So I love writing and I start many many stories. Right now I’m curious about writing realistic fiction. The story currently follows a girl (I’m deciding between the names [name_f]Maia[/name_f] and [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f]) and her adventures in 8th grade. Her mom is the principal of her school (a brand new charter) and she knows all of the staff. I want to make it interesting. [name_m]How[/name_m] would you structure this story? What can I do to make it interesting?
Thank you in advance!
For the record, I much prefer [name_f]Maia[/name_f].
As for a storyline, a lot of things happen in middle school. My sister is currently an eighth grader and I can tell you, right now their phones are all the rage. Snapchat, Instagram, you name it. There’s also a lot of drama. Personally, I had a lot of friend drama in eighth grade. I can go more in detail for any of these if you want, but a few that happened for me:
Hopefully this helps a little. Gives you some inspiration.
Well, since its realistic fiction, heres some ideas:
Also, I prefer [name_f]Maia[/name_f] as well.
I second this idea!
When I was actually in 8th grade, I developed a character and started writing her adventures. Turns out the story was totally scatter brained, but the character has stuck with me. I’ve been thinking of trying to bring her back.
Eighth grade is a major transition. It is usually the “big fish in a small pond” mentality, which quickly becomes the “small fish” in high school. There are multiple classes and groups of friends within those classes. There are dances, theatre, sports, etc. Tons of drama and hormones. In my case, I had crushes on every third boy and most of them probably didn’t even know I was there. I was a religious person so I had constant debates with people of other beliefs. I changed my name when I was 13 and was total jerk about it, even to adults. Eighth grade is a time of seeking oneself… and by no means finding it.
This would be a good time to develop an outline for your story. There is a danger of having way too much random detail. [name_f]Remember[/name_f] the key to writing is that everything in the story has a purpose toward the end. There can be a couple side storylines to accompany the main one, but make sure each character and each detail contributes to the story.
Any luck so far?
Thank you all so much! Anymore ideas are still welcome! Here’s what I know I’m using:
As I said, more ideas are welcome! Thanks again!
Ideas.
I’m going to call the main character ‘Allie’ to make writing this out easier. And maybe she could have a younger sister.
The mother could be having an affair with the married English teacher, only he wants to end the relationship because he cant deal with the guilt anymore.
No one know’s of her mothers reliance of alcohol and/or drugs or the fact that she is on the cusp of a breakdown. She hides it from everyone else so that she can keep her job and save face with her daughter and the rest of the town. ‘Allie’ is suspicious of her but doesn’t know what to do about it. If her mother loses her job it means they will have to move to a another town and live with her grandmother whom, has never treated ‘Allie’ like her grandaughter because she was adopted. To make it worse, the grandmother dotes on, and spoils the younger, biological grandaughter. (Dad lives abroad with new family.)
‘Allie’s’ two best friends have boyfriends. She doesn’t, tells everyone she doesn’t have time to date and acts like it doesn’t bother her. But of course it really does. She has a major crush on the lead singer of the school band. (Lets call him Sully, short for Sullivan, to make it easier to discribe the situation) She has known him for years, he’s the unidentical twin brother of one of her best friends. Even though ‘Sully’ notices her, half the female’s at their school are lining up to be his girlfriend. Unbeknown to her, her best friend told ‘Sully’ he wasn’t allowed to date ‘Allie’ because it would be too weird, she’s also worried ‘Allie’ would hang out with her brother more than her. This leads to a confrontation with the best friend when ‘Allie’ hears this from one of Sully’s friends during an after school sports practice.
‘Allie’ is paired up with ‘Evan’ who is shy, smart and want’s to become a writer like her, for a science project. He is sweet and caring and seems to be really intrested in whatever she has to say. They start to hang out together alot. He helps her take her mind off her mother’s problems and she brings him out of his shell. He takes her to the school dance. She experiences her first kiss. They become inseparable. He isn’t like anyone she has met before.
Time goes by, ‘Allie’ notices her mother is on top of things again or is just getting better at hiding the cracks.
‘Allie’ feels pretty happy with her life right now.
But she is in ‘Evan’s’ room one evening, while he is downstairs getting them some snacks, she comes across a document he has left open on his laptop. Its titled: “Sullivan.” She doesnt want to invade his privacy and read it but ‘Sully’ is Sullivan. Why would ‘Evan’ have a document with that name? She decides to have a quick look since they share everything with each other anyway. But what she finds is something she never expected. ‘Evan’ has a secret, he’s kept something big from her. And it looks like ‘Sully’ could be in danger. Does she take what she has read seriously? She loves ‘Evan’, if she speaks to the police and this is all just something fictional hes written, a joke or a misunderstanding, it could ruin ‘Evan’s’ life. Was her relationship with ‘Evan’ real? She makes an excuse to leave. She calls ‘Sully’ on her way home. He can’t get much out her but says he’ll meet her at her house in 20 minutes. When she reachers her front door she is in a state and absolutley terrified. If what she saw was true then what has ‘Evan’ planned? And it might not just be ‘Sully’ in danger. It could be everyone at (add a fictional school name.)
Her mother will know what to do. She unlocks the door, remembering that her mother was about to go out for dinner with a friend of a friend when Allie left the house that afternoon. Her sister was sleeping over at a friends house. She calls her mother on her cell, but she hears it ring in the house.
She finds her mother unconscious on the living room couch. There is a bottle of pills on the coffee table. ‘Allie’ is in 8th grade, she is not equipped to deal with any of this.
‘Allie’s’ mother is fighting for her life. While sitting at her mothers side praying she will make it, she has to make a decision. Save the boy she loves. Will it be ‘Sully’ or ‘Evan’?
I think you could write this in first person. With he exception of flashback chapters throughout the story. They would be in third person but from either ‘Evan’s’ or ‘Sully’s’ perspective. Whoevers perspective you used, I think it should be the same throughout the whole flashback story. And the flashback story would be about a bullying incident involving ‘Sully’ and ‘Evan’. Although perhaps written in a way so that the reader isn’s sure if it’s ‘Allies’, 'Sully’s or ‘Evans’ perspective until 'Allie finds ‘Evan’s’ document." Before the story reveals what was actually in the document, you could conclude the last part of the flashback, also making it clear who each person was etc.
‘Evan’s’ document could be a what at first glance seems like a fictional story but as ‘Allie’ skims over it, the name 'Sullivan keeps jumping out at her. Which in itself doesnt seem that odd because the title of the story is “Sullivan”, its bound to be reapated throught the story. And also not odd if you dont know anyone with the name. But she does and its what else is written that seems so terrifyingly real, that it might not be fiction at all.
What Evan has written is far from fiction.
I’m not sure if you wanted to go with the thriller/drama/love story thing but I hope this helps inspire you. You are welcome to use anything I have written on here, wether you want to use all of it, none at all or just to get ideas thats totally fine, I wouldn’t be offended either way.
Goodluck. 