'Melody’s Silence' a noir

[WordsIntheWyld]

I'm writing a Noir series that I think is a page-turner, but I'm unsure how to categorize it on this site.

Six years ago, Alexander Brooks lost everything.

Once a rising star in Boston’s classical music scene, his life shattered when his fiancée, Melody McCall, vanished without a trace. Though never charged, the media, public, and even Melody’s parents branded him the prime suspect. His career destroyed, his name forever tainted, Alex fled to Paris, where he found solace in music and anonymity.

But the past never stays buried.

 

[MelissaBaby]

I'm writing a Noir series that I think is a page-turner, but I'm unsure how to categorize it on this site.

Six years ago, Alexander Brooks lost everything.

Once a rising star in Boston’s classical music scene, his life shattered when his fiancée, Melody McCall, vanished without a trace. Though never charged, the media, public, and even Melody’s parents branded him the prime suspect. His career destroyed, his name forever tainted, Alex fled to Paris, where he found solace in music and anonymity.

But the past never stays buried.

It doesn't sound like there is a specific category where it would fit. As a series, I think your most appropriate option is Novel and Novellas.

 

[LetsMisBehave]

While I can see Novels and Novellas being appropriate, other categories might fit depending on what else happens in the story. If Melody turns up alive at some point, shoehorning it into Loving Wives is arguable if you have a thick skin and are going for views—especially if you are in Gone Girl territory or you end up with a Maltese Falcon or Double Indemnity ending.

 

[Audiflex]

I'm writing a Noir series that I think is a page-turner, but I'm unsure how to categorize it on this site.

Six years ago, Alexander Brooks lost everything.

Once a rising star in Boston’s classical music scene, his life shattered when his fiancée, Melody McCall, vanished without a trace. Though never charged, the media, public, and even Melody’s parents branded him the prime suspect. His career destroyed, his name forever tainted, Alex fled to Paris, where he found solace in music and anonymity.

But the past never stays buried.

This sounds like a gripping setup! The noir vibe is strong with the fallen-from-grace protagonist and the lingering mystery of Melody’s disappearance. The classical music angle adds a unique twist, too. For categorization, maybe something like "Mystery/Noir" or "Psychological Thriller" would fit, depending on how dark and twisty it gets. Either way, it’s got all the makings of a page-turner, good luck with it!

 

[Audiflex]

While I can see Novels and Novellas being appropriate, other categories might fit depending on what else happens in the story. If Melody turns up alive at some point, shoehorning it into Loving Wives is arguable if you have a thick skin and are going for views—especially if you are in Gone Girl territory or you end up with a Maltese Falcon or Double Indemnity ending.

Haha, I love the idea of shoehorning it into "Loving Wives" for the views, definitely a bold move! If it veers into Gone Girl or Double Indemnity territory, that could totally work (and stir up some drama). But yeah, "Novels" or "Novellas" seems like the safest bet unless you’re leaning hard into a specific genre twist. Either way, it sounds like it’s got plenty of potential for intrigue and moral grey areas.

 

[WordsIntheWyld]

It is similar to modern noir, like The Girl with a Clock for a Heart or The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. My wife wrote an outline to the story and has the ending written down, but she won't let me look until I get to the last part. My job is to bring her characters to life on the page.

 

[ElectricBlue]

It is similar to modern noir, like The Girl with a Clock for a Heart or The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. My wife wrote an outline to the story and has the ending written down, but she won't let me look until I get to the last part. My job is to bring her characters to life on the page.

Write it first, then decide which category. You're putting the cart before the horse.

 

[WordsIntheWyld]

Write it first, then decide which category. You're putting the cart before the horse.

The first part is already written.

 

[ThatNewGuy]

Novels and Novellas sounds like a solid option, but I agree with @LetsMisBehave that you should also consider Loving Wives.

Writers in the past have had success posting stories in LW that have little or nothing to do with infidelity (for example, Todd172's Vodka Sting or The Shack series). Sure, you'll get a few "This doesn't belong in LW!" comments, but most readers will appreciate a well-written story, and many may even be grateful to read a page-turner that's so different from the usual fare.

Posting in Loving Wives means that you'll get a ton of views and comments. More than in almost any other category. However, your score will also be lower than if you posted the series in another category.

All that said, I haven't posted to Loving Wives in a while, so I don't exactly have my finger on the pulse of the current readership. But given the sheer size of the audience, I still think it's likely that you'll find readers who are receptive to your story.

Best of luck with the series, whatever you decide.

 

[StillStunned]

Add some bum stuff and put it in Anal.

 

[lovecraft68]

I'm writing a Noir series that I think is a page-turner, but I'm unsure how to categorize it on this site.

Six years ago, Alexander Brooks lost everything.

Once a rising star in Boston’s classical music scene, his life shattered when his fiancée, Melody McCall, vanished without a trace. Though never charged, the media, public, and even Melody’s parents branded him the prime suspect. His career destroyed, his name forever tainted, Alex fled to Paris, where he found solace in music and anonymity.

But the past never stays buried.

Erotic couplings is your answer.

Novels Novellas is a category of crickets, and you could try LW for the opposite-as in a lot of attention, but much of it will be negative and it seems this is a long series with a lot of work put into it, so to do that just to see it trashed by the ghetto of Literotica seems a shame, but that's your choice.

But EC would be a middle ground for numbers and a decent readership that won't trash it based on 'woman bad!!!!"

 

[SimonDoom]

Yes, write the full story without thinking about category, and then choose category when the story is done.

One grammatical point in your passage:

Though never charged, the media, public, and even Melody’s parents branded him the prime suspect.

The way this is written, it suggests that "the media, public, and even Melody's parents" rather than Alexander Brooks, were never charged. The better way to write it is:

Though never charged, Alexander was branded the prime suspect by the media, the public, and even Melody’s parents.

I also added "the" before "public" because it's needed to make the series parallel.

 

[StillStunned]

Turn it into Erotic Horror. Alexander buried Melody alive, but her ghost (or his conscience) haunts him. It drives him to ever-worse excesses as he tries silence her voice.

 

[jaF0]

^^^ And what if he didn't do anything at all? She voluntarily vanished, but maybe she took steps to make it look like he did something? Some number of years later, she's found living in hiding.

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

I'm writing a Noir series that I think is a page-turner, but I'm unsure how to categorize it on this site.

Six years ago, Alexander Brooks lost everything.

Once a rising star in Boston’s classical music scene, his life shattered when his fiancée, Melody McCall, vanished without a trace. Though never charged, the media, public, and even Melody’s parents branded him the prime suspect. His career destroyed, his name forever tainted, Alex fled to Paris, where he found solace in music and anonymity.

But the past never stays buried.

Not enough information to offer an opinion. Of course, i'd go for making Alex hide in drag as a singer in a jazz bar. That would make it T/CD, but that's just me.

 

[StillStunned]

Of course, i'd go for making Alex hide in drag as a singer in a jazz bar. That would make it T/CD, but that's just me.

I'd read it. Particularly if Alex in drag channels Melody.

 

[AllenWoody]

Add some bum stuff and put it in Anal.

Dammit! I was going to post something almost identical. As Alex descends further into depravity he begins tutoring, and as often as not seducing his students. One day, when he's ass-fucking a promising young talent from the 11th arrondisement she sees a photo of Melody that Alex usually kept hidden.

"Je connais elle!" she says.

 

[StillStunned]

"Je connais elle!" she says.

"C'est maman!"