Need Your Help

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Here's the situation.

An excellent story popped into my head; its pretty good if I do say so myself.

Here's my problem: The protagonist has a past he/she doesnt want exposed at any cost. What sort of past is bad enough to seriously prejudice a community in 2012? What sort of revelation would compell you to shun someone?

 

[Safe_Bet]

Here's the situation.

An excellent story popped into my head; its pretty good if I do say so myself.

Here's my problem: The protagonist has a past he/she doesnt want exposed at any cost. What sort of past is bad enough to seriously prejudice a community in 2012? What sort of revelation would compell you to shun someone?

They could be a hateful, pedophilic troll in an Author's Hangout.

It certainly has worked for you!

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

They could be a hateful, pedophilic troll in an Author's Hangout.

It certainly has worked for you!

Naaah.

 

[lovecraft68]

Here's the situation.

An excellent story popped into my head; its pretty good if I do say so myself.

Here's my problem: The protagonist has a past he/she doesnt want exposed at any cost. What sort of past is bad enough to seriously prejudice a community in 2012? What sort of revelation would compell you to shun someone?

Honestly if you're looking for something really shocking and twisted that would be something that had to be kept secret you could play the incest card.

Perhaps a fling with his sister at some point. You don't have to go into graphic details, but it would be something you wouldn't want people to know about. You could take it further and say he was of age and she was not to make it even more heinous.

 

[RunningJib]

A prior relationship

perhaps a prior relationship with a old friend, family member or (gasp) parent!

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Honestly if you're looking for something really shocking and twisted that would be something that had to be kept secret you could play the incest card.

Perhaps a fling with his sister at some point. You don't have to go into graphic details, but it would be something you wouldn't want people to know about. You could take it further and say he was of age and she was not to make it even more heinous.

Good. How about if she got pregnant and killed herself after spilling the beans to everyone?

 

[sr71plt]

Your real problem is that the stories are all in your head; you don't actually write them down.

 

[lovecraft68]

Good. How about if she got pregnant and killed herself after spilling the beans to everyone?

That is one way, but here is the better method.

I say he knocked her up, and her and the spawn are still around and she is blackmailing him with going public. That allows tension in the present as well as some kinky nasty flashbacks.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

perhaps a prior relationship with a old friend, family member or (gasp) parent!

I'm wanting something specific. Thanks

 

[sr71plt]

So, you can't do your plotbuilding and writing on your own? Is that why you never actually write anything? That doesn't make you a writer, you know. It makes you a junior member of a committee.

 

[beatrice_dreams]

Here's the situation.

An excellent story popped into my head; its pretty good if I do say so myself.

Here's my problem: The protagonist has a past he/she doesnt want exposed at any cost. What sort of past is bad enough to seriously prejudice a community in 2012? What sort of revelation would compell you to shun someone?

No one wants to live next to a criminal of any kind, whether they are a murderer/drug dealer/pimp/human trafficker/or just someone who stole money from little old ladys' pension funds.

It's usually why we put them in prison. So we don't need to live next to them.

 

[lance gt]

That's an easy one, Jimmy. They are in WitSec and have a new identity. Their own shady past dealings never go away.

 

[trysail]

Your real problem is that the stories are all in your head; you don't actually write them down.

The real problem is that you're an asshole with pathological self-control issues.

 

[sr71plt]

The real problem is that you're an asshole with pathological self-control issues.

Yet another nonwriter pushing content (mostly stolen from others) here that's totally irrelevant to this forum. He even has a couple of threads where he talks to himself. Can't get more irrelevant and impotent than you, Trysail.

 

[ishtat]

Here's the situation.

An excellent story popped into my head; its pretty good if I do say so myself.

Here's my problem: The protagonist has a past he/she doesnt want exposed at any cost. What sort of past is bad enough to seriously prejudice a community in 2012? What sort of revelation would compell you to shun someone?

The posters who aren't dealing out abuse mostly seem to suggest that incest or something similar is the best way to alienate a community . It isn't: the best way to earn the unreasoning hatred of any group is through betrayal, either of an individual who represents the community, or by someone who apparently subscribed to the community's ethos, but in reality betrayed it.

It's why "Loving Wives" attracts so much heat - because ultimately they are usually stories of betrayal

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

The posters who aren't dealing out abuse mostly seem to suggest that incest or something similar is the best way to alienate a community . It isn't: the best way to earn the unreasoning hatred of any group is through betrayal, either of an individual who represents the community, or by someone who apparently subscribed to the community's ethos, but in reality betrayed it.

It's why "Loving Wives" attracts so much heat - because ultimately they are usually stories of betrayal

I agree. I'm thinking of blending the betrayal with unintended consequences that destroy bonds but cant extinguish all connections. In a few respects we remain tethered inspite of our druthers. And the harm we do echoes thru our lives.

 

[lance gt]

Nothing worse than a drunk driver who kills a person, or especially a child. Goes to jail, moves back to town and tries to start over. Tries to change his identity with new ID and hair dyed and facial hair, but some become suspicious of him after he says something, or the like.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Nothing worse than a drunk driver who kills a person, or especially a child. Goes to jail, moves back to town and tries to start over. Tries to change his identity with new ID and hair dyed and facial hair, but some become suspicious of him after he says something, or the like.

Yes, indeed. You and LOVE BOAT have given me some ideas for blending a couple of no-nos into something severe. Definitely gotta kill someone! It cant be anything like stealing a loaf of bread or candleholders.

 

[lance gt]

Yes, indeed. You and LOVE BOAT have given me some ideas for blending a couple of no-nos into something severe. Definitely gotta kill someone! It cant be anything like stealing a loaf of bread or candleholders.

Glad to be of help.

 

[Anjasa]

Some shameful things I can think up:

Raped someone, spent time in prison, commited a hate crime, ripped off a company for big money, was raped, had an addiction to drugs or alcohol, parents had addiction to drugs or alcohol, was a porn star, stripped, gambled away family savings, partner left them for another man/woman.

While they might not be things that society would as a whole react negatively to, those are pretty common things that people don't want others to know and often lie to hide.

I'm pretty unshakable, but I think that if someone told me they murdered or raped or tortured someone else, I'd be seriously troubled by it.

 

[TE999]

A murderous pederast of pre-teens. Can't get much worse than that. Dahmer and Gacy come to mind.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

A murderous pederast of pre-teens. Can't get much worse than that. Dahmer and Gacy come to mind.

Howsabout an impetuous young guy has a fight with his girl, hauls ass down the road, runs a light, and kills a family (except for one child who's mangled and permanently disfigured)?

 

[Tio_Narratore]

Howsabout an impetuous young guy has a fight with his girl, hauls ass down the road, runs a light, and kills a family (except for one child who's mangled and permanently disfigured)?

a drunken fight over imagined unfaithfulness by his innocent girlfriend who attempts to hang herself in despair but only succeeds in depriving herself of oxygen until she's saved but left in a permanently vegetative state.

and then the survivor of the grows up and tracks him down, blackmailing him with threat of disclosure into becoming the disfigured young man's sexual slave...

 

[lance gt]

Howsabout an impetuous young guy has a fight with his girl, hauls ass down the road, runs a light, and kills a family (except for one child who's mangled and permanently disfigured)?

Then he splits town and hides out somewhere for 20 yrs and decides to come back. Said kid is the only one who recognizes him somehow, but can't disclose it, because of impairments. Nice twist.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

a drunken fight over imagined unfaithfulness by his innocent girlfriend who attempts to hang herself in despair but only succeeds in depriving herself of oxygen until she's saved but left in a permanently vegetative state.

and then the survivor of the grows up and tracks him down, blackmailing him with threat of disclosure into becoming the disfigured young man's sexual slave...

I like your twist with the girlfriend but the drunk part will double the guys prison time to 30 years in this state. I want him outta prison in 7-8 years. I got work for him to do.