story plot

cristlegirl · Post by **cristlegirl** » 25 May 2009, 08:31

I have decided to write a book, but I'm wondering how many people may be interested in it.

The story follows a women who at 32 has decided that she will have a baby on her own. She goes though the process only to finally find the man of her dreams, who also looks very familiar, but she can't place him. They become very close friends as she is afraid to start a relationship.

Eventually they both figure out that he is the father of the baby and things develop from there.

Lucinda · Post by **Lucinda** » 29 May 2009, 05:46

Cristle, I think what you propose has the potenial to explore what I think will be an issue to concern mankind in the future: Who's your daddy? With the proliferation of sperm donation and bio mechanics, how can we (man) keep track of the gene mix? Have we ever?
I think you've touched on an important theme, and you should pursue it.
Speculative fiction takes a modern phenomenon, and extrapolates it into the future, asking the "what if" question. Read Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Taleand Oryx and Crake.
If you don't go all "Mills and Boon" and avoid over romanticising the idea, you have the kernel of a great novel.
I wish you well. Keep us informed.

cristlegirl · Post by **cristlegirl** » 29 May 2009, 19:25

Thanks for your feedback. I'm almost done with the first chapter, but I find myself having the same issues I always do. I want to get the story done now and I can't write that fast!

I'm making myself back off from it sometimes, just so I don't lose interest. It's working so far.

Lucinda · Post by **Lucinda** » 31 May 2009, 06:19

I understand Cristle. I think writing is like knitting. You know that the finished product will look fantastic when you've only knitted the front panel, but you have to go through all that "knit one purl one, take the thread behind, drop a stitch, pull the row out, and start again " process;
an exercise in delayed gratification for sure. You are doing the right thing in stepping back. Keep knitting!

speechless · Post by **speechless** » 07 Jun 2009, 01:31

cristlegirl wrote:I have decided to write a book, but I'm wondering how many people may be interested in it.

The story follows a women who at 32 has decided that she will have a baby on her own. She goes though the process only to finally find the man of her dreams, who also looks very familiar, but she can't place him. They become very close friends as she is afraid to start a relationship.

Eventually they both figure out that he is the father of the baby and things develop from there.

So...she meets this man after she has the baby then? The story has potential, but it depends on your audience. This sounds like something my friends would read. I'm personally not that into romance--I've read several romance books that ruined the entire genre for me

Still, it sounds...not cliche, but not completely original. The "man of her dreams" bit would automatically turn me away because it sounds cheesy. It's just a summary though so I guess it's not a big deal.

There's a point in here somewhere...ah, here it is. I think it's a good start. A few more details would be helpful. Like, an outline. I'm not asking for one, I'm just saying

MoreCowbell · Post by **MoreCowbell** » 12 Jun 2009, 18:17

I would really be interested if there were also humor, like a Marian Keyes novel. If you're not familiar with her check out a chapter of one of her books, or a short story...she blends just enough real life with just enough humor, just enough romance, etc.

cristlegirl · Post by **cristlegirl** » 17 Jun 2009, 08:38

In the story she meets him while she's still pregnant and at first they are just friends. They figure out he is the father later on in the story so it's not something that comes up quickly.

It's kind of a romance, but will have some humor in it as well. I will have to check out Marian Keyes for inspiration as I'm not going for full on romance with this book.

tiggerbob1952 · Post by **tiggerbob1952** » 18 Jun 2009, 23:31

I may sound like I'm reverting back to the ninteenth century but I find the story more memorable if you can know the charactors and have a feel for the time and place of the story .
I refer to two notable classics. The first example is from War and Peace. Tolstoy , took great efforts to develop his charactors at the beginning of the novel. We see them respond to the effects of the Napoleonic Wars in Russia. Authors today typically don't write 1,000 page novels, they usually break the story into a series of novels. If the author does an effective job in developing the story with an intriguing plot, memorable charactors, and lucid settings, the readers will be begging for more in subsequent novels.
Another thing that Tolstoy does effectively is create a setting that transports the reader back to nineteenth century Russia. Forrester does the same in Passage to India, when he draws the reader into the lives of his charactors in nineteenth century India. Both authors are also effective narrators which make their prospective novels more than just stories but effective statements about the conditions of their time.
The plot can have a different effect on the reader if the setting or charactors are changed. Imagine if the story of War and Peace had occurred in twenty-first century Africa. We have the same story but different outcomes.

tiggerbob1952 · Post by **tiggerbob1952** » 18 Jun 2009, 23:51

I thought I was writing in response to an article in July/August 2009 Writer's Digest to the article "Confessions of a Plot Junkie".However, I hope my post will be helpful to Cristlegirl.
In writing your story, make your charactors memorable and take the time to develop each charactor. Also, where does your story occur and when? If your story occurred in the deep South, the consequences of your plot would be different than if your story occurred in a more urban setting. What were the woman's family anf friends like? Were they accepting, critical or just didn't care less? Was the father killed in Iraq or a drug addict or from a well-to-do family and didn't want to deal with the embarrassment?
If you have the ambition, you may want to develop your story into a series.
Good luck!

downrollings · Post by **downrollings** » 01 Jul 2009, 23:10

nice plot for a story

VictoriaTwead · Post by **VictoriaTwead** » 04 Jul 2009, 16:01

cristlegirl wrote:Thanks for your feedback. I'm almost done with the first chapter, but I find myself having the same issues I always do. I want to get the story done now and I can't write that fast!

I'm making myself back off from it sometimes, just so I don't lose interest. It's working so far.

In my humble opinion, I think you're going the right way about it. Get the bones of it all down in a rush, then go back and change and edit at your leisure. Then put it aside for a while and edit and change again. Hopefully, it will end up polished and as perfect as it can be. I can't tell you how many times I changed and edited my MS before it was ready for publication.

(Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools)

prettyvicky · Post by **prettyvicky** » 10 Jul 2009, 10:26

yeah. think about j k rowling

shubh · Post by **shubh** » 19 Jul 2009, 07:21

I don’t think this story has commercial potential because every lady dreams about her hero. Instead, better twist the story by involving the struggle, she faces alone in the society after having a baby but knowing the name of that fellow.

kennyg · Post by **kennyg** » 19 Jul 2009, 08:23

Well, sounds like a great idea. I think it depends on how you construct the story starting from beginning to the end, on how the relationship blossoms. It might be more interesting if you add some twist to the original story plot.