I've had this idea for a while, but I've just never gotten around to writing it. Was reminded of it in Genetics Monday morning.
Working Title: "Apoptosis"
Genre: ...Is Suicide a genre? Maybe Horror, with a touch of Mystery.
Main Characters: Gwen, an 18-year-old female with short, orange hair that was normally well-kept. She was a freshman, preparing for a pre-medical degree of some sort. She was book-smart, but not very good with relationships.
Claire, Gwen's 20-year-old sister. She has reddish-brown hair, shoulder length, and is certainly "the pretty one" of her family. She can be a bit of a ditz, but she's willing to make friends with just about anyone, despite the toll it takes on her time.
Herman, a 29-year-old male officer. He's a bit big but in-shape. He's not an emotional man and just wants to do his job.
Setting: Gwen's bedroom, in modern-day America or something. The story format alternates between Gwen in that room, hovering over a Cell Biology textbook, and Claire and Herman standing there the next day.
Plot: A morbidly-depressed Gwen is studying for a big exam she "knows" she won't pass when she finally commits suicide, which she has been contemplating for months. She is found in dead her room the next day, and Claire and Herman investigate the scene.
Point of View: Alternates between first-person from Gwen, describing the process of apoptosis (programmed cell suicide), and third-person from Claire, who describes to Herman how Gwen had been faring as of late, in parallel with the processes Gwen describes in her sections.
After reading Seven Pieces of Chalk, I don't feel like I could do any suicide stories more justice, but I'd still like to toy with this someday. It seems like an interesting format to me.
Really interesting idea. The format sounds intriguing (how it goes back-and-forth btwn POVs), and I really like how you tie it together with the theory of cell suicide. It sounds like the sort of short story high school students would be required to study and analyze (and I mean that as a compliment).
ReplyDelete... So I was right about Seven Pieces of Chalk. From what I gleaned through my skimming, I thought that America committed suicide, and I guess I was right. I definitely don't think I'll be reading it, then. Nothing against the story, which looked excellent, but seeing as I've contemplated suicide more than once in the past, I really don't think reading about a character I somewhat identify with killing himself would be a good idea.
You think so? I'll be sure to keep it extra-short, then. ;)
DeleteAh, yeah. I mean, I've definitely contemplated suicide, and I found the story to be pretty healing. It's a pretty personal thing, though, so if it worries you, I'm not going to keep pushing.