For years I’ve had book ideas in my head but never had the motivation to focus and actually write them down.
I also know that once I start, it would become (and have to be) an obsession. I’m the sort of person who stays awake all night to finish something I’ve started, even if I have time the next day to do it. I read all 4 Twilight books within a week and it consumed my every thought during that time (saw the movie for the 2nd time last night so it’s returned to my thoughts again!).
I read all 7 Harry Potter books in 2 weeks and grieved their disappearance when I’d finished the last one.
I don’t do things by halves!
It’s because I recognise this single-minded preoccupation in myself that I procrastinate when it comes to starting something I enjoy doing. I KNOW I’ll become manic and fixated on it and rob time away from my family and friends to feed it.
But, finally I have some time to be obssessed by a project and have thought of a concept that has really inspired me and managed to tear me away from Twilight websites! It’s something I really want to write and that I would want to read.
Problem is, I can’t get my head around a setting for the concept. I have the characters in my head and the emotion of the story, I just can’t piece it together in a way that makes the story interesting, believable and relevant.
The basic idea I have is (surprise, surprise) a love story. I’m a sucker for heartbreaking love stories and I know I want the love story to be the central thread the story is created around.
So here is the nucleus of my story, I just need some help with the setting and conflict.
Girl and Boy (18ish, strangers to each other) have grown up knowing they will have an arranged marriage – some sort of political agenda?
As they get older they (girl especially) rebel against not having a choice in who they marry and they want to marry for love.
Girl meets boy in neutral place that doesn’t give away who each of them are. They fall in love over a few clandistine meetings without knowing who each other really are (the "who they really are" part is one of the things I need help with and will be dependant on setting).
Girl is given birthday gift of a glimpse into the future which predicts that disaster (to her family or herself) will occur if she marries her betrothed.
She takes this to mean that the arranged marriage is cursed and she must avoid it at all costs which ties in nicely with her wanting to choose anyway.
Until she knows who the betrothed is, she won’t be able to figure out what the disaster will be if she married him and so she can’t go to her parents to dissuade them from an arranged marriage. She must hold the secret until the puzzle makes sense in order to avert the disaster and save her family/herself.
INTRODUCING HEARTBREAKING LOVE TWIST
When she is introduced to her betrothed, it is the boy she is in love with.
She can’t marry him because he is the betrothed one, but she can’t be with anyone else because it is him she loves.
They are now able to spend lots of time with each other under the pretence of getting to know their betrothed before the wedding, but instead they fall deeper in love and at the same time recognise the reason why the union will end in disaster (insert your idea here!).
Seeing no way around the problem, Girl flees in hopes that Boy will forget her and marry someone else.
Anguish, despair, tears etc etc etc for month on both sideas.
Boy believes Girl mustn’t love him and so agrees to another betrothal.
In the mean time, Girl discovers a solution to quandry (insert idea here) and rushes back to find Boy, only to be told he is to marry someone else.
More tears, angst, self-torture etc etc.
At altar Boy realises he can’t marry anyone but Girl and walks out on marriage determined to end his life.
At 11th hour Girl and Boy manage to get to each other and vow to never leave each other but to work together on solving conflict.
End book 1.
Book 2 – working together, Girl and Boy try to avoid the future shown to girl and allow them to marry. In process Girl and Boy must separate AGAIN for the sake of the bigger picture. Perhaps girl must pretend she will marry someone else for political strategy with Boy watching on helpless?
Book 3 – conclusion and Girl and Boy FINALLY get it together.
Um, er, that’s it.
That’s what I have going round and round my head and I’m desperately trying to mold it around a setting and conflict I’m comfortable writing about.
So far I have considered and 90% discounted an Indian setting (arranged marriage) because I’m not comfortable with writing a Bollywood novel which is how I imagine it would turn out.
The other option is a fantasy land in days of yore a’la Lord of the Rings. However, I’m not a huge fantasy reader and it doesn’t appeal to me to write something that I wouldn’t be attracted to read myself.
The thought of creating a whole other world is quite daunting and I’m rubbish at invent
Wow! Thanks for the responses so far. Ry-Guy esp. Never in a million years considered the crime/mob angle but it does mean I get to keep my modern setting. Unbelievable food for thought. I’ve got butterflies just anticipating fleshing it out.
I’d still appreciate other thoughts while I ponder a Soprano style setting.
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