Midnight in Suburbia

Outline & Chronological Timeline

Outline #1

Beginning: Sixty year old business woman visits her 90 year old mother for Thanksgiving.

Climax: Business woman's mother is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

End: Business woman becomes her mother's guardian and caregiver.

Chronological Timeline #1

When the plot begins: On Thanksgiving day, Thursday, November 28, 2013

When the plot climaxes: The climax occurs on the spring equinox Thursday, March 20, 2014.

When the plot ends: On Thursday, May 1, 2014 when daughter officially becomes her mother's caregiver.

Outline #2

Beginning: Sixty year old business woman (Daniella) visits her 90 year old mother for Thanksgiving.
          Oven fire started because Amity forgot she put turkey in the oven & went to neighbors
                    She is confused about how turkey got in oven
                    Plot Twist - missing will & power of attorney
                    Ethan arrives a few few minutes after Daniella

Climax: Business woman's mother (Amity) is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
          Daniella takes Amity to Doctor specializing in geriatric care

End: Business woman becomes her mother's guardian and caregiver.
          Daniella receives Amity's will & final directive giving Daniella power of attorney, but leaving house in Oklahoma to Ethan

Chronological Timeline #2

When it begins: On Thanksgiving day, Thursday, November 28, 2013
         Daniella takes Amity back to Las Vegas until house can be repaired
         Leaves Ethan to take care of house and get repairs accomplished
         Ethan ships several boxes of items back to Las Vegas (to Daniella's house) and they arrive seven days before Christmas

When it climaxes: The climax occurs on the spring equinox Thursday, March 20, 2014.
         Amity is diagnoses with Alzheimer's disease

When it ends: On Thursday, May 1, 2014 when daughter officially becomes her mother's caregiver.
         Will gives Daniella power of attorney, which allows her to become Amity's caregiver.

Outline #3

Who is my main character? Daniella Coffey

What is the main problem my character has to solve, or an important goal my character has to achieve? Daniella doesn't know her mother has Alzheimer's disease when she first brings her mother to live with her in Las Vegas until her mother's home in Oklahoma is repaired after a Thanksgiving kitchen fire. Daniella finds her mother's actions bizarre & unusual.

          Why is it deeply important to my character? Daniella loves her mother despite Amity's odd, bizarre, & aggravating actions.

What terrible difficulties are there between my character and her goal or the solution to her problems? Daniella's stubborn, uncompromising, and possessive. Her strongest negative trait is stubbornness. She can also be quick-tempered and overly cautious in money matters.

Where and when (in general) will my story take place? The story begins in Oklahoma at Amity house on Thanksgiving 2013 and then moves to Las Vegas to Daniella's house where Amity's short-term memory & unusual actions become more obvious.

What are the main events that will move my character toward (or away from) solving the novel's central problem or achieving its central goal? Amity's actions & the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.

Write a 1-2 sentence summary of your novel's main idea? This is the story of a woman confronted with her mother's Alzheimer's disease & the decision to become her mother's caregiver or put her mother in a memory care center.

Chronological Timeline #3

What characters are in the scene? Daniella, Amity, & several fire department personal

Who is the viewpoint character or characters? Daniella's viewpoint

Where does the scene happen? On the morning of November 29, 2013, Daniella (using a private jet) returns to Las Vegas with her mother Amity. This scene takes place in a casino restaurant around 10:30 or 11:00 am.

What happens? Amity ordered off the lunch menu but thinks she order breakfast. She gets angry when she thinks that Daniella is lying to her & the waitress is rude.

What does the scene accomplish in the novel? This reveals Amity's temper with rude people or people she thinks are rude. It reveals Daniella's love for her mother because despite her tendency to under tip, she leaves a large tip for the waitress as an apology for Amity's behavior.

          Does it move the character forward toward her goal or further away from it? It more Daniella farther away because Daniella doesn't want to admit there is something wrong with her mother.

Outline #4

Beginning

Daniella Coffey, a sixty year old business woman, visits her 90 year old mother, Amity Coffey-Shupe, for Thanksgiving.
Oven fire started because Amity forgot she put turkey in the oven & went to neighbors
         She is confused about how turkey got in oven
         Plot Twist - missing will & power of attorney
         Ethan arrives a few few minutes after Daniella
         Daniella's stubborn, uncompromising, and possessive. Her strongest negative trait is stubbornness. She can also be quick-tempered and overly cautious in money matters.
         The story begins in Oklahoma at Amity house on Thanksgiving 2013 and then moves to Las Vegas to Daniella's house where Amity's short-term memory & unusual actions become more obvious.

Climax

Deniella's mother is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
         Daniella takes Amity to Doctor specializing in geriatric care
         Daniella must decide whether to keep Amity in her home or find a memory care senior living home for Amity

End

Daniella becomes her mother's guardian and caregiver.
         Amity's will & final directive are found which give Daniella power of attorney, but leaving house in Oklahoma to Ethan
         Daniella's decision is difficult, but based on what is best for Amity

Chronological Timeline #4

When does the plot begin?

On Thanksgiving day, Thursday, November 28, 2013
Daniella takes Amity back to Las Vegas until house can be repaired
         Leaves Ethan to take care of house and get repairs accomplished
         Ethan ships several boxes of items back to Las Vegas (to Daniella's house) and they arrive seven days before Christmas
         On the morning of November 29, 2013, Daniella (using a private jet) returns to Las Vegas with her mother Amity. This scene takes place in a casino restaurant around 10:30 or 11:00 am.
         Amity ordered off the lunch menu but thinks she order breakfast. She gets angry when she thinks that Daniella is lying to her & the waitress is rude.

When does the plot climax?

On the spring equinox Thursday, March 20, 2014, when Amity is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease
         Amity is diagnoses with Alzheimer's disease by a doctor in Las Vegas
         Amity's actions get more unusual as time goes by because of the move from Oklahoma to Las Vegas.

When does the plot end?

On Thursday, May 1, 2014 when Daniella officially becomes her mother's caregiver.
         Will gives Daniella power of attorney, which allows her to become Amity's caregiver.
         Daniella must find in home nurse for Amity or put her in assisted living.

Outline Revision #5

Today, October 25, I am planning to write a chapter each day. That will make thirty chapters by November 30, which should complete the novel Midnight in Suburbia. After considering my plans up to the present, I decided I have to put a bit of background before Daniella arrives at her mother's house in Oklahoma.

Beginning
Chapters 1 to 9
This is a probable subject schedule of the first nine chapters

Chapter 1: Background of Daniella's relationship with her mother and half-brother.
Chapter 2: Daniella arrives at her mother's house, either on Thanksgiving day or Thanksgiving eve. Ethan (Daniella's half-brother) arrives a couple of hours after Daniella.
Chapter 3: Daniella returns to Las Vegas on Black Friday, but leaves Ethan in Oklahoma to take care of getting the house repaired after the fire.
Chapter 4: Incident on private plane flying Daniella and Amity back to Las Vegas. Amity thinks pilot's actions are extremely rude and becomes angry.
Chapter 5: Daniella and Amity have lunch in a hotel-casino restaurant. Amity's actions appear somewhat bizarre to Daniella.
Chapter 6: Amity does not remember meeting Preston at Thanksgiving in 2011. Amity meets Preston's mother for the first time, but thinks woman is someone else.
Chapter 7: Amity meets Daniella's live in maid. Amity loses her false teeth and thinks someone stole them.
Chapter 8: Amity has issues living in Daniella's house. Amity wants to go back to Oklahoma and her own house.
Chapter 9: A box of items arrives at Daniella's house which Ethan sent from Oklahoma with a letter.

Leeway One
Chapters 10 to 11
This is a probable subject schedule for my first two leeway chapters

Chapter 10: Scarecrow in Daniella's vegetable garden frightens Amity. She thinks she sees him talking to a man.
Chapter 11: Amity wanders out of house when she gets up from afternoon nap.

Climax
Chapters 12 to 20
This is a probable subject schedule of the middle nine chapters

Chapter 12: Daniella talks to neighbor about finding a doctor specializing geriatric medicine
Chapter 13: Doctor's appointment
Chapter 14: Brain scan and other tests
Chapter 15: Amity reacts badly to all the testing
Chapter 16: Daniella reads her mother's diary and finds unusual entries (possibly putting this earlier in book)
Chapter 17 to Chapter 20: These chapters concern Amity's unusual behavior.

Leeway two

Chapter 21
This is a probable subject for my second leeway chapter.
Chapter 21: Dream Amity has.

End

Chapters 22 to 30
This is a probable subject schedule for the last nine chapters.
Chapter22 to Chapter 30:: These chapters cover Daniella's decision about placement of Amity and legal matters.

Chronological Timeline #5

The first nine chapters (1 through 9) take place between November 28, 2013 and December 21, 2013.
The middle nine chapters (12 through 20) take place between December 22, 2013 and March 20, 2014.
The last nine chapters (22 through 30) take place between March 21, 2014 and May 1, 2014.