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On Crimson Tide [NaNo 2020]



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Sat Oct 03, 2020 8:44 pm
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IcyFlame says...



On Crimson Tides


Toby Raymond has the perfect life. A loving wife, beautiful children and stunning country home that he's worked long and hard to own. Everything is wonderful for him. Everything, that is, except for the fact that he's dead. And he's pretty sure he's been murdered.

His body is found at sunrise by a jogger on the beach (don’t they always find the dead ones) who trips over a rock and falls head first into decomposing flesh. His scream is heard by the houses nearby and within the hour, the place is swarming with police who are combing the sand and nearby water for evidence.

Detective Joshua Wright is assigned the case and between grumbling about the early hour he manages to talk to their witness, one Noah Taylor. The only problem is he’s pretty sure seeing the corpse has made Noah go off the deep end. He keeps talking about the victim as if he’s still alive and standing right next to them, even though that’s impossible.

But Noah’s insights are somehow surprisingly helpful, and the unlikely duo team up to solve Toby’s murder and arrest his killer. The case takes them on an unexpected journey, one that certainly doesn’t fit with their victim’s lifestyle and the picturesque, coastal town where Toby lived holds far more secrets than meets the eye.

Can Noah resist the charms of Josh and uncover the secrets of Toby Raymond before it's too late, or will his demise become yet another town legend?

Spoiler! :
Please feel free to comment below and ask me questions about this plot - I'd love to talk about it! I don't have a really clear idea for where I'm taking it, so any conversation helps :)
  





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Sat Oct 03, 2020 8:49 pm
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Riverlight says...



Oo, murder mystery! Good luck! <3
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Sat Oct 03, 2020 10:06 pm
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Mageheart says...



A gay murder mystery with ghosts? Sign me up!

In all seriousness, though, this is right up my alley of favorite tropes! I love queer romances, love a good murder mystery, and love when the paranormal is actually a little bit helpful. I can't wait to see where you go with this! :)
mage

[ she/her, but in a boy kinda way ]

roleplaying is my platonic love language.

queer and here.
  





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Sat Oct 03, 2020 11:48 pm
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Carlito says...



Love the voice in the description alone!! Excited to see how the idea progresses :)
It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.

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Mon Oct 05, 2020 12:47 pm
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IcyFlame says...



@Magebird that's the perfect summary of the plot, haha xD glad you like it!

@Carlito thanks! I'm planning to try the HP word crawl to help me after you inspired me :)
  





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Mon Oct 05, 2020 1:17 pm
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IcyFlame says...



In preparation for next month, I've been playing about with creating some of my characters. Here's Noah, my protagonist :) He looks a lot younger than his age here, but he is rather baby faced.

Noah's life is quiet and simple and that's just the way he likes it. A teacher of literature at a local night school, he'd rather read about other people's lives than live his own.
He lives with his on again off again girlfriend come flatmate, Astra.

Age: Early 30s

Preference: Straight... he thinks. Although he's not really been that into Astra for a while now he comes to think of it. But that's just because he's known her a long time. It's completely normal...right?
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Noah Taylor.png
Noah Taylor - protagonist
  





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Mon Oct 05, 2020 1:21 pm
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Carlito says...



IcyFlame wrote:@Carlito thanks! I'm planning to try the HP word crawl to help me after you inspired me :)

I've written almost 75,000 words with it so far!! (And I still have 11 challenges to go).
You'll finish NaNo no problem! :)
It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.

Ask a Therapist!
I want to beta read your novel!


Ask me anything. Talk to me about anything. Seriously. My PM box is always open <3
  





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Sun Oct 11, 2020 8:45 pm
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IcyFlame says...



PlanMo: Journal Challenge One


1. World-building! What world do your characters live in? A fantasy world? A sci-fi world? The real world? If in the real world--what place? What makes the world your characters live in unique? Describe in your thread what your world looks like.

On Crimson Tide is a contemporary novel, with very little in the way of magic/supernatural elements (apart from our resident ghost of course). It's set somewhere in the last ten years, with no global pandemics, thank you very much.

I'm never very precise with where I set my novels, because I want to have the freedom to make my own geography. What we do know, is that the story takes place in a medium sized city, where the population thins out towards areas of the beach.

Josh lives in the centre of the city, in a crappy one bedroom apartment. It's small but it's got one hell of a view, something that he uses to its full extent when inviting fellow bar-goers back to watch the sunrise.

Noah's apartment is out of the hustle and bustle of the city - a quiet place for a quiet guy! Throughout the course of the story he'll have to venture into the city more and more, and perhaps it's not as bad as he once thought.
  





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Mon Oct 12, 2020 2:41 am
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Liminality says...



I like that you have Josh in centre, whereas Noah has to travel further and further into the city; is that a case of location reflecting character arc? I also wonder how Noah meets Toby's ghost. Did they know each other when Toby was alive or is it more of a chance coincidence?
she/her

.
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Mon Oct 12, 2020 7:55 am
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IcyFlame says...



Hi @Liminality thanks for the questions! :)

Location at the moment is more reflective of personality than character arc, although Noah will definitely have to travel into the city more and more. The hustle and bustle of people totally isn't his thing but he starts to find that when he has purpose of going, it's not so terrible.

For meeting Toby's ghost, Noah is the first person to discover Toby's body. He's never met a ghost before so this is all very new for him!
  





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Mon Oct 12, 2020 1:42 pm
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IcyFlame says...



PlanMo: Journal Challenge Two


2. Have a think about your opening scene. Write about what plot points will be hit and what information will be shared in your first scene, or first scene that you consider to be important.

The story starts with a beautiful sunrise on an empty beach. The sea is a dark blue, the sky is beginning to take on a golden hue and Noah decides it's the perfect morning for a job. He might have been right, it really was a nice morning, until he trips and lands face first on top of a dead body.

He lets out a very loud scream and soon enough the scene is swarming with a forensics team and several detectives. The ME states that it looks like drowning and there are no immediate signs of foul play so perhaps it was an accident. Noah would be convinced too, except there's a very angry ghost stood next to him insisting that this was no accident, this was murder.

Noah's never been able to see or speak to ghosts before so understandably, he's pretty freaked out by this occurrence and tries his best to ignore it, hoping that it'll just go away. But the ghost is so insistent that finally Noah speaks up to the lead detective and together they uncover something of a clue.

Noah isn't that fond of Detective Joshua Wright at their first meeting, and is even more uncomfortable when Josh begins to flirt shamelessly with him...
Uniforms head off to canvas the area and see if anyone from the area hasn't been seen in a while and Noah and Josh find a mysterious fishing boat hidden behind some bushes.
  





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Mon Oct 12, 2020 1:46 pm
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IcyFlame says...



In keeping with my planning - here's a quick pic crew I made of Joshua Wright. He's our main detective and a constant source of both irritation and confusion for Noah.

Josh will flirt with anything if it stands still for long enough, something that often gets him in to trouble during murder investigations...
Attachments
download20200903142804.png
Detective Joshua Wright
  





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Sat Oct 17, 2020 9:46 pm
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IcyFlame says...



3. Don't neglect your villain. We may spend less time with this character, but it is crucial to the existence of the plot that your character's opposition be as believable and interesting as possible. For this challenge, either write about your antagonist's aims, characteristics, flaws, fears etc or, if you're feeling musical, write a lament-style song for them.

I'm never feeling musical, so we're going to stick with words for this one ;)

As On Crimson Tides is mostly contemporary fiction, there's no clearly defined villain because in general that's not how real life works. However, there are a couple of clear antagonists in this story:


1. Noah's mental health. This is not something that is clear at the beginning of the novel, though him seeing a ghost is probably not a good sign. Noah is constantly at war with his mental health, but also in complete denial about it which is the best combination. Seriously super healthy.

2. Josh's father. Sure, his father is the reason Josh got the job and also probably the reason he hasn't been fired for it as of yet but there's no way his father will ever forget it. Angry and controlling he very much disapproves of his son's lifestyle choices and lets him know it at every possible opportunity. His aim: get Josh to stop messing about and take his life seriously for a change. He fears that Josh will leave the force, which he’ll pretend is because he’s afraid he’ll ruin his life but really he’s afraid his son will leave and never contact him again as soon as he doesn’t need to for work. He’s a very proper man, tall and burly with a clear defined sense of right and wrong; this is perfect for working against crime but not so great dealing with a son who just wants to be accepted by his father, no matter what.

3. Our real villain (Toby’s killer) is a massive spoiler so I won’t reveal that for now. Instead, I’ll say that their aim was to kill Toby and get away with is but there’s a chance they’re not going to luck out on that with Noah & Josh on the case!
  





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Mon Oct 19, 2020 11:30 am
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IcyFlame says...



PlanMo Journal Challenge 4

4. Fill out the following questionnaire from the NaNo site about at least one of your side characters, though the more you do the more prepared you will be.

This took me forever so I may not find the will to do it for another character. I’ll see if I have any time left at the end of this month. I’ve done this for Josh, our resident detective and possible love interest.

Name: Joshua Franklin Wright
Age: 31
Height: 5'10"
Eye colour: Grey
Physical appearance: Medium build, slightly more on the slim side. Dark, thick head of hair which used to be long but he's cut it since. He definitely straightens it though and then gels it back. He can't stand its natural waves. Short beard/stubble which he keeps because his dad hates it. Wears glasses with thicker frames, but fashun.
Strange or unique physical attributes:His ears fold completely if he squashes them with his fingers. There is very little resistance.
Favourite clothing style/outfit: Black skinny jeans, preferably with rips in them (though he can't wear these at work) white high tops and a longline sweater. Again, black if he has the option.Likes a good scarf too.
Where does he live? What is it like there? He lives in the centre of a city called Hanford, which is in some non-specified US state. There are lots of high rise buildings and it's always busy with people which suits Josh just fine because he thrives off the hustle and bustle. He grew up in a much smaller town and it was slow and boring and nobody was anything like him. Now, in the city centre he's much more at home.
Defining gestures/movements: Rolls his eyes. A lot.
Things about his appearance he/she would most like to change: His wavy hair drives him insane. When it rains and goes frizzy he seriously considers shaving it all off. He also wouldn't mind being a bit taller too, if given the choice.
Speaking style: Speaks pretty quickly, if that counts as a style.
Pet peeves: People using his belongings without asking. People shouldn't touch things that don't belong to them
Fondest memory: his mother dragging him around the art galleries in Europe
Hobbies/interests: Flirting, partying, drawing, sudoku puzzles
Special skills/abilities: Flirting, sometimes solving crimes, being dramatic
Insecurities: Firmly convinced that sharing any kind of deep personal feelings is a big old nope. That’s what makes people leave.
Quirks/eccentricities: His whole personality is a quirk tbh
Temperament: Sarcastic, quick witted, easily frustrated
Negative traits: Quick to judge, pretty impatient, blunt.
Things that upset him. Homophobia/transphobia. People who want him to be something he’s not.
Things that embarrass him: Accidentally letting his feelings show
This character is highly opinionated about: LGBT+ rights
Any phobias? -- Germs, heights, bugs.
Things that make him happy: Pleasing aesthetics, parties, his friends.
Family (describe): Mother died when he was eleven and father was a huge workaholic so he was largely raised by his grandmother. She would defend him to his father and strongly believed he could do anything he put his mind to even though he feels like he gave her a thousand reasons to think otherwise. She died nearly ten years before the story takes place and he misses her every day.
Deepest, darkest secret: He still craves his father’s approval after all this time
Reason he/she has kept this secret for so long: He likes to pretend that nothing affects him.
Other people's opinions of this character: His father is infuriated by him, his friends love him but find him exhausting and Noah doesn’t really know what to make of him at all.
Favourite bands/songs/types of music: 80s power ballads all the way.
Favourite movies: Miss Congeniality & Legally Blonde
Favourite TV shows:[b] Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Favourite books: Stephen King's The Mist
[b] Favourite foods:
Hawaiian pizza
Favourite sports/sports teams: Absolutely zero interest in sports and all the outfits are gross, thanks.
Political views: progressive
Religion/philosophy of life: Raised as Christian but didn’t have a particularly accepting church so doesn’t practise religion anymore. He still has his faith, but is super private about it. He generally just tries to be a good person.
Physical health: Fine, although his fitness levels leave something to be desired.
Dream holiday: Paris, to go back and explore the places he went with his mother when he was younger
Description of his/her house: A small but very light apartment, Josh has a very minimalistic style so most of his stuff is meticulously stored away. All the surfaces are clear and empty. The bedroom and bathroom are separate rooms but the rest is open plan. It may be small, but the view is magnificent, and that's the main reason he chose this apartment. It's on the tenth floor.
Description of his/her room: Same as the rest of his apartment. Airy, light, simple.
Any pets? -- Nope, they require too much time.
Best thing that has ever happened to this character: Meeting Noah is probably the best but also one of the worst things that has ever happened to him, because angst.
Worst thing that has ever happened to this character: His mother's death, closely followed by the death of his grandmother
Superstitions: Believes in ghosts, and believes his grandmother came to tell him off after he didn’t come to see her in the hospital.
Three words to describe this character: Spontaneous, sarcastic, blunt
If a song played every time this character walked into a room, what song would it be? What’s Love got to do with it? - Tina Turner
  








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