, Bobby. Karen works out of her home, catering. Margie's mother took on catering from home as her children were growing up.

I'm toying with the idea of changing Karen's name. Daisy is the English equivalent of Margarita. I'm toying with having Karen's name be Daisy instead. Not sure. Just a thought.

Thanks so much, Corina. The name thing sounds very good to me. It's a good idea. Just as an aside - my name is Susan, and we named our daughter Lily because Susan means Lily in Hebrew, so she is named after me.

And I love the boots! Great idea. The glasses, too - not sure - maybe past and future, or maybe to see the character of others.

Many thanks. I'm off now to the Forest to put it all in place.

Susan

Ooh...Where did you all come up with such intricate, interesting story ideas! And how are you handling the complicated, unwieldiness of writing novels with so many subplots? I'm impressed!

Unlike your novels, mine is pretty simple when you boil it down. But like your main character, Corina, my main character too is widowed and reclusive and female... She is left with a big chunk of property including a derelict merlot vineyard to take care of and no money to hire professionals. One day on a whim and out of desperation she picks up a Mexican day laborer on the street corner and ends up becoming intimately involved with his family.

I'm considering including a subplot of her long, failed marriage, and having her come to realize through her interactions with the Mexican family that she herself played a huge role in its decay, But these dual storyline types of novels are so hard for a beginner like me to manage.... Any one have any tips?

Leslie

The novel is about a teen woman in Mayan times and how she contributes to change in her society.
With various sub-themes.

It's no surprise to me that everybody else is tackling far more serious stories than mine. My novel follows a knight in shining armor tackling a number of challenges, often with a twist or two that takes the story just barely outside the abjectly cliche, with the protagonist relying more heavily on his own cleverness than his considerable skill with sword and spear (which is mentioned repeatedly, but not yet actually shown). It is based around stories I tell my son before bedtime, which is in turn based upon countless damsel-in-distress dragon-slaying bandit-thwarting stories that have come before. Very little depth to be found here, just a little bit of an edge to challenge the very young.

I refrained from outlining or serious character development beforehand, as the nature of the tale lends itself to a kind of rolling spontaneity.

I think those stories are the best to tell. They let you adapt things and teach the lessons that need to be taught.

Excellent way to enter NaNoWriMo!

I too began (and continue) my novel with no plan, no character sketches, no research. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Rien. It's so much more interesting that way!

Much luck!

How fun to read all of your ideas! We are a motley crew, aren't we?

John, I too am just writing by the seat of my pants. I started with a picture in my mind, of a bear, and he seemed to tell me his name was Ambrose. And then I just started writing, and off it went. I am so impressed when I hear people talking about all their notes and outlines and character studies. Maybe someday I will do some of that, too, but for now it is way too much fun watching what unfolds spontaneously.

AND, I love knights in shining armor. We really don't have enough of them these days!

Susan

Hi Leslie,
I have no tips on that, sorry. I realized my story was too simple and was likely to be too short, so I added a character with a sort-of subplot - or at least, an additional problem to solve. Now I feel that I am one of those circus performers, riding two horses at once, one foot on each. Fortunately, I was able tonight to have her disappear, so maybe I can return to doing one thing at a time. :)

Susan

Tell us more! Have you had to do a lot of research on Mayan culture? What kinds of changes? What kinds of sub-themes? It all sounds quite mysterious and complex.

Susan

Whoa, some of you guys have big stories to tell. WriterLeigh, yours sounds like it could be really good in that literary, "I feel like a better person for having read this book" kind of way.

My novel is buttery, salty popcorn in comparison. It's a mystery (of the murdering sort) and I tell everyone it should be read in airports and on BART or, if you don't mind sand, the beach. It's a cliched but I would totally read it so I don't mind writing it.

I did the "Sell Me Your Novel with a Blurb" Challenge awhile back so here's mine:

Dane Skrip, a former FBI hot shot, but now a distrusted and ambivalent agent banished to San Francisco’s tame field office, gets stuck with a new partner, Libby Ayers. Although smart and ambitious, Ayers has struggled to make a name for herself in the under funded, but prestigious Art Crimes Unit. The two are tapped to investigate the murder of a security guard at the SF Asian Art Museum where it appears nothing was stolen. When two more museum employees turn up dead, Skrip and Ayers must rely on their best connection to the black market world of stolen antiquities, Libby’s estranged brother, Paul. Once it becomes obvious more people are in danger, Skrip and Ayers are pressured to name a suspect, but can they find a killer hiding among thieves?

I can't decide what to title it. Right now it's called The Donation, but that is boring in so many, many ways.

Lots of reasearch. Complicated at the moment. Must put energy into the word count! Balanced between archaeologically-proven "facts" and imaginary possibilities. ~Karen (Mendocino County)

Sounds fascinating. You must have a particular interest in the Mayan culture. I would like someday to do a novel set in a far culture, but so far have found it too daunting. Although I think I'd love doing the research as much as the writing. I did try a historical novel set in Napa around its founding, but it has been on a back burner for several years.

Susan