Weekly Plot Help - Week of November 3rd

[alison-sky.livejournal.com]

Got a problem in your NaNo? Who doesn't?! But we've got a way to help!

Post here with your plot problems, and all through the week members of the community will scan through and see if they can help.

AKA - The best way to procrastinate is to help others!

So post your problem. Then take a moment to look at everyone else's and see if you can help them.

People helping people. That's what makes this community great :)

So have at it!

Comments

[trenchcoatedson.livejournal.com]

Okay, so, I'm writing a story about a man who is from the Ozarks (Oliver). When he was younger (pre-18) his brother (Michael) was murdered. His brother is two years younger than him.

As an adult (19), Oliver begins receiving letters that his brother is still alive (although not directly from his brother- a mysterious source, who may or may not be his brother.) They also say that his brother is currently living on the island of Mykonos, so Oliver goes off to find him.

The problem I'm having here is HOW would his brother pull that off? I imagine him to still be quite young... maybe 13? 12? I can see how he could run away and disappear. I don't see his family questioning that, so they wouldn't be looking for him. But then how would he manage to survive on his own- being under 18 and all? How could he get a job? Wouldn't someone get suspicious as to him and call child services? Or am I really naive and it's much easier than I think for a kid to run away, and if no one's looking for them and believes they're gone, then it's not hard for them to survive until they reach 18?

Bawwww help. ):

[situationgirl.livejournal.com]

So, IMHO, I think you're right about how hard it is for kids to run away. However, your MC's brother was murdered, right? Obviously somebody (the murderer, or supposed murderer, or the people who framed someone else for the murder) needed the younger brother for something, and they needed him unconditionally, without limits. Whoever did the deed has been taking care of the brother since then. It sounds to me like you've got a hidden conspiracy.

So what kind of conspiracy do you have? Is it a cult set on bringing about the apocalypse? Is it a secret school for spies? Is it a new-age commune where everyone eats boiled buckwheat for breakfast?

Go forth and conspire.

[trenchcoatedson.livejournal.com]

Oh man, I didn't even think of that. I was thinking of just he pretended that he was murdered but in truth, ran away, by himself. Haha... that idea is way cooler. AND WOULD PROBABLY BOOST MY WORD COUNT!

Plus it's a ~mystery/suspense~ novel. THOSE ALWAYS NEED A GOOD CONSPIRACY.

[imaginepageant.livejournal.com]

I agree with the above commenter—sounds like someone else orchestrated the fake death. I immediately thought of a woman who had just lost her son and took Michael as a replacement. Don't know why, but it lit up like a lightbulb in my head.

I think it's very believable for him to have run away and made it on his own, though. Overnight, he could hop on a train (or a plane if he somehow had a phony passport) and get hundreds or thousands of miles away from home before anyone realized he was gone. Once they realized he was dead they'd stop looking for him; no one would think to ask the train station or airport if they saw a little boy taking a trip the night before. Then he could live on the streets of a big city like New York for awhile—amongst all the other homeless people, he wouldn't be very noticeable.