Young Writers Society

This is a story about life and death and surviving in the in-between. Its about crumbling instituations, disintegrated homes and a corrupted world grasping at straws to make things work. But mostly, its about people and human nature and how often it brings us to our knees.

This is more of a passion project to explore other genres of writing (since I've always really stuck to realistic fiction). In fact, this will be my first attempt at writing a dystopian story, so suffice it to say, this project will never see the light of day. I've had this idea in my head for too long and right now, I just want to see where it goes.

Goals: write as much as I can!

Ooooh I love that you're using NaNo to try something completely new and outside your normal wheelhouse! Best of luck this NaNo

Thanks, @Carlito!

2. Main Character

When we start out with the story, Skye is a rather naïve girl who despite her 17 years on this Earth, is rather unfamiliar with how it works. This is mostly because the world as we know it has been proceeding towards its destruction since before she was born. She has never known peace, never known stability. She has grown up listening to bombs falling from the sky, surrounded by nothing but poverty, carnage and ruin. Still, she has somehow managed to lead a more sheltered life, with her father's high ranking government job allowing them the liberty of food, shelter and a somewhat inconsistent source of income.

Skye's mother, unable to cope with their changing circumstances withdrew into a shell of her old self and has been much more of an absent figure in both her children's life. On the other hand, she shared a very tense yet dependent relationship with her father, who was the only guardian from whom she sought emotional assurance. Her father was not necessarily a decent role model - he was driven by power and ambition and was often caught up in their consequences. However, he was the only pillar of authority in little Skye's life, the one who shaped her childish dreams and desires. In fact, her father's disappearance was the very first domino that fell - his absence in her life moulding her into the girl she is today.

If her father was the mould, then her brother was the hand that shaped her. Skye shares an anxious attachment with her brother. After her father disappeared, and her mother became a ghost of her old self, her brother Mike took on the role of guardian in her life. Much of what she knows about the world and its ways came from him. Even though he is only three years older than her, she looks up to Mike because she has always needed that one person in life who pats her on the head and tells her everything is going to be okay. Mike, who has the gift of a brilliant intellect, took her on like a project, taught her and showed her the ways of the world as one would do one's child. There is certainly affection in their bond, but it is overweighed by a self esteem issues on Skye's side and a misplaced sense of responsibility on Mike's. However, Mike like his father, is ruled by his ambition and his goals in life. He has plans in life and he often forgets to accommodate his sister into them.

When Mike follows his father's footsteps and disappears from her life on a bright Tuesday afternoon, Skye is left all alone. She does not have much idea about the world or the work that called her family away from her. She only knows that some men came to take away her brother and she follows them because they took with them the only life she was comfortable living.

That is Skye at the beginning of the novel. A naïve , innocent girl who strides headfirst into a situation, driven entirely by her emotions. Her conflict for the majority of the story is entirely with herself and her misguided habit of associating her sense of identity with her family. She starts off the journey by searching for her brother, but ends up discovering herself along the way.


Another very important aspect of her character is acceptance. When she is left with no one to depend upon other than herself, she comes to accept herself and the woman she's been forced to become in the face of unimaginable hardships. For majority of the story, she struggles with this as it does not align with her sense of right and wrong. But she comes out on the other side, a strong, brave and fierce woman, and a force to be reckoned with.

3. Side Characters

These are just a couple of the characters who appear in the first half of the novel.

Mike Wilder (20 years old) - Mike is only three years older than Skye, but he has always been mature for his age. He has a brilliant mind and he uses it to plot and plan his way to the top. He shares his father's intellectual ambitions but is way more driven and sorted than him. He is fond of his sister and enjoyed raising her, not out of love or familial bond but because he took pleasure in exerting power and influence and essentially guiding and shaping an individual. He does have emotions and he does care about his family but sentiment for him often takes a back seat to his ambitions.

Mel (15 years old) - Mel is the first person Skye comes across once her plan to rescue her brother goes horribly wrong. Mel is sweet and kind and just as terrified as her but she is also brave in a way Skye can only aspire to be at that moment. Skye admires her and feels responsible for another human being for the first time in her life. But at that point in the story, they are both inexperienced and naïve and things go horribly wrong for the duo. All that aside, Mel and Skye are friends and confidantes and she is the first person in whom Skye finds companionship outside of her family.


Frank (42 years old) - Frank is a complex yet simple character in the sense that he is neither ruled by emotions or ambitions. His only aspiration is to survive and he does it through whatever way he deems necessary. He is not concerned with whatever is going on in the world around him - his world ended the day he lost his family. But he is not mourning for his loss or grieving - he is just existing the only way he knows how. He may come across as cold and selfish and that is because he is all that and more. That is one of the reason why he acts as a foil for Skye who is often too overwhelmed by her own emotions. By becoming sort of her mentor, he plants the seeds of change in not only her but also in himself. For Frank, learning to care and empathize is a very important aspect of his character development which especially comes into play when he sees a reflection of some of his worst qualities in Skye at some later point in the story.

Edith (38 years old) - She is technically Sam's aunt but honestly, she acts as the mother figure of every child/teen character we come across in the story. She is a caring guardian, a wise leader and the face of the restoration movement. There are times when her emotions cloud her judgement which calls her leadership into question. But she is also the only one can bring everyone together and the only who can make the decisions no one else wants to.

Sam (14 years old) - Sam is definitely my favourite character as of yet. He is a lonely kid when we first meet him but he is always full of life and excitement even in the most dire of situations. Through him, we get to view this corrupted and damaged world from the lens of a child who is a representation of all that was once innocent in that world. Sam is brave and strong and he only really longs for a family and he tries to catch a glimpse of it in every relationship he forms in the novel. He is also the most loyal character out of the bunch, a quality that often gets him caught in the middle of conflicts that are far too dangerous for him to be tangled in. His friendship with Skye is the most wholesome relationship in the entire novel and it is essentially what saves her from falling into an abyss countless times. Sam who is as different from her brother as any person can be, teaches her that affection can come easy and it doesn't always require a price.

4. Most Challenging Character

Clarke is definitely the most challenging character in this novel, mostly because I myself am still in the process of figuring him out. Clarke has been left to fend for himself since childhood, so there is no situation or problem that he has not been able to work his way out of. He was willingly handed away by his father to an intelligence camp on his 17th birthday. His intellect and youthful strength makes him an advantage everyone wants to keep on their side, but Clarke is a soldier of no sides. He is ruled entirely by self-interest and a fascination for power that he does not know what to do with. He is extremely smart, cunning and borderline antisocial. Everything is a game for him and he plays solely to win.

His development in the story takes place in the form of connections he reluctantly forms with certain people. When a game runs out of his favour for the first time in his life, he learns that he is not willing to pay the price of losing. He realizes that his actions have consequences and some of them might be too monumental for even him to work his way out of.

He is the only character who always puts himself first and it will be challenging to portray that in a way that does not make him out as a complete villain. In fact, watching him learn to empathize, grow and care is just as rewarding for me as the writer and I want him to come across as someone worthy of being saved.

5. Character & Location List

This will definitely keep growing as I proceed with the novel, so I am mentioning only a few right now.

Characters:



Location:

Words Written: 237

Started slowly and I mostly dragged through some descriptions today. Will probably scrap them later because I don't want to info-dump right at the beginning of the story. I definitely hope I feel more inspired tomorrow!

Words Daily: 839

Total Words: 1076

Things picked up today! I have got the opening scene out of the way but I feel its important to establish Mike and Skye's sibling relationship first since that lays the groundwork for her character.

Also, long sentences are the bane of my existence. It took me 2 hours to simplify them into something readable without having to completely rewrite. Apparently though, they are a habit of mine, so that's something I'll have to keep in mind for the future.

Excerpt:

ah i love that excerpt, Random!! the vibes are <3 (iron gate, recent rain, silver key - so poetic, somehow) and i can't wait to read more :3

Thanks, @Spearmint! That's the vibe I was going for!

I love this, especially your characters <3 good luck!

A little late with the update, but I am currently nearing the end of Chapter 1. I thought about dividing it into two, but I want this to mark 'the innocent' phase in Skye's life when she can afford to be oblivious to what is going on around her. Chapter 1 will end with Mike's leaving, so yes, its a monster of a chapter.

Words Daily: 814

Total Words: 1890