I will bow to the pressure and create a numbered list, since it seems like the thing to do. Here are some of the things my novel will include:
1. A character modelled after Jack Bauer. Well, maybe he will really just look sort of like Jack Bauer. There may or may not be a scene where the Jack Bauer character urinates on his sock and puts it over his mouth to counteract a deadly nerve gas, only to find out that it is a false alarm. What does this have to do with funerals? Absolutely nothing... yet.
2. A very short time frame. My novel will take place over a period of only a day or two.
3. A limited number of different settings. The majority of the novel will take place in the funeral home (a large, multi-plex type funeral home, where many funerals can occur at a time- which as I'm sure you'll agree, adds so much potential for hilarity). The other place where action will take place is... wait for it... Jackie's Place. A pub located conveniently next to the funeral home.
4. Flashbacks. As with my rookie effort, the back story will be revealed over the course of the novel.
5. A doped up mother, as appears in "the Covenant". She will be the one sniffing the glue that holds the family together.
6. At least one character modelled after Tim Riggins. Why? Because he is my inspiration, my muse.
That's all I can think of... for now.
I highly approve of your list, and am very intrigued by the deadly nerve gas. I think you could do the highly acclaimed Stephenie Meyer (TM) plot device of starting your novel with a really tense, exciting and scary moment (the nerve gas moment), for a page or so, and then cutting back to the regular plot. After about 800 pages you get back to the nerve gas moment, only to find you just don't give a shit anymore, because you want to gouge your eyes out and whip yourself soundly as punishment for reading that far.
ReplyDeletenot that your novel will be that bad - I guess I just got carried away when I remembered her (highly manipulative) noveling style.
Hahahahaha at the Jack Bauer plot device. That is absolutely ingenious. I can't imagine a better scene in a novel.
ReplyDeleteI can't stop laughing.
Love the list.
Nice list Jill I definitely like the urine sock moment. Have you seen six feet under? Maybe some of those characters could be running the funeral home
ReplyDeleteJill! Love the list and I can't wait to see how you work all those into your novel.
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