need help with a character for a story

[RicoLouis]

I have been brain storming a story. In the story I have three girls 20, 19, and 18. I want to make them diffrent so I am kind of thinking of a tomboy, cheerleader, and a nerd. The problem I am having is I want to have each girl have a problem they are going through which makes them outcast and kind of brings them together. The tomboy is a lesbian who has just been outed. The cheerleader gets herself knocked up and finds herself not so popular. The problem is the nerd girl. She would already be a bit of an outcast but why does she befriend the other two. The only thing I can think of is being raped or almost raped. Thought about making her a goth girl as well but that would make her an outcast as well.

 

[1sickbastard]

I have been brain storming a story. In the story I have three girls 20, 19, and 18. I want to make them diffrent so I am kind of thinking of a tomboy, cheerleader, and a nerd. The problem I am having is I want to have each girl have a problem they are going through which makes them outcast and kind of brings them together. The tomboy is a lesbian who has just been outed. The cheerleader gets herself knocked up and finds herself not so popular. The problem is the nerd girl. She would already be a bit of an outcast but why does she befriend the other two. The only thing I can think of is being raped or almost raped. Thought about making her a goth girl as well but that would make her an outcast as well.

Nope, a nerd girl, especially if she's socially inept and/or inattentive to her appearance, is all the outcast you need.
Goth isn't really an outcast, it's another group playing at being outcast. A true outcast doesn't fit into any group (hence the nature of being outcast).
Even the lesbian tomboy would find acceptance just by finding other lesbians, unless she has some additional quality that would make it hard for lesbians to accept.
The real question is the device used to bring them together.

 

[mythtrav16]

I have been brain storming a story. In the story I have three girls 20, 19, and 18. I want to make them diffrent so I am kind of thinking of a tomboy, cheerleader, and a nerd. The problem I am having is I want to have each girl have a problem they are going through which makes them outcast and kind of brings them together. The tomboy is a lesbian who has just been outed. The cheerleader gets herself knocked up and finds herself not so popular. The problem is the nerd girl. She would already be a bit of an outcast but why does she befriend the other two. The only thing I can think of is being raped or almost raped. Thought about making her a goth girl as well but that would make her an outcast as well.

Maybe she had a small clique of nerd friends and they've turned their back on her recently for some reason. Perhaps she did something like hack into the college's computer or one of her enemies' facebook page and as a result, the whole nerd clique got put on probation because she wouldn't step forward and confess?

 

[PennLady]

I have been brain storming a story. In the story I have three girls 20, 19, and 18. I want to make them diffrent so I am kind of thinking of a tomboy, cheerleader, and a nerd. The problem I am having is I want to have each girl have a problem they are going through which makes them outcast and kind of brings them together. The tomboy is a lesbian who has just been outed. The cheerleader gets herself knocked up and finds herself not so popular. The problem is the nerd girl. She would already be a bit of an outcast but why does she befriend the other two. The only thing I can think of is being raped or almost raped. Thought about making her a goth girl as well but that would make her an outcast as well.

I think the previous posters have you on the right path. The nerd is already an outcast/misfit. You don't need to add rape into the mix. As far as m/f relationships, Nerd Girl is probably already behind the eight ball, either because no one's asked her, or she doesn't feel self-confident, or something like that.

As for devices to bring them together --

-- perhaps Nerd Girl is also a top student, and ends up tutoring the other two, if they're all in college? Then as they get to know each other, the support group can emerge?

-- perhaps the girls were all friends at a younger age, drifted apart, but find themselves turning back to their old friends in a time of crisis?

-- perhaps someone's parent(s) could be the catalyst? These girls are all young, and presumably living at home (unless they're living on campus at a college?).

Hope that sparks some ideas.

PL

 

[TheMightyPen]

or she volunteers at some help group and that's how she comes to be friends with the lesbian and cheerleader.

 

[snoopercharmbrights]

... a tomboy, cheerleader, and a nerd. The problem I am having is I want to have each girl have a problem they are going through which makes them outcast ...

The tomboy was a wet blanket at a big birthday party for one of the other girls in her class.

The cheerleader pissed off the coach so all the girls were made to do extra practices.

The nerd crashed the college systems by doing something stupid (like formatting the C: drive instead of the A: drive).

 

[sirhugs]

they became friends when thrown randomly together to do a school project. The nerd of course did the work. The cheerleader did the presentation. The tomboy brought the drugs.

 

[Lost_Yonder]

I think the previous posters have you on the right path. The nerd is already an outcast/misfit. You don't need to add rape into the mix. As far as m/f relationships, Nerd Girl is probably already behind the eight ball, either because no one's asked her, or she doesn't feel self-confident, or something like that.

As for devices to bring them together --

-- perhaps Nerd Girl is also a top student, and ends up tutoring the other two, if they're all in college? Then as they get to know each other, the support group can emerge?

-- perhaps the girls were all friends at a younger age, drifted apart, but find themselves turning back to their old friends in a time of crisis?

-- perhaps someone's parent(s) could be the catalyst? These girls are all young, and presumably living at home (unless they're living on campus at a college?).

Hope that sparks some ideas.

PL

Lots of good suggestions have been offered. I like PennLady's first one about the nerd girl becoming their tutor. Because of their being outcasted the tomboy and cheerleader fall behind in their school work and discover they are in desperate need of help or will flunk out of college.

The only question I have is that given their ages, they are obviously in college where there are a lot more social cliques, opportunities for support, and even the option of taking a semester off to get one's shit together. So why do they become so desperate? Perhaps it is a small religious school? That is why the tomboy is outcasted for having tried to come on to a friend who she thought shared her lesbian tendencies, but who freaked out and outted her. And thus the cheerleader is kicked off the squad for getting pregnant as she no longer represents the "moral" character the school wants to project...

Good luck!

 

[Bob Waters]

Lots of good suggestions have been offered. I like PennLady's first one about the nerd girl becoming their tutor. Because of their being outcasted the tomboy and cheerleader fall behind in their school work and discover they are in desperate need of help or will flunk out of college.

The only question I have is that given their ages, they are obviously in college where there are a lot more social cliques, opportunities for support, and even the option of taking a semester off to get one's shit together. So why do they become so desperate? Perhaps it is a small religious school? That is why the tomboy is outcasted for having tried to come on to a friend who she thought shared her lesbian tendencies, but who freaked out and outted her. And thus the cheerleader is kicked off the squad for getting pregnant as she no longer represents the "moral" character the school wants to project...

Good luck!

Make them all 18 y/o HS seniors -- for the reasons cited above.

 

[Texguy84]

they became friends when thrown randomly together to do a school project. The nerd of course did the work. The cheerleader did the presentation. The tomboy brought the drugs.

Even better, they all got in trouble for varying (initially vaguely defined) reasons, and are spending a Saturday morning at detention!

I might have seen that in a movie somewhere.

But yeah, they could all know each other from some social thing (if they are in college, maybe they all happen to be in the same unrelated organization, like some kind of community service organization, or a film club, or something). If they all get bumped back to 18 (or maaaybe 19, if one of the girls got held back a year), they could even have a class together or something.

The nerd girl could just have a sort of social anxiety, I've had many friends who suffered from such a thing, and it was generally hard for them to come out of their shell around strangers. Mind you, many nerds do in fact band together based on common interests, but you could still be an outcast even with quite a few friends, if you are outside whatever is considered "Normal".

Cheerleader getting knocked up could work, alternately her social position could be in upheaval because of something like her parents getting busted for tax evasion or some business/rich people crime.

 

[smallncute]

Lots of good suggestions have been offered. I like PennLady's first one about the nerd girl becoming their tutor. Because of their being outcasted the tomboy and cheerleader fall behind in their school work and discover they are in desperate need of help or will flunk out of college.

The only question I have is that given their ages, they are obviously in college where there are a lot more social cliques, opportunities for support, and even the option of taking a semester off to get one's shit together. So why do they become so desperate? Perhaps it is a small religious school? That is why the tomboy is outcasted for having tried to come on to a friend who she thought shared her lesbian tendencies, but who freaked out and outted her. And thus the cheerleader is kicked off the squad for getting pregnant as she no longer represents the "moral" character the school wants to project...

Good luck!

Some how the three girls are in a situation which requires team work to survive

As already mentioned put together as a school project, they have to work together to all get a good grade

Could make it more adventurous and make it some school trip accidentally getting involved in a situation e.g foiling a major armed robbery!!