NovMo 24: can you keep a secret?

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Roxanne
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Mon Oct 07, 2024 8:26 pm
Roxanne says... · Mon Oct 07, 2024 8:26 pm
can you keep a secret?

Imagecover by the amazing @NadyaStatham <3


Thriller

Drama

Unreliable narrator



Goals
*Character development
*Work on locations (descriptions, etc)
*Finish (at least half) the draft
*Outline chapters

Tidbits
*Around this time last year, the idea for this novel came to life!
*Title change?
*might also start working on one of my new novels
“It is always sad when someone leaves home, unless they are simply going around the corner and will return in a few minutes with ice cream sandwiches.”
- Lemony Snicket
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Roxanne
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Mon Oct 07, 2024 9:41 pm
Roxanne says... · Mon Oct 07, 2024 9:41 pm
“It is always sad when someone leaves home, unless they are simply going around the corner and will return in a few minutes with ice cream sandwiches.”
- Lemony Snicket
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Roxanne
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Reviews 187
Mon Oct 07, 2024 9:46 pm
Roxanne says... · Mon Oct 07, 2024 9:46 pm

Elevator Pitch



The story follows Jupiter, a writer with a sharp mind. Years after the rift between her circle of friends, Jupiter's peaceful life in the city with her husband and daughter is shattered by the sudden death of one of her friends, branded a suicide.

A blackmailer soon enters the lives of the remaining four, hinting at a terrible event from their childhood town. The remaining four look back at memories of their own, and memories that they buried together. Secrets, grief, broken hearts and betrayal, not everyone is willing to face the truth. But it all started much earlier, with a fire, a disappearance, a game of cards and an innocent small town.
“It is always sad when someone leaves home, unless they are simply going around the corner and will return in a few minutes with ice cream sandwiches.”
- Lemony Snicket
Quote




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Roxanne
Gender Female
Points 36316
Reviews 187
Mon Oct 07, 2024 9:47 pm
Roxanne says... · Mon Oct 07, 2024 9:47 pm

Characters



Main Character
Jupiter
Spoiler
Name: Jett (Juliette) - she/her
Role: Main character who's trying to piece everything together
POV: First person


Secondary Main Characters
Earth
Spoiler
Name: Adeel - he/him
Role: Secondary main character who tries to reveal more about their past
POV: First person (writes in a diary but you're not supposed to know that already 0.0)

Mars
Spoiler
Name: Marcus - he/him
Role: Secondary main character who wants to leave everything buried in the past
POV: Third person

Saturn
Spoiler
Name: Shea - he/him
Role: Secondary main character whose life turned upside down and can't reveal anything
POV: Third person

Venus
Spoiler
Name: Dena - she/her
Role: Secondary main character who made a 'perfect' life and wants to pretend nothing ever happened
POV: Third person


*Friend group (Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, Venus, Earth) --> The Circle


Side Characters
Spoiler
Celeste - household helper
Paul - driver
Emma - Jupiter's daughter
Trevor - Jupiter's brother
Ian - Trevor's childhood friend
Mr Red - uncle figure for the five friends
Orange stall lady
Earth's landlady
Odel - Mars' secretary
Rena - Saturn's friend
Jupiter's parents
Earth's parents
Saturn's sister
“It is always sad when someone leaves home, unless they are simply going around the corner and will return in a few minutes with ice cream sandwiches.”
- Lemony Snicket
Quote




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Roxanne
Gender Female
Points 36316
Reviews 187
Mon Oct 07, 2024 9:47 pm
Roxanne says... · Mon Oct 07, 2024 9:47 pm

Locations



feel free to suggest names for the locations :]

City
  • Jupiter's house
  • Earth's apartment
  • School
  • Bar
  • Saturn's house
  • Mars' office (work place)
  • Venus' house
  • Graveyard

Town (in the suburbs)
  • Huge barn
  • Stalls
  • Several small houses (including one of each member of the Circle)
  • "The House" - Tower with large basement
  • Lake
  • Forest
  • "White Place" - Small part of land with white sand, close to the forest
“It is always sad when someone leaves home, unless they are simply going around the corner and will return in a few minutes with ice cream sandwiches.”
- Lemony Snicket
Quote




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Carlito
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Thu Oct 10, 2024 1:58 am
Carlito says... · Thu Oct 10, 2024 1:58 am
Oooh sounds twisty!! Love the title and aesthetics! Looking forward to seeing how this develops :)
It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.

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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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Roxanne
Gender Female
Points 36316
Reviews 187
Sun Oct 13, 2024 8:34 pm
Roxanne says... · Sun Oct 13, 2024 8:34 pm
thank you @Carlito ! <3

Main character


Write a few paragraphs about who your main character is before the novel starts. Not what they look like or what they do, but who are they on the inside? What do they believe? Want? Where are they in their life? (Why is the plot of this book you're about to write going to change them?)

Spoiler
Jupiter has a sharp and calculating mind while also a caring and talkative side. Before the novel begins, Jupiter's life has already had some major cracks in it, she's suffered several losses involving her mother's death, her father's abandonment of the family, and another major loss that's part of a twist. All of this happened mostly in the town, except her mother's death, which happens later.

Because of everything she has been through (plus the terrible event she and the other four were responsible for), she moved to the city to get a peaceful life.

But the chain of events that will start with the friend's death will push her on a journey that might just blur the lines between right and wrong. And so, unfortunately, her peaceful life doesn’t last very long, it was hardly one at all.



Most Challenging Character


Describe which character you think will be the most challenging to write. Plan how you will rise to that challenge! Do they need extra research? How might you tackle the scenes they are in differently to other scenes?

Spoiler
The main character and Mars, because their characters are so much more complex. The scenes they are in are the best to write, but also the most difficult. Their parts will bring a different perspective to the story, and they have major roles, which means they are involved in the main plot twists. I'm not sure research will help much here, but maybe more planning and character development so that the suspense/drama isn't overwhelming and no twists are revealed earlier than they need to be XD
“It is always sad when someone leaves home, unless they are simply going around the corner and will return in a few minutes with ice cream sandwiches.”
- Lemony Snicket
Quote




User avatar
Roxanne
Gender Female
Points 36316
Reviews 187
Sun Oct 13, 2024 8:41 pm
Roxanne says... · Sun Oct 13, 2024 8:41 pm

Inciting Incident



The inciting incident of the story is actually the death of Earth, the friend who dies. Not only does this shock the characters (or so it should seem to the reader, because some of them already know that it's not suicide *cue dramatic music*), but more importantly it sets a plan in motion of one of the members of The Circle. However, it's the main twist. so the inciting incident for the reader would be when the main character is blackmailed, which starts all the drama and suspense.
“It is always sad when someone leaves home, unless they are simply going around the corner and will return in a few minutes with ice cream sandwiches.”
- Lemony Snicket
Quote




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Spearmint
Gender Female
Points 35327
Reviews 315
Tue Nov 05, 2024 5:31 am
Spearmint says... · Tue Nov 05, 2024 5:31 am
Spoiler
dun dun dunnnnn! i'm already intrigued by this novel :eyes: i wish you the best this NovMo, Roxanne!!
mint, she/her


.--. / ... ...- -.-. .-.. / - .--. ..- .- / .--- --- ...- .--- / .--- --- .--. .-- / .--. .--- .-.. / .--- -.-- .-.. .... -
=D
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When a body moves, it's the most revealing thing. Dance for me a minute, and I'll tell you who you are.
— Mikhail Baryshnikov