Need some thoughts on a story I'm thinking of writing.

[FallingToFly]

I recently had another plot bunny raise its head.

Normally, I outline them, throw them in the Notebook From Hell, and get to them as I have time, but this one doesn't want to do that. It wants to bounce around in my head and make it hurt, so I wanted to talk to some other authors and ask what they thought.

To be fair, this isn't necessarily an erotica story. It's more along the lines of: this could be a best seller, with the right effort, agent, publisher, and timing.
Feel free to back click now.

The premise is actually kind of common: drug addiction and rehabilitation. It deals with a rock star addicted to heroin, his step sister, who's a nutritionist, and a mutual connection between them besides their parents' marraige, who is already dead from a heroin overdose.

The story is already written, or at least sketched out, in my head, and somewhat on paper. I've bookmarked some online research, and ordered some books from the local library for more, but I can't seem to take the final step and start the story.

There's two reasons for that, I think. 1) I'm already in the middle of a huge serial story (30+ chapters and still going) and I have a backlog on editing that I agreed to do for friends/peers. 2) This story tends to make my world tremble at the edges. I've never had he pain of dealing with someone near and dear to my heart addicted to heroin, or any of the 'hard' drugs. I have had acquaintances who were either addicted or OD'ed, but not anyone I was close enough to that it dramatically affected my life.

A lot of the material, I know a good bit about - the music business, nutrition, rehabilitation processes - but there's somethign about this particular story that I know is going to rip me in two. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be leaving me alone. It's invading my life, waking and sleeping.

So, what would you do? Would you write it, and deal with whatever may come from it, good or bad, or would you force yourself to put it aside, no matter how hard it was?

(At this point, I can't make up a peanut butter sandwich, much less my mind on this, so I'm looking for honest, harsh opinions, good or bad, on what another writer would do in this situation.)

 

[cloudy]

Write it.

(and if you need some help, I'm a PM away....my brother was/is a heroin addict, although clean at present)

 

[Colleen Thomas]

Write it. The ones that really won't let go are usually the ones that meak the best ranslation from head to paper.

Goodluck.

 

[dr_mabeuse]

I've got to say that the idea of an interaction between a heroin addict and a nutritionist kind of sets my teeth on edge. *L* I hope she's not going to "cure" him by having him eliminate processed foods from his diet or anything like that. It's so easy to use addiction as a cliche and see it in overly simplistic terms of black-and-white and right-and-wrong, or go the other way and overly romanticise it as something tragic and chic.

It turns out I'm working on a story about a tattoo artist who's also a recovering addict and trying to redeem himself by doing one, fantastic whole-body piece on a girl who likewise feels disfigured and sees this as her chance to become something beautiful. The problem I'm having is the symbolic richness of the material, which keeps on opening up stories within stories. There are Pygmalion elements, and parallels between the tattoo needle and the heroin syringe, and between shooting someone up, tattooing them, and/or having sex with them, all of which involve the willing violation of their bodies, the frightening intimacy of letting someone under your skin.

I wish you luck with your story, and if you want to know anything about addiction beyond what they tell you in the D.A.R.E. programs and government handouts, let me know. I was an addict too for many years--though not to heroin, thank God--and I can tell you what it's like to face the choice between going through a day of unremitting pain and anguish or swallowing that pill and feeling the blessed relief that lets you live life as a human being for a day. It's a hell of a lot more than a matter of "just say no."

--Zoot

 

[chris 44]

Story help...

... there's no way you should let go of this story, even if it would allow you to (which I suspect it won't). This is one story you have to ride all the way into the station F2F.

Never mind the editing, send it to me if it'll help but keep going.
Chris

 

[FallingToFly]

I've got to say that the idea of an interaction between a heroin addict and a nutritionist kind of sets my teeth on edge. *L* I hope she's not going to "cure" him by having him eliminate processed foods from his diet or anything like that. It's so easy to use addiction as a cliche and see it in overly simplistic terms of black-and-white and right-and-wrong, or go the other way and overly romanticise it as something tragic and chic.


--Zoot

LOL! You've hit the nail on the head, as usual, Doc. I'm trying, very hard, not to let this become another sappy "heroine saves tragic male lead" story, which seems to be working so far - but the side effect is, they hate each other.

I've been researching some interesting takes on heroin withdrawals, and alternatives to methadone (in the plot line, the male lead only resorts to his step sister as a last resort, having tried and failed the normal rehab routes three times) therapy. I think I could craft it in such a way as to make it both unique and believable, but right now, I have two characters hissing and spitting at each other, which solves nothing. >.<

On the bright side... as long as I'm cussing at these two, my other plot bunnies stop hissing and showing their little vampire fangs at me.

 

[yui]

It turns out I'm working on a story about a tattoo artist who's also a recovering addict and trying to redeem himself by doing one, fantastic whole-body piece on a girl who likewise feels disfigured and sees this as her chance to become something beautiful. The problem I'm having is the symbolic richness of the material, which keeps on opening up stories within stories. There are Pygmalion elements, and parallels between the tattoo needle and the heroin syringe, and between shooting someone up, tattooing them, and/or having sex with them, all of which involve the willing violation of their bodies, the frightening intimacy of letting someone under your skin.

--Zoot

I so want to read this story when you finish it, Doc. The web of symbolism is fantastic, and a bit discomfiting. I would be interested in know, given what I’ve read of your stuff, if there is a temptation in this particular story to hand-hold the reader thru the psychological maze. I know that’s not your style, but given all the underlying symbolism, it would be difficult for me, if I were in your position, not to want to make sure everyone “sees” all those lovely, scary layers; I would want them to understand, as you put it so well, “… the frightening intimacy of letting someone under your skin.”

Peace and luck,

Yui

LOL! You've hit the nail on the head, as usual, Doc. I'm trying, very hard, not to let this become another sappy "heroine saves tragic male lead" story, which seems to be working so far - but the side effect is, they hate each other.

I've been researching some interesting takes on heroin withdrawals, and alternatives to methadone (in the plot line, the male lead only resorts to his step sister as a last resort, having tried and failed the normal rehab routes three times) therapy. I think I could craft it in such a way as to make it both unique and believable, but right now, I have two characters hissing and spitting at each other, which solves nothing. >.<

On the bright side... as long as I'm cussing at these two, my other plot bunnies stop hissing and showing their little vampire fangs at me.

I'll offer my encouragement, too, Falling.

I agree, to some extent, it would be very easy to fall into cliché, but there is incredible emotional potential in your story. Loving someone and watching them die in pieces from addiction, or watching them suffer the agony of withdrawals; those are powerful things.

Understanding, but not understanding; taking on the impossible task of helping but hurting yourself and them in the process; honestly hating them for what they are doing to themselves and to you; and loving them because they are who they are - makes your soul hurt just think about it.

Write it. And much, much luck. This one's gonna hurt.

Peace,

Yui

P.S. Bunnicula Plot Bunnies?

 

[FallingToFly]

P.S. Bunnicula Plot Bunnies?

Bunnicula on super speed!

And thanks, guys, for the comments, suggestions, and thoughts. I'm slogging through the outline right now, and it's already hurting. I can't imagine how harsh it's going to be once I actually start fleshing in this rough sketch.

 

[dr_mabeuse]

Bunnicula on super speed!

And thanks, guys, for the comments, suggestions, and thoughts. I'm slogging through the outline right now, and it's already hurting. I can't imagine how harsh it's going to be once I actually start fleshing in this rough sketch.

And thank you. I'd actually given up on this story as being more than I could handle, and FtoF's post convinced me to pullit our and finish it as best I can. It's a story wirth telling.

No, Yui, I'm not going to rub anyone's nose in the symbolism, but I've got to tell you, I have a scene where my hero shoots up my heroine with junk for the first time, and it turned out to be one of the most wickedly erotic things I've ever come across--sliding the needle into her vein and pulling a thread of her blood up into the dropper, then squeezing down on the bulb and watching her succomb to that chemical ecstasy. Of course, I had to lie here, because a person'd first experience usually results in some very unpleasant sensations, but the parallels between sex and drugs is so blatant, no explanation is necessary. They're the same thing.