NaNoWriMo - ideas

10th October 2011

What scares people now?
Young people. Gang culture.
Evil? demons? minions? black eyes.
         cult.
deaths in local community.
         murders.
         local community left terrified.

Medium sized town. Gang age 13-18. Look like normal young people. 'Anti social' behaviour; looked upon as nuisances by older generations.

POV of neighbours? apartment block? inner city? rural? based on specific place i.e. park, local arcade/ Story of someone who wants to be a part of their group. Initiation. Begins with small tasks growing in intensity and dangerousness.

How do local community perceive the group? How does the girl view the group? Are they perceptively different?

Characters

Main character: Jenna
Personality/background etc: just turned 14. Lives with mum. Inner city area/apartment block/high rise. Floor 9. Quiet/shy. Not many friends. Longs to be a party of the crowd and fit in. Dad (David) left when Jenna was three. Just left one day leaving Angela with young child and a part time job, flat to rent. Small/skinny/slight/petite. Shoulder length dark brown hair. Brown eyes. Small features. Likes horror movies and doesn't particularly like shopping. Has a part time job - newspaper round? helps mam out a bit but that money is her luxury. Has a really sweet tooth.

Mum - Angela. Works as hospital as a nurse, long hours. Small frame, gaunt, tired.
Best friend - Leah. Slightly larger than Jenna but still small, dirty blonde hair, quiet type. Love shopping and girly movies.
Mrs Appleby - English teacher at this school (name?). Only person who will challenge the gang. They do listen to her (somewhat reluctantly) but she has no affect. Jenna wonders about this? Perhaps the gang don't go to English lessons? Sets an English assignment at the beginning of the novel that Jenna and Leah work on.
Laura - the girl with LD who Jenna has to fight to win task two. What sort of LD? She's 13. Jenna already knows her, perhaps helped her at school?

Gang: six young people.

Crystal 13 - doesn't like Jenna from the start, always a bit nasty. Has a thing for Noel. Long blond hair. Petite. Always scowling at Jenna.
Amber Delaney 15 - in Jenna's class. Friendly. Auburn hair, dating Jeff. Always chatting with Jenna.
Jeff Dodds 15 - in Jenna's class. Dating Amber. Tall, brown hair, lean.
Liam 16 - class above Jenna. Troublemaker (kills bird)
Gregg 16 - class above Jenna. Quiet type, almost never hear him talk.
Noel 17 - gang leader. Tall, dark hair. Green eyes. Mysterious. Doesn't talk too much but exudes confidence.

Powerful, nobody questions them. Nobody questions them. Could be seen in a school/classroom scene. Evoke fear. But Jenna wants to be a part of it hasn't been bullied but always looked down on, taunted a bit.

Mr. Jones - physics teacher. Loud. Beard.
Janice - librarian.
Lucy - lunch lady. Large lady.
Calvin Johnson - sits next to Jenna in physics. Skinny and tall. Light brown hair, wears it in curtains. Has a thing for Leah. Has a friend called John.
Miss. Smith - form teacher. Small, hard faced. Silver rimmed glasses, beady eyes.

Setting

Local community: dirty/litter/unclean. Not much to do. A local run down arcade. Boardwalk at the beach. Dull. Dreary.

Inner city area. Jenna lives in a high rise. Unsure/unclear where young people are from/live. Close to the coast, walking distance. Small local ammenities. Local arcade faded, weather worn, flaky paint. Old roller rink, 2p machines, local hang-out.

Flat: small and crowded. Two bedrooms, small kitchen/living room. New sofa that her mum saved for for a long time, cream, delicious. Scratched/worn coffee table. Big TV. Maroon carpet and curtains, nets up at the curtains. Single paned windows.

Plot Outline

         Jenna lonely/isolated. Mother works long hours so often alone in their flat. Left to fend for herself. Often sees the young people (from the window) hanging about, walking past etc.
         One day one of the lads approaches her, asks if she wants to hang out. Tells her there is a small test (initiation) to ensure loyalty/trust. Jenna a little skeptical but wants to have friends and agrees.
         Three tests.
                   1. steal something from local shop.
                   2. fight someone of gang's choice and win.
                   3. murder.
         As Jenna hangs out with the gang she changes becoming more rebellious etc. Gang promise her wonderful things/good times etc. Perhaps show her something to entice her. Powerful, nobody questions them. Nobody questions them. Could be seen in a school/classroom scene. Evoke fear. But Jenna wants to be a part of it hasn't been bullied but always looked down on, taunted a bit.

Chapter Outline

1. meet Jenna/neighbourhood. Introduced to the concept of the 'gang' as well as neighbourhood and Jenna's background.
2. classroom/school scene to show how unruly/powerful the gang is. Gang becomes obvious to Jenna. Best friend becomes prominent.
3. Jenna meets gang (perhaps on the way home from school) and finds out about it more.
4. Jenna asked if she wants to be a part of it. Idea of initiation brought in.
5. Jenna completes first task and steals something. Thinks it's over? and that she's part of the gang now? Scene with best friend?
6. Scene involving Jenna and mum/teachers. Shows how behaviour has changed.
7. Jenna completes second task. Girl younger than her, turns out is also trying to get into the gang. But Jenna wins. How?
8. idea of third task introduced. Conflict between right/wrong. Behaviour still rebellious and wants to be in the gang, have what they have but doesn't want to kill.
9.Third task planned by gang leader (oldest).
10. Jenna does/doesn't do third task?!

Detailed Chapter Outline
5454 words per chapter (ish) i.e. 2.5 days on every chapter


1. Jenna walking home from school, past the arcade. Mam isn't in when she gets home (at work at hospital). See Jenna making tea, TV, unpacking her bag. Later in the evening she is looking outside the window, spots the gang hanging outside the local corner shop. Leader of the gang makes eye contact. Jenna drops net curtain and feels fearful/in awe of the gang. What makes this interesting? Introduction to town/setting/characters?

2. In the same class as Amber and Jeff (one of the youngest in the year). Class assignment she works with her best friend but can't help but notice how different they are. Don't do the work. Aren't punished. Bell rings to signal dinnertime. Scene involving bullying i.e. taking lunch money away. They are seen but not challenged. Jenna conflicted in awe but annoted at the injustice. Not sure where any of them live/mysterious.

3. Jenna meets some of the gang (males). While shopping? Waiting for best friend at the mall? At the arcade? Down by the boardwalk? Bawdy but friendly. Daring/playing pranks. Other people cross the road to avoid. They are serious/scary.

4. Jenna approached by the leader of the gang and asked if she wants to hang out. After some conflicted thoughts Jenna says yes and arranges to meet them on a Friday night after school. Nervous but excited to be making new friends, feeling accepted, no longer a nobody. Hang out at the arcade. Jenna feels powerful, invincible. Already testing the boundaries by ignoring curfew. Initiation introduced; 'If you want to hang with us, be protected and powerful, you have to prove yourself to us.'

5. First tasks scheduled for a week later. Steals something from a strip of shops local to her flats (alcohol). Conflicted. Wants friends but knows it's morally wrong. Watched/followed by the gang to makes ure she does it. Bottle of alcohol to drink that night. Does it and revels in the praise happy she's 'in'.

6. Another school scene/classroom. Jenna walking down the hall with some of the gang. More confident, sense of purpose. Happy she has new 'friends'. See her back talking, showing off in front of new friends.

7. Jenna introduced to second task. Feels completely conflicted. Wants to stay in the gang but not violent in nature and doubting her ability to win a fight. She makes the decision not to do it but is confronted by the gang on the way home. Yhery mock her, threaten. Tell her she's already in too deep, they can't let her out. Her only option is to go along with it, fight and win. Then she thinks she can try and stop her affiliation with the gang. They pick a young vulnerable girl, someone with LD? MH problems? Her best friend?

8. Third task introduced to her. Told that the final task is to murder someone. Turns out to be a local person who has cottoned onto who/what teh gang are. Jenna flat out refuses. Tells them there's no way she will participate in this just to be part of the crowd. Tells them she doesn't need them doesn't need power/protection. Storms off feeling lighter, happier.

9. Gang threaten/torment Jenna. Turn up at her flat. Follow her mum hoem from work. Tell Jenna (through a note/annonymous email) that this will continue and get worse if she doesn't cooperate. Mum gets into a car accident after work (run over) and Jenna visits her in hospital. Steels herself and makes the decision to cooperate under her terms.

10. Meets gang (at arcade) seeks them out and tells them she will complete teh task but bargains with them. If she does it she wants out of the gang and complete protectiong for herself, family and friends. Hesitantly the leader of the gang agrees.

11. Jenna does/doesn't do the third task. The person the gang ask Jenna to kill is Mrs Appleby (English teacher) who turns out is supernatural and knows how to kill the demons. Jenna ends up teaming up with her to destroy the demons. They ask Jenna to kill her because only a morally corrupt person can do so.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demon
http://demons.monstrous.com/angels_and_demons.htm




Day 6 from : Leah nodded weakly.