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Friday, July 22, 2011

Friday Plot Swap~Reality Style

Friday Plot Swap

Dawn's Plot Swap
Have a plot? Leave one
Need a plot ? Take one
Reality Style
 Ever have something happen to you or someone around you that would make a great plot? 

Here is what I have for you this Friday:
 For those of you writing YA:
When I was fourteen, I met a boy at an amusement park. He lived across the country. After seeing each other twice that weekend, we wrote letters every week (no cell phones or internet) for three years. A week before my senior prom, I broke up with my boyfriend and as a graduation gift, my parents flew my pen-pal down to be my date. 
For those of writing mystery or suspense:
Three members of my mom's immediate family all died in the same week in July. Exactly 8 years apart. 
 
For those of you writing paranormal:
My oldest daughter had an imaginary friend until she was five. Her friend's name was "Grammy" and, obviously, a grandmother type. She had all of her Pre-K teachers convinced Grammy was real. She talked about spending weekends with Grammy, getting ice cream and Grammy's cute dog having an accident on the rug. This was all sweet until she started talking about Grammy spanking her with a tree limb. This is a child who has never been swatted with anything other than a hand in her life and has never seen any one beat with a "switch". The weirdest was one night when she told me about going to see Grammy. But Grammy was in bed, wouldn't wake up and her face was blue. Then she didn't talk about Grammy anymore.
So, swap with me! What's happened to you or someone around you or your neighbor's cousin's sister-in-law's best friend that would make a great plot? 
 

4 comments:

Jessica R. Patch said...

I got my first car (after I was married) from a man who's wife had committed suicide. (not in the car) He was remarrying and wanted to sell it fast, so we got it at a steal. A few months later, I had issues rolling the window down. We took the door panel off and inside was some loose change, a gold wedding band (fit me perfectly) and a safe deposit key. Hmmm....

I still have both.

Tressa Green said...

That last one is CREEPY!!! Your pen pal story is super sweet! It really would make a great YA novel. :)

Here's something out of my life:
When I was young, I became terrified by the idea of my house catching on fire. I would plan out ways for me to save my cat and my parakeet. This went on all through high school.

When I was 20, we had moved back to my husband's parent's house, but had left most of our things in the house we were moving from. When we finally had the money to rent a moving truck and made the hour drive back to our house, it was burned to the ground.

At 30, we lived in a beautiful, 3k square foot Victorian. Basically my dream house. We'd lived there about a year and a half. In the wee hours of the night in October, our oldest son woke us. Smoke was so thick in the air, you couldn't see five feet in front our you. We got all three kids out and our two dogs. My youngest son's blanket, my purse and my art satchel, which were both by the door, were all we carried out. I sat in our truck crying as I watched my house burn down.

Honestly, I'm a little afraid of next year when I turn 40...

Reality sometimes really is stranger than fiction.

Dawn Alexander said...

Jessica~ I could totally make a story from yours! Like maybe the safety deposit box held some "if anything ever happens to me" type documents.

Tressa~ I am so sorry about your house. I have friends who lost everything in a fire. It is devastating. I would be worried about turning 40, too!

Anonymous said...

My co-author accuses me of Plotaday Syndrome; leaving a trail of innocent, unfinished manuscript carcasses by the wayside. But I can't share - I want to write them ALL! :)