Young Writers Society

Monsters aren't real. They are myths and legends, designed to entertain people. Annabeth Grayson has known that since she was seven. Bigfoot and Nessie are mysteries, but she knows they are fiction.

Ghosts, demons... a creepy novel.

So when a hiker claimed to have been attacked by the Specter Moose, a large, ghostly animal native to Maine, Annabeth thinks it's a trick of the eye.

But she's about to get a nasty shock when an old woman appears on her doorstep and claims Annabeth is a monster hunter. And not only is she a monster hunter, but Annabeth is the latest reincarnation of a long line of monster hunters.

Greta, the old woman, is Annabeth's past life's sister, and she's going to train Annabeth for the job.

Because things are getting worse.

The supernatural are resurfacing in the human world. It's getting harder and harder to keep them hidden.

And Typhon is going to make his move.

I hope you don't mind me replying to this thread, but ahhh!! I'm so happy you're doing a novel with Annabeth. I saw the title of your NaNo project and hoped it would have something to do with her. It's giving me a mix of Buffy the Vampire Slayer vibes and a web comic called Sword Interval. I love the twist of Annabeth being a reincarnated hunter, and I especially love how Greta is Annabeth's past life's sister! The potential for some heartbreaking conversations is there and I am so ready for it.

I'll definitely be keeping an eye on this story as you write it this November!

Aww, thanks so much @Magebird! I’m so glad you love Annabeth! I figured it was high time to write her novel. I’m reading that web comic you linked, and it’s giving me a lot of inspiration.

Annabeth Medford is the protagonist.

Appearance: Annabeth is 5'9. She has long, vibrant, red hair and a roundish face. Each reincarnation has one feature they each share. Annabeth shares violet eyes with her past self, Greta's brother.

Childhood: Annabeth was born an only child to Daniel and Helen. They lived in a three-room apartment in NYC for the first ten years of Annabeth's life. Their income was moderate, leaving them in the lower middle class. But despite financial struggles, they have a happy family.

Oooh a monster story!! This sounds cool!
(and planning it during spooky season is A+)

Aw, thank you @Carlito!

Greta Chambers is Annabeth's mentor. She's in her late sixties. Her blonde cropped hair is greying, and she has brown eyes. Her brother, Leon -Annabeth's prior life- died in a car accident. Greta is convinced he was murdered by supernatural forces.

(I can already feel the angsty conversations.)

Greta was Leon's sidekick, and she accompanied him on many missions. She is muscular and fit. She owns many tools Leon had. Greta lives in her childhood home. She's retired from monster hunting, but to bring the money in, she goes to areas where the supernatural activity is high, and she charges people to catch ghosts. She actually makes good money. Greta is pretty tough, and she almost bullies Annabeth. Robert disapproves.

Robert Chambers is Leon's grandson. He's an EMT, so he is Greta's eyes and ears in the hospital if something suspiciously supernatural happens. He is 5'11, blonde, and he has blue eyes. He's always loved how his father's eyes looked so unique.

Robert is in his late twenties, and he is engaged to his college sweetheart, Amanda. Some nights, he visits his aunt when he leaves work, and they eat dinner and watch The Simpsons and other shows. And they argue.

This post contains random thoughts that I need to write down:

Parents allow Annabeth to hunt monsters
I plan to write a segment for Annabeth's friends
I'm going to write a prologue from Greta's perspective
The prologue will begin with a monster attack, and it will end with Greta probably mentioning Annabeth

I started writing the prologue, and I'll post a little excerpt sometime tomorrow or next week!

The characters live in Briar Springs, Maine.





Briar Springs was unusually quiet that morning. Perhaps the rooster had forgotten to crow, or Benjamin's dogs had slept in. Whatever it was, Greta loved it. She leaned back in her rocking chair, tilting her wrinkled face toward the sun. Nothing could go wrong.

A siren blared through the air.

Well, almost nothing.

Greta cracked open an eye as an ambulance sped past her house, heading for the woods. Greta pursed her lips.

College kid probably broke an ankle, she thought. Damn kids can't pay attention.

She wondered if Robert was in that ambulance. She'd have to invite him for dinner if he got an early shift.

Writing this down so I don't forget: I was watching an episode of Supernatural and I got an idea that I want to put into my story. I don't know when this event will take place, but I plan to have the fairy-tales come to life. I don't know where I want to go from there, but I guess it's a start.

Okay, so I'm going to switch up to something major. Instead of Annabeth and Greta having to hide the fact that their hunters, everyone in the world know the supernatural exists. So they hire Greta to stop the monsters, demons, spirits, from wreaking havoc. Something out of Ghostbusters.

I'm still trying to figure out the major conflict though.

PlanMo Journal Challenge 4

This is the character template for one of Annabeth's best friends.


Name: Autumn Hawthorne
Age: 16
Height: 5'7
Eye colour: Hazel
Physical appearance: African American, athletic, naturally curly black hair
Strange or unique physical attributes: She has a Morton's toe
Favourite clothing style/outfit: Vintage clothing style
Where does he/she live? What is it like there? -- She lives across the street from Annabeth's house in Briar Springs, Maine. It's very quiet and suburban
Defining gestures/movements: She tends to move her hands a lot when she talks passionately
Things about his/her appearance he/she would most like to change: She really wants to have a more unique eye color like Annabeth's.
Speaking style: She is very chatty
Pet peeves: wobbly table legs; loud noises when working quietly; no empty tables in the cafeteria
Fondest memory: When she was eleven, her family went to Marrakesh, Morocco.
Hobbies/interests: Field hockey; poetry; biology
Special skills/abilities: quick learner; acrobatic
Insecurities: She's insecure about failing; people might not take her seriously
Quirks/eccentricities: ambidextrous; wears bottle caps as earrings
Temperament: Adaptable; positive
Negative traits: impatient; brash; impulsive
Things that upset her: cruelty; losing a game; failing
Things that embarrass her: her siblings; a classmate who crushes on her
This character is highly opinionated about: college tuition; climate change; gender equality
Any phobias? -- woods at night; clowns; thunder
Things that make him/her happy: her family; her friends; her father's car that he gave her
Family (describe): She lives in a family of five. She has two younger sisters, and she is very close to them. Tim says they are the real-life Schuyler sisters. Her parents support them.
Deepest, darkest secret: She stole a necklace once from a fancy jewelry store
Reason he/she has kept this secret for so long: She doesn't want to face the disappointment from her parents, and she is ashamed and frightened of the consequences
Other people's opinions of this character: They think she is very nice and passionate, although some people think she is annoying and bossy.
Favourite bands/songs/types of music: Imagine Dragon;/pop music/Lovely
Favourite movies: Ghostbusters; Tangled; Home Alone; Dead Poet's Society
Favourite TV shows: Ducktales; Stranger Things; The Good Place
Favourite books: The Princess Bride; The Paper Magician; The Witches
Favourite foods: Ice cream; soup; pasta
Favorite sports/sports teams: Field Hockey; tennis; Olympics
Political views: Democrat
Religion/philosophy of life: Christain
Physical health: Healthy. but gets terrible colds twice a year
Dream holiday: traveling across Europe and United Kingdom
Description of his/her house: House is of modest size, but it's filled with artsy stuff inside. They have a small library in the back.
Description of his/her room: Her room is very bright and colorful, and there are lights hanging off her ceiling.
Any pets? -- Three cats
Best thing that has ever happened to this character: She won a spoken poetry competition
Worst thing that has ever happened to this character: Her grandmother died
Superstitions: She never steps on cracks on the sidewalk
Three words to describe this character: artsy; competitive; loyal
If a song played every time this character walked into a room, what song would it be? Fight Song by Rachel Platten

The third member of Annabeth's group is Grayson Burns. He's 17, and he recently came out as gay.

Grayson Burns

Standing at 5'10, Grayson has blond hair, fair skin, and brown eyes. He has freckles splattered across his nose. He is the level headed friend, making study plans and giving advice to Annabeth and Autumn. But he can be pushy, and he does pressure them a lot.

He has a big crush on Benson, a quiet kid on the soccer team, but he is nervous to approach him, so he constantly asks his friends to help him.

Grayson has a younger sister named Emily, who is in freshman year. They argue constantly with each other. His parents are pretty young too, having Grayson when they graduated college.

Give a rough outline of the key moment in your story so far. What is that one scene you're really, really excited to write?

There are a couple of scenes I want to write where Annabeth and Greta are investigating attacks, but I plan to have one scene with the Headless Horseman and one scene where children's eyes have been taken out, leaving them dead in their beds.