“It’s finally here! It’s finally here!” – Me, running around my house this morning.
It seems like forever ago that I first announced Novel Boot Camp. I asked for topic ideas, your most common editing problems, and I spent hours upon hours (upon hours) writing and perfecting the course. Whew! It almost felt like Boot Camp was never going to arrive!
But here we are at the kickoff party – you with your manuscripts in hand and me ready to do nothing but eat, breathe, and sleep (or not sleep) Novel Boot Camp for the next month. It’s going to be a wild ride!
Before things get too crazy and some of you are inevitably reduced to tears with a bloody manuscript in your hands, let me say that the excitement and enthusiasm for Novel Boot Camp has reminded me of why I do what I do. It is the passion and dedication of writers like you that keeps me blogging, editing, and mentoring. You guys are the greatest!
To celebrate the kickoff party, keep meeting up with writing friends and critique partners (though I know some of you are at more than capacity in that department!) and let your friends and family know that you’ll be putting your pen where your passion is and might be a bit busier (and crazier) than usual. In order to keep the blog comments focused on the workshop, post your kickoff party excitement on Twitter and the FB group.
And now on to our first workshop!
Workshop #1: Genre Guessing Game
June 30 – July 6
For our first workshop, I want to focus on the most important aspect of editing – seeing your novel from the outside.
This is no easy task! You’ve toiled and slaved over your novel. You know it inside and out. If you’ve been editing it long enough, you can probably recite passages from heart. All of that is lovely and wonderful and passionate, but terrible for editing.
So for this first workshop, I want you to send your book out into the world – just a tiny piece of it – to see how it’s perceived by those outside yourself, by the people who know nothing about it.
Participants will submit the first 200 words of their manuscript. Guessers will attempt to identify the genre, tone, and basic plot of the novel. The objective is to have a bit of fun while exploring how your manuscript looks from the outside. Do people think your romantic comedy is a horror/thriller? Do readers expect your story of redemption to be a story of revenge?
Remember that how the Boot Campers perceive your novel is likely how agents and editors will perceive it too. We’ll be talking about why the reader’s perception of the first page is important in our first lecture tomorrow.
Warning: This is a new and totally untested workshop process. Please bare with me if there are any technical kinks or if things seem awkward. I wanted to do something unique so I hope it works!
How to Play the Genre Guessing Game
***Read the FULL directions and follow them or you will not be eligible to participate!***
Firstly, I understand that not all readers are comfortable sharing their work online. If you do not want to submit, you may still participate in the guessing.
How to Submit Your Opening
To streamline the process, decrease cheating, and increase participation, I will be posting all of the first pages anonymously (meaning that no one other than me will know whose first page is whose). If you attempt to submit your own first page, it will be deleted!
The submitted novel openings will be posted as quickly as possible, but since it must be done manually, there will likely be some delay.
Submit your novel’s opening in the form below. It will go to my email and I will manually post the first 200 words only (not your name, genre, tone, etc.) into the comments section.
Note that your novel’s opening is the very first 200 words. If you open with a prologue, use that rather than your first chapter.
How to Guess the Genre
In the comments section below this post, leave a reply to the novel openings submitted and post some or all of the following:
- Guess the Genre – Is it a contemporary romance? A YA paranormal? A horror/science fiction hybrid? Post your best guess. If you think it’s middle grade or young adult, please also include a genre (adventure, comedy, romance, etc.).
- Guess the Tone – What do you think the overall tone of this novel is? Is it creepy? Heartwarming? Spiritual? Disturbing? In other words, what adjective would you use to describe the book?
- Guess the Basic Plot – What do you think this novel is going to be about? What do you expect to happen?
- Do NOT post a critique of the opening or any comments about the writing quality or style. We will have a novel opening critique later in the month.
Please do not post your guesses anonymously unless you do not want to be eligible to win the prize for best guesser!
Sample comment/guess: I think this is a middle grade adventure story with a dark tone. I expect it to be about how the main character learns to overcome his fear of the water to defeat a sea monster.
What Should Writers Take Away?
The reader’s perception of your novel is more important than your own. Keep an eye on your novel’s opening this week to see how Boot Campers perceive your work. Is it right in line with your vision or way off?
Is the novel going to deliver what readers seem to expect? We’ll be talking about the importance of the first page’s promise in our first lecture tomorrow.
Prize – Free Edit of Your First 1,000 Words!
This workshop will have two winners! Due to the labor involved in posting, moderating, and then judging the posts, it may take me until after Novel Boot Camp to choose and notify the winners. How long it takes depends on the level of participation.
Award for the Best Guesser: This prize will go to the Novel Boot Camper with guessing power from the gods. In other words: the camper with the most correct guesses.
Award for the Best Opening: This prize will go to the opening that had its novel, genre, and basic plot guessed correctly the most often.
Both winners will receive a free edit of their first 1,000 words.
Connect with Other Novel Boot Camp Participants
Need a writing friend? Got a question? Need a shoulder to cry on? We’re there for you!
I will be answering writing and editing questions on our Twitter hashtag as time allows. Due to the insane volume of emails I’m receiving, I cannot provide free advice or assistance via email. Thank you!
What is Novel Boot Camp?
Novel Boot Camp is a free online novel writing course focused on identifying and correcting problems in your novel. Learn more about Novel Boot Camp and find past (and future) posts here.
Ellen Brock 
A shimmering cloud of dust reflected the neon lights glowing through Kenji Hikawa’s window in contrast to the empty space he’d cleared with a quick sweep of his arm. Loose family photos, ancient magazines, and a well read copy of Neuromancer lay rejected in the floor.
Kenji carefully placed down the decrepit machine he’d been holding and sat slowly into his overstuffed black vinyl sofa; it sighed softly under his weight.
In the back of his closet and at the bottom of a box he’d found his old Ward-Rolex Aeon 9000. Fifteen years ago it had been a top of the line deck. He remembered picking it up with money he’d made from his job at the college paper.
Neural net installation was still considered an elective surgery back then, even though his prestigious university had required he have one for attendance.
Since then the surgery had gone minimally invasive and was considered corrective and fully covered by health insurance.
He’d had upgrades in the twenty some odd years since his first surgery but Kenji had been hearing rumors around the net about incompatibilities between old hardware and new wetware. Intriguing celebrity gossip about what had become known as
Genre: Futuristic suspense
Tone: intrigue/nostalgia
Basic plot: Kenji is needing constant updates to survive in this futuristic world and with a hardware malfunction he could possibly die. He’s out to survive like everyone else but perhaps this isn’t as easy as it seems, since before it was simple and fully covered by health insurance – perhaps now it’s much more complicated and has turned into a “survival of the fittest”
My guess: SciFi/Dystopian where people take multiple surgeries to keep updated and remain young. Tone: serious, disturbing.
Genre: Sci-fi/dystopian
Tone:
Plot: Kenji experiments with the old deck in an attempt to gain the benefits of the incompatibilities. Either these grant him a strange sort of superpower/ability to hack into minds or it creates an endorphin rush that is addictive, and this is the start of Kenji’s downward spiral.
GENRE: SF
TONE: Desperate
BASIC PLOT: Kenji is about to discover unexpected abilities accrue to him from the new science of invasive brain enhancement…
Hard Sci-fi in the style of Bladerunner or Akira- serious tone- Kenji discovers some old files he’d forgotten on his old equipment and is engaged in a race against time to stop a virus he unwittingly helped create.
Genre: Sci-fi
Tone: serious
Plot: He accidently discovers how to correct the incompatibilities, but big, future pharma find out and he goes on the run. How can he get his message/cure to the world without them getting him first? A mix of ancient magical elements with science.
Techno Thriller. a future of possibilities. Kenji finds out that the surgery he had is more than just a surgery but controlled mind manipulation.
Victor and Alexander Blackwood sat quietly in their room, both awaiting news of their father’s condition. King Liam, ruler of the vampires, had been sick for months now, completely bedridden. It was no secret to anyone that he wouldn’t make it through the night. As the villagers of the Kingdom mourned and dreaded the announcement of the new king, the princes sat in two very different mindsets. Victor was smiling, looking out the window, admiring the night sky while Alex watched the carpet beneath his feet as they swung back and forth.
“Calm yourself down Alex.” Victor said, breaking the deafening silence and giving his brother a little start. “You’re too young to give yourself a panic attack.” He went on.
“Aren’t you at least a bit concerned Victor? You’re not stupid and neither am I. You must realize come tomorrow morning we’re going to be orphans.”
“Royal orphans with servants and maids and a guardian. Not to mention I’ll be king so we’ll be fine.”
“It’s not a matter of our well-being Victor. I know perfectly well that we’ll be taken care of, but our father is dying. Don’t you care about that? He’s the only parent I’ve
Well, vampire, of course, but I’m going to say YA vampire. I can’t think of a word that describes it. It seems like a cross between Vampire Academy and The Secret Garden. They’ll likely have to deal with each other as they adapt to life without their father. And I assume Victor is a bit of a “laid back” king and Alexander is frustrated with this.
My guess is that this is a YA supernatural. Tone: serious. I’m guessing it’s set in a world where Vampires are the rulers. The heirs to the throne have just learnt about their father’s death and they’re both reacting to it very differently. Victor seems elated, and excited to be king, whereas Alexandra is a lot more saddened and miserably over it. I’m guessing the book follows the story of the two characters learning to step into their roles as the new rulers.
Genre: YA/Drama
Tone: suspenseful
Basic Plot: Sibling rivalry – there will be constant conflict as Victor rules, perhaps heavy handedly, and the younger brother is left to find a way to stop him or take over.
Genre: YA: Paranormal/fantasy.
Tone: Adventure/Action.
Plot: Victor’s rise to claim the throne is not going to be as easy as he thinks. The brothers may find themselves the victim of a plot, or Alex may be given the crown over Victor creating a conflict between them.
GENRE: Fantasy
TONE: Desperate
BASIC PLOT: Victor and Alexander will be on opposites sides of a war for succession to the throne of their dead father’s throne…
Young Adult Fantasy serious tone Victor and Alex come at odds after their father’s death and divide the kingdom – their war nearly destroys them all until an outside force presents a greater threat that the boys must set aside their differences and become men, united in service and dedication to their people.
Genre: YA Paranormal
Tone: conflict
Plot:The brothers become enemies. The younger prevails after several conflicts.
G: supernatural
T: Serious
P: It wont go as well as Victor hoped for. After kings death is announced his brother who was an outcast makes his appearance knowing. He was tricked into giving up his rightful position as the ruler of the vampire kingdom and now wants it back.
Horror. Sadness. Two brothers find themselves orphaned and fight a battle of good vs evil.
Genre: YA paranormal
Tone: Light in some parts and darker in others.
Basic plot: The dad dies and Victor rules but he is a bad ruler so Alexander starts a revolution to overthrow his brother. Alexander possibly may fall in love.
The sun makes its final appearance in the sky; painting a rainbow of colors across the horizon. The distant hills roll like white satin sheets glistening in the dwindling sun. I’m snuggled warm in the car unaffected by the bitter cold outside. My ears are filled with the sweet sounds of happiness. As Dad and I listen to music, talk and laugh. He turns back to me. His eyes shine into my soul and radiate euphoria through my body. With his tranquil voice he says; “My love for you is eternal; without any beginning or end.” Then it happens. The car is pushed from behind jerking my body forward. Dad’s eyebrows furrow. His white knuckles grip tight on the steering wheel, as he tries to keep the car on the road. We are hit again, this time forcing the car to spin. With another hard hit we flip end over end off the road. Although I’m secured in my seat, I can feel the buckle tight against my body. As we spin around and around and down an embankment. We come to a stop upside down. There is total silence. I begin to shiver as the icy air bites my skin like angry dogs.
Genre: thriller coming of age
Tone:very dark
Plot: narrator gets over depression with the help of a love interest and family members
Genre: Mystery/drama
Tone: Dark
Plot: Girl seeks father’s killer.
Genre: Drama
Tone: dark/depressed
Basic Plot: Novel about a young person overcoming loss and learning to live with grief.
Genre: Drama
Tone: Sad/depressed
Basic Plot: Novel about a young person overcoming a loss and learning to live with grief.
Genre: YA mystery
Tone: ominous
Plot: MC tries to solve the mystery of father’s murder.
ooops that was mine – @SBTheRen
Genre: Drama
Tone: Hopeful
Basic plot: About coming to terms and accepting life after loss. Finding new things that bring happiness, like relationships.
GENRE: YA Adventure
TONE: complete love transitioning into total fear
BASIC PLOT: our young hero will go on a journey of self discovery to avenge the father
Genre: YA drama
Tone: Sad, frightened. There’s also a sense of fondness toward the father.
Plot: The main character grieves for the loss of a parent and struggles with accepting how life goes on and has trouble letting others in. The main character also feels lost without his/her father to guide him/her throughout life.
Genre: Mystery
Tone: dark
Basic Plot: Novel about a child who has to over come the loss of a parent. .
Genre: mystery, coming of age
Tone: dark, foreboding
Plot: girl enlists friends to aid in discovering father’s killer
Genre: ya coming of age/loss
Tone: dark/serious
Plot: MC hsa to find a way to overcome her loss while growing up.
Genre:YA Thriller
Tone: dark
Plot: daughter on the run, trying to escape from killers and come to grips with her dad’s death.
Genre: YA, mystery or drama
Tone: dark
Basic plot: Main character spends his/her time trying to find answers to his/her father’s death, knowing it was no accident.
G: YA mystery
T: sad
P: Girl’s father dies. Whoever pushed them of the road is gone. Police can’t find the killer, another unsolved case of hit and run. Quickly people forget but she can’t forget. Her whole life was turn upside down with that car. She wont let that to be last of it, she will find the person who took away the only person she had left in her life. She’ll find him and kill him.
I’ve been fighting with a sword since I was eight. It was the only way to feel alive; to feel the blood running in my veins. I stalked my prey, eyeing him from behind my mask. My ragged breathing was amplified inside this white fencing suit, drowning the outside noise. The suit was supposed to protect me, yet it served to protect him from me.
Strike him. Make him bleed.
Ignoring the demon whispering inside my head, I lunged forward stabbing the blade toward his heart. The hall exploded with cheers as blood-rush sang wildly in my ears. Adrenaline rushed through my veins, echoing the sweet, sharp metallic twangs of clashing swords.
“15-8! Southampton college—champion of regional games!” the speakers blared into the screaming crowd. And just like that, it was over.
I pulled back, my jaw ticked with irritation. It was too quick. I should’ve stalled a bit more rather than lunging toward him like a homicidal maniac.
I clenched my fist on the sabre, curbing myself from giving in to the roaring hunger. My opponent grabbed his mask and yanked it off. Sweat streamed down his face, his skin flushed.
“Man, you’re one tough badass. I was completely thrashed.” He saluted me with his sabre.
Genre: action
Tone: light and high paced
Plot: narrator has to use their fencing skills to survive a crisis of some kind. Maybe even on the fantasy scale.
Genre: NA thriller
Tone: fast-paced, action-packed
Plot: MC crosses the line from competition to cold-blooded murder
Genre: suspense/thriller
Tone: dark
Basic plot: Character battles with dark, violent urges throughout story and uses his “power” with the sword to accomplish a mission. I have a feeling that the author will have the reader rooting for the “bad guy” in this story – perhaps this is an evil but sympathetic protagonist.
Genre: YA Action
Tone: High paced
Basic Plot: I think this is about high school somehow. Seems like an opening with an extracurricular activity, but the plot would be about fitting in, discovering who you are, self-acceptance, etc.
GENRE: YA Adventure/Romance
TONE: exhilarating
BASIC PLOT: Our young swordsman is on the verge of becoming a man, saving his lady fair, and finding his destiny
Genre: NA Urban Supernatural/Fantasy
Tone: predatory exhiliration
Plot: The main character has always had killer instincts, but has always been able to keep them in check until those instincts are forced to come through because of an inciting incident/event. MC is conflicted about these instincts. MC is appalled that he/she has these instincts, but it becomes clear that these instincts aren’t new. They’ve always been there because he/she is descendant of a long line of killers/warriors.
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Tone: Focused and driven
Plot: Woman seeks to find balance in a man’s world.
Genre: YA fantasy
Tone: action
Plot: A hero who learns to defend themselves in competition but finds that the skill are valuable in the future against the coming war.
Genre: YA action/sports
Tone: action/adventure
Plot: MC will use his skills to become a champion, while overcoming other issues in his life.
Genre: YA Action
Tone: real, gritty
Plot: young man drafted into gov. agency to fight the bad guys
G: thriller
T: dark
P: MC is hearing the demon’s whispers more and more often. Eventually he gives up and goes on a murder spree.
She awoke from her long slumber, calm and peaceful. All around her were the stars of a familiar place along with hundreds of vessels frozen in time. A signal had awakened her. One she was expecting, then the memories started to come back. She remembered the long journey home through time and space. She remembered the anticipation of reuniting with friends, family, and the collective, only to find a long trail of rocky debris where once her planet had orbited its star.
Once again grief colored her universe. Great waves of pain crashed against the shores of her mind eroding her sanity. A great malevolence rose within her one more. She knew who had done this. She knew the Old Ones with their unquenchable desires had destroyed her world and her race.
The plan came back to her mind, the Gatekeeper. She remembered the work that still needed to be done. The signal that had awakened her meant that soon it would begin; the beginning of the end, and the whole galaxy would feel her wrath.
Genre: Fantasy
Tone: foreboding
Plot: MC gets revenge on the Old Ones for destroying her home, and stops them from doing it to other worlds
Genre: Sci-Fi
Tone: Dark / High paced
Basic Plot: Revenge plot to get even with the Old Ones.
GENRE: SF
TONE: epic loss/rage
BASIC PLOT: Vengeance for the loss of a world and race is as epic in its wrath as in its realization
Genre: YA Sci-Fi
Tone: foreboding
Plot: FMC is the last of her race. Her family, friends, and the collective are all gone and she, The Gatekeeper, is the only one left to avenge them.
Genre: YA, possibly female
Tone: dark, possibly getting into paranormal
Plot: fencing skills used to survive more than a crisis.
Genre: Sci/fi, possibly fantasy, but I don’t think so
Tone: unsure yet
Plot: Save the world
Genre: Sci-Fi adventure
Tone: Vengeful
Plot: Woman, propelled by revenge, seeks to end the aggression of a negative power in the universe.
Genre: Fantasy
Tone: foreboding
Plot: The hero is ready to do battle with the people who killed her family.
Genre: NA scifi
Tone: action/adventure
Plot: MC will take revenge on those who destroyed her planet.
Genre: Sci-fi
Tone: Drama/Dark
Plot: Revenge for the Old Ones and her destroyed planet.
Genre: Science Fiction
Tone: dark, revenge
Plot: girl leads galaxy-wide war to stop the Old Ones from dominated the galaxy.
Genre: Time Travel/fantasy
Tone: dark/action
Basic plot: Revenge is sought for her world being destroyed.
G: sci fi
T: fast pace
P: MC is ready for revenge
Genre: Sci-Fi
Tone: Darkish
Basic plot: The protagonist is a princess from outer space that seeks revenge for the destruction of her planet.
Lightning struck the Earth, lighting the whole country side. The rain is hammering into me with all its force. My feet slide on the drench grass. This doesn’t help with my balance at this time.
I should be at home resting, not out running in the rain. But I’ve run away from home. If I’d stayed, I would have disappointed my parents. I didn’t want to involve my twin sister, Jackie. And Drew, he was a whole new person since the day he came home naked, covered in blood.
I just left the only person I trust right now… Dr. Trueman. He’s the only person who knows my secret. I pat my belly.
“Everything will be fine.” I say. But just as I said that, I can’t feel my body. My hand goes to my stomach.
“Look who we got here, Gale.” A male voice calls.
I knew this awful voice anywhere. The same voice that took my Mark away from me. The same monster that made him get together with that other girl. The same beast almost everyone hates in Mark’s world. Then, that ugly creature appears from nowhere. He has for years. That’s how I meet him.
Genre: YA Thriller
Tone: dark
Plot: MC runs away to protect her baby and try to save Mark from the creature.
Genre: Fantasy
Tone: Dark
Basic Plot: Revenge plot against whoever took Mark.
GENRE: Horror
TONE: forlorn
BASIC PLOT: Our protagonist has much to answer on the head of the antagonist
Genre: YA Supernatural
Tone: desperate, hopeless
Plot: FMC is pregnant and feels alone. Her world is changing, but in more ways than one. Her boyfriend leaves her for another woman, but she learns that he wasn’t just tempted by another female. Dark forces surround her. She must escape them not only for her, but for her unborn child.
Genre: YA
Tone: dark, foreboding
Plot: saving herself, her child
Genre: YA adventure
Tone: Growth and independence
Plot: A teenage woman seeks to find a peaceful life for her and her child, but the hurdles of the world she leaves behind continue to bind her.
Genre: Supernatural
Tone: dejected, alone
Plot: MC struggles to keep the secret that she is pregnant but after running away from home, she finds herself alone and lost with no one to trust but herself. Hatred boils in her heart for the vile creature which took the love of her life from her, but when she gets to know him, does she discover that he might be just what she, and her unborn child, needs?
Genre: ya fantasy
Tone: dark
Plot: MC finds a way to survive with her child, while taking revenge on the monster that killed the child’s father.
Genre: Fantasy
Tone: tense, dark
Plot: Girl on the run to save baby, who will be the savior of their kind
Genre: YA, drama
Tone: dark
Basic Plot: Girl fights to protect herself and unborn baby as she unravels the truths of her past.
G: YA
T: Sad
P: MC finds out that she’s pregnant and feels like that news would disappoint her parents. The only person she told about her baby is Dr. Trueman. She doesn’t want to add more worries as her parents have a hard job supporting Drew in this hard time. She thinks that running away is the only option. Father of her baby left her, she feels alone in the word. She’s off to find safe place for herself and her baby.
Genre: mystery/suspense
Tone: action/suspenseful
Plot: pregnant woman is trying to escape a bitter past and dark secret, and an evil man who caused her husband/lover to abandon her is after her to ger it.
Genre: Fantasy.
Tone: Dark
Basic Plot: The protagonist was in love with Mark and is pregnant with his baby. But someone took Mark away and the protagonist will do anything she can to get him back.
Sebastian Harrow was a diagnosed psychopath. It is a well known fact that psychopaths are incapable of feeling emotions but in Sebastian’s case, this was far from the truth. There was one thing Sebastian loved. One thing he would have killed for. Chamomile tea.
He stood now in the aisle of a small store on the east end of London, perusing the wide assortment of beverages.
“Guys, will you shut up already,” he snapped as he pulled open a fridge door. “How am i supposed to think with all your bickering?” Sebastian was of course talking to Aaron and Rodney, otherwise known as the Bickering Brothers. Aaron and Rodney were Yetis.
Sebastian, amongst other things, was schizophrenic.
“What’s there to think about?” Aaron said.
“Yeah,” Rodney concurred. “It’s only tea.” If there was one thing the Bickering Brothers could agree on, it was that Sebastian’s tea addiction was borderline insane.
Bastian glared at the Brothers who stood by the aisle across from him. “Don’t you ever say that to me again,” he replied, his tone low and murderous.
Genre: crime fiction
Tone: dark
Plot: MC ends up killing someone over Chamomile tea.
Genre: Fantasy
Tone: Adventurous
Basic Plot: Follows the adventures of Sebastian Harrow. Like Lord of the Rings and Froto.
GENRE: YA Fantasy
TONE: chaotic
BASIC PLOT: This group of mythical characters [whether in reality or only in their minds] are about to embark on the adventure of their lives
Genre: Mystery/Crime
Tone: disorienting
Plot: Although Sebastian Harrow is a diagnosed psychopath and schizophrenic, he still manages to see patterns in everyday life. Sebastian is a reluctant detective. He thrives with order and routine, but when the pattern is disrupted, Sebastian will do anything to return order back into his life.
Genre: YA
Tone: chaos reigns
Plot: this group of misfits get into mischief
Genre: Horror
Tone: maniacal
Plot: London is besieged by a young killer, but who can rein in the madness of his murderous spree?
Genre: adventure thriller
Tone: up beat and sadistic
Plot: the three embark on a both hilarious and misshaped adventure involving lots of tea and bickering. However, eventually the brothers have to go away and Sebastian realozes that he misses the orderly chaos that they bring. In the end making him realize that he loves two things just as much as he loves tea.
Genre: Comedy.
Tone: Wacky.
Sebastian — along with Aaron and Rodney, the voices in his head — undertakes many adventures in quest of chamomile tea. Through the coincidence of many hilarious situations, Sebastian, despite his psychopathic tendencies, is prevented from murdering anyone and in the end finally achieves a quiet cup of tea… interrupted only by the familiar mockery of Aaron and Rodney.
Genre: suspense/crime
Tone: dark
Basic plot: Sebastian and the brothers are killers and the novel follows their progression as Sebastian becomes more and more insane and murderous.
Genre: Fantasy/comedy
Tone: Light
Plot: Sebastian Harrow leads the Bickering Brothers into trouble when he tries to attain some tea. Perhaps, his love of tea gets him into more trouble than it’s worth. it’s the start of a bigger adventure.
Genre: na murder/adventure
Tone: dark humor
Plot: MC goes on murder spree while running from the cops and seeking out tea.
Genre: Fantasy
Tone: dark action
Plot: Sebastian Harrow is an assassin who was hired to kill all those who could stop an evil entity.
Genre: YA, drama
Tone: deep, dark
Basic Plot: Sebastian’s mental disabilities cause him to turn murderous and vengeful.
Genre: YA drama/suspense
Tone: confusing and intense
plot: someone pushes Sabastian off the deep end (so to speak) and he serious injures (or even kills) someone. He realizes the depth of the situation, and someone (a friend? relative?) has to try and help him out of his deeply dug pit of insanity.
G: Crime/Thriller
T: mysterious
P: Sebastian looses the plot and charges at the brothers, he end ups killing them. After words he can’t control himself any more and becomes serial killer.
Over the years, Valerie had created a mosaic picture in her mind that encased a series of still moments. Each story, each echoing laugh, each photo from every album she could find, painted a different stroke of vibrant color and created this artwork she called family; the people she couldn’t remember. And all of it was a lie. It was a cool October evening in her senior year when her aunt and uncle sat her down and shared the truth. Like a violent explosion, it shattered the relic, splintering the frame and leaving nothing but shards of glass: sharp and red. The brashness of it all sent her head spinning.
All the little mementos that sparked images of her family were placed in a box that day, taped up and shoved in the back corner of the attic. Val wanted to burn it, but her own guilt and fear held her back. That heavy feeling, like a rock in her abdomen, subsided, but the graying world around her didn’t. Colors began to dull until the orchid trees she once loved looked swollen and bruised in full bloom. Slowly, cunningly, the roots tilled deeper and clasped on tightly; anything that once dazzled with life wilted away, fading into a sullen existence.
Genre: NA mystery
Tone: line in the sand, cross-roads moment
Plot: MC sets out to solve the mystery of who her family is, discovering a past she never expected
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Tone: Action
Basic Plot: I think this is a story about something supernatural. Vampires, or wizards, or clones. Self-discovery of the main character, learning about who she is and what powers she holds.
GENRE: YA Romance
TONE: lost
BASIC PLOT: Val has come to that moment of her life where everything she had ever believed has to be re-evaluated. Only finding her True Love can put back together her shattered pyche
Genre: Women’s Lit
Tone: despondent, sad
Plot: Valerie hasn’t really recovered from the truth about her family and origins. She’s cut herself off from the people she believed to be her family only to realize regardless of their secret, they still loved her. She doesn’t know how to recover from the betrayal, but hopes to reconnect with them some day.
Genre: YA
Tone: hopeful
Plot: coming full circle back to her family
Genre: YA Drama
Tone: soulful
Plot: A young woman comes to terms with the lies her family has hidden as she finds a way to embrace the truth.
Genre: ya fantasy
Tone: serious
Plot: MC goes on quest to discover herself in the midst of her “new truth” and to find her real family.
Genre: YA coming of age
Tone: soulful
Plot: Valerie goes on a quest to find out who she really is and come to terms with the family she had always believed to be her own.
Genre: Women’s lit/romance
Tone: remorse, but hopeful
Basic plot: Valarie learns her past is nothing but a lie. Depressed and hopeless, she meets the hero who helps her unravel her past, heal, and learn to trust and love again.
G: Mystery
T: Serious
P:Valerie struggles to come to terms with the truth. People she though were her family really were only images that she was made to believe were her closest relations. She couldn’t remember them anyway so why wouldn’t she believe what she was told. Now she’s on a mission to find her real family and has to find out why they gave her up.
Genre: Drama.
Tone: Sad
Basic plot: After her parents death Valerie discovers she is adopted and everything she knew was a lie So she goes on a quest to find out who her real family is.
“Set the power to seventy-five percent and perform a power-on stall,” instructed Thomas, the flight examiner.
(I practiced ’em with my flight instructor a few times, but I wasn’t expecting to have to do it for the private flight exam. Heck, I’m not even sure it’s a required maneuver in a private checkride.)
Forty-five hours of costly flight time and endless hours of study entitled him to this opportunity to prove his piloting skill. Sweat trickled down his face. His hands tightened on the control wheel.
(If I don’t get this right, the whole checkride will go down the drain. Crap! Why didn’t I review it yesterday with Wally? An airplane can become squirrely when allowed to get into the extreme conditions of a power-on stall.)
Eyes fixed on Chris, Thomas said, “Son, did you understand my instructions? The checkride will soon be finished, but first you need to perform a power-on stall.”
Rivulets of sweat now running down his sides, Chris replied, “Yes sir. I was just collecting my thoughts about how to perform it.” He moved the throttle to the seventy-five percent power setting and pulled back on the yoke to raise the nose of the airplane.
GENRE: YA Adventure
TONE: under pressure
BASIC PLOT: Chris is about to move fully into the adult world of adventure and excitement
Genre: MG Adventure
Tone: nervous, anxious, but eager too.
Plot: Chris has worked and studied hard to qualify for his pilot license. He’s determined to prove he is the best pilot ever, but circumstances force him to fly and he realizes that all the studying and tests couldn’t prepare him for the adventure of a lifetime.
Genre: YA
Tone: teenager eager to prove his mettle
Plot: teenager must prove his mettle and ability
Genre: Adventure
Tone: Conquering fear
Plot: A new pilot faces the challenges of life, both in the air and on the ground, but will his courage and his skills be enough to handle what is ahead of him?
YA Adventure with an urgent tone and the theme of working under pressure, and overcoming obstacles. Chris is trying to live up to Thomas’s expectations and earn his piloting licence. When flying, he is taken on a wild and new adventure where he faces brand new obstacles greater than anything he has ever experience before.
Genre: na adventure
Tone: serious
Plot: MC becomes a pilot and faces a crisis in which he will use his skills to overcome it.
Genre: Military thriller
Tone: action
Plot: Chris is a pilot in a military plot to defeat an enemy of the country.
G: Adventure
T: serious
P: Chris will pas his exam. Soon after he decides to go on a trip (either on his own or with a companion). Quickly he has to put his new skills to the test as unpredictable weather change sets him off course.
The Round Table had seen better days. King Arthur made this observation from his throne atop the raised dais. Rather than face the subject head-on, Arthur angled his body away and scrutinized it from the corners of his eyes. The oak surface, once polished and smooth, was now dull and covered in scratches and stains. Arthur dared assume if the seating arrangement was ever moved, the knights would still be able to find their prior places by the rings left from their drinking glasses. Arthur stroked his throat and grimaced. It looked as though the knights had used the table for weapon practice or for a demonstration of proper wood chopping techniques, practices not fitting the famed table of legend. Some decorative font caught his eye. It read: if you love God, carve your name below; if you love the Devil, ignore. Arthur made note of the names scratched below; to his surprise, Galahad’s was not listed. This might have concerned him more had he not noticed the giant chunk of wood missing from one side of the table; Arthur believed his brother, Sir Kay, might be the culprit. His favorite pastime had always been whittling.
GENRE: Fantasy
TONE: Reverie
BASIC PLOT: the Arthurian Legend will be updated to include the adventures of the aging knights
Genre: Fantasy
Tone: reflective
Plot: King Arthur reflects on how the Knights of the Round Table have lost their former glory and pride. They will soon be faced with a test that will not only question their ability to protect the kingdom, but also their loyalty to King Arthur.
Genre: historical fantasy
Tone: upbeat, reflective
Plot: knights save the kingdom
Genre: YA Fantasy
Tone: inspirational
Plot: The Knights of the Round Table return to their former glory.
Genre: fantasy
Tone: serious
Plot: MC will face a crisis involving the knights.
Genre: fantasy
Tone: action with snarky humor
Plot: Arthuian legend revisited close to the fall of Camelot. Ancient setting contemporary vibe.
G: Historical Fantasy
T: adventures
P: King Arthur has to prepare for another battle. He leads his knights to victory.
Genre: Historical
Tone: Reflective
Plot: Through many conflicts, the knights work to save the kingdom.