Young Writers Society

Ok.

In the 1930s and 1940s as most of us know Hitler came to power in Gernany. He swept across Europe and killed many. News of the horror and what was happening accross the sea reaches the small towns of America. Roy who is only 16 signed up for the Army. He forged his parents signatures and left his abusive father and non-caring mother.

The book should start on June 6th in the morning when Roy wakes up and prepares his gear etc. Something he sees or smells triggers a flash back and he goes back to his earliest memory. This will happen the entire book all the way through D-Day.

Now I need to know is this a good plot?

Thanks
-Huston

Hmkay. I shall do my very best to look this over. ^^

He forged his parents signatures and left his abusive father and non-caring mother.

Looking at this, I am wondering how original the situation would be. I've seen a lot of authors do the non-caring parents angle and very few have been able to pull it off well. There are other factors to take into consideration, such as what else he is leaving. He'd have friends, possibly other family, or so one would think. If he does have other people who love him in his life, it might be a slightly more powerful piece.

However, if you do add in other people who love him, don't ramp up the angst at home. What I meant by "more powerful" is your MC would have a strong enough desire to help with the war that he'd risk his life despite his friends and other families. Although I'm not sure if that's any less cliche or not. However, I do think it is better than just the "bad parent" thing.

Now I need to know is this a good plot?

Um, I can't exactly answer that question because you haven't given us enough information for us to really get an idea. Where's the conflict? Will it cause him to go insane, knowing what he left? Will it just be to mirror what's currently going on? Tell us more about the internals so we know what the plot is. ^^

Hope I helped, and if you have any questions PM me!

~Rosey

I would just like to encourage you to avoid having all your action happen in the flash backs. Be sure to have some action happening in the current world as well, if you're going to switch back and forth between them. I didn't get an idea of where he is at the present time -- how is he flashing back to these experiences? Is he still in the service?

Just be sure that you have a plot outside simply relating the story of the history. If you don't have anything else, your book will be nothing more than retelling memories -- why not just tell the memories as they happen, if that's the case? Be sure that using flashback instead of making it the story serves a purpose -- give the character's opinions on the occurrences as well.

If you do this well enough and put a heck of a lot of time into research, it could be good, but there are also so many ways to mess it up. xD I suppose that's the same with everything though.

Good luck! PM me if you have any questions about this or if you have any questions about the site in general! Welcome to YWS, by the way. ^_^

-Hannah-

Rosey I think I know what you mean by the whole parent thing. I will be sure to change that into something less used.

I really didn't think of how the flashbacks will tie into the present time. If I take my time in this and really think about it I think I should be able to get it done with, I will revise the plot abit to make it tie in. Thanks for the help!

Ok I am still working on research so bear with me please.

My MC Roy lived in a small town in the United States. The town consist of a grocery store, hardware store, a church, and other needed buildings. In Roys home was his parents and two older brothers. When Roy was little he became friends with a girl who went to his school.

When they were teens they were together more and more often. Until, His older brothers joined the navy and were stationed in Pearl Harbor in 1940 one year before Pearl Harbor, they were killed on the same ship. It crushed Roy and only the girl could get Roy out of his house.

He enlisted into the military hoping to take revenge on his brothers and fight for his love. After enlisting he was surprised o be shipped to Britain instead of the Pacific front. He and thousands of others prepare for what would be called D-Day.

Ok that little tibit should be my flashbacks of the novel. It will include all the events leading up to the war in Roy's perspective and the towns. When Roy's brothers enlist and die, and Roys love for the girl (No Name Yet).



Ok I revised it a little and that is only a part of the story. I think when I actually make a organized document of it, it should be clearer to understand sorry for all the bluntness I cannot explain it to well.

This looks like a very good idea. I have a thing for Historical Fiction novels, especially novels with real people as the main characters ^o^. World War Two was such an interesting time. I'd defiantly read your book.

I do have one thing, though. The flashback part of it is a little bit Cliche. We see It all the time, In Novels like A Walk To Remember (1999) or Titanic (1997), along with countless others. You want to have originality in your novel. If readers pick it up and see the prologue go something along the lines of 'I remember the day like it was yesterday', they'd put it down. Why?

Because It's already been done before. Unless there is an extremely important sub-plot going on in the present that holds the story together like glue (Titanic), I recommend dropping it and putting the whole story in the past as if it was the present.

Ok I understand what you mean.

Well, as it stands, it has potential. But I have a few concerns:

His older brothers joined the navy and were stationed in Pearl Harbor in 1940 one year before Pearl Harbor, they were killed on the same ship.

I don't know much about American military law in the 1940s, I have to say, but have you seen the film Saving Private Ryan? His brothers are killed and because of that, some people are drafted to take him, being the only son left, back home. I have a feeling that this man won't be allowed to join because of that law.

But not sure. Anyway, the girl thing seems a bit of an add-on; there's no point to the history between the two if it doesn't affect him in the modern day (i.e. D-Day). Perhaps she is in France, and he has to get to her and this is the only way? Something like that? The thing is, if the flashbacks go through the war, then you'll need to focus heavily on his character. Historians can tell you about the events but not what they felt, their histories. Read Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks and you'll see what I mean. That's a great novel.

Anyway, pad this out and give it some deeper quality, and then... yeah. Go for it!

I love the plot, that sounds like the type of story I would like to read. =)

It does have some potential. I think that one parent needs to be afraid or someone else, a friend maybe, should be worried for him. It will need alot of work if no one cares. Good luck!

Hmmm... After just skimming over this thread, I would have to say that the only thing I could possibly think of while reading it over was The Red Badge of Courage. Judging by your introductory post, Huston, this would be nearly identical to the opening of that book. In Red Badge of Courage, the MC, Henry Someone-or-another-that-I-can't-remember, enlists in the army to fight in the Civil War, against the will of his mother. (The father is not seen in the book.) So just another thought for you when considering this opening plot.

However, I do like the ideas for motivation that you give your main character. At the same time, I feel that it is not actually representative of something that would happen during that time. During World War II, nearly all boys and men seventeen and older were not just asked to go to war--they were drafted to go. That might create for an interesting bit of character development. Perhaps Roy would NOT want to go to war, but would be required to by the Draft, and thus he would begin to fight for the woman he loves in order to keep him moving.

That might not be getting very far from being stereotypical, though.

And, to address the brief conversation about flashbacks, I think that the same elements could be incorporated into the story as either dreams or brief bits and pieces of memories speckled throughout. I will argue that flashbacks suggest that the character was actually there when the event occurred. Since he was not there, you could consider writing a prologue from the point of view of someone who was there that could perhaps become significant later in the story, or you could completely eliminate the visual element completely--in example, hearing the news on the radio.

The hardest part about writing Historical Fiction, as far as I can see, is not only the research, but staying true to the time while giving the story you want. So if I were you, I wouldn't simply research what happened during the war or what people were there, but also research how life was for US Citizens, soldiers, foreign soldiers, captured cities, etcetera. Some great ways to do that would be through diaries, letters, first-hand accounts, or anything else like that. Those aspects are what will make your historical fiction writing the best possible.

But these are all just my two cents. Take or leave them as you will.

~Vox