Fragments of Memory
The Spark: What Are You Writing?
Oct 1 – Oct 9
This week is about turning “I have an idea” into something resembling a story.
The Elevator Pitch
Describe your story in 50 words or fewer:
Jessica, a quiet girl who is having trouble working out why her memories appear to be incomplete, comes across a deserted house which seems to know more about her past than she does. While she looks into the matter with a group of unusual friends, they discover a hidden secret that links their lives and which threatens to alter all the things they believe about themselves.
Describe your story in one sentence:
A girl who has lost some of her memories goes into a house full of secrets and finds out that discovering the truth could be more dangerous than living without knowing it.
Three Things
Three Things I Know:
1.The story will be marked by a mysterious and somewhat disturbing atmosphere, the abandoned house being one of the main locations.
2. Instead of getting all the answers at once, Jessica will slowly come to discover the truth, so the reader learns the important facts together with her.
3. The story will place a strong emphasis on friendship, trust, memory, and the issue of whether or not it is always worthwhile to know the truth despite the consequences.
Three Things I Don't Know:
1. I have not yet made up my mind about what became of Jessica's memories or as to why they were taken from her.
2. I am not sure who is going to be among Jessica's main friends or how each of them will get involved in the mystery.
3. I still haven't made up my mind if the ending will give a complete explanation of the mystery or whether it will leave some things purposely unanswered.
The Promise
"I want this story to make the reader feel uneasy, curious, and ultimately relieved.”
I want the reader to always have the sense that there is something they are missing, just as Jessica does with parts of her own past. I would like them to question the people who are around her and to consider if every odd detail might have a deeper significance. Yet despite the mystery that surrounds the story, I want there to be an emotional resolution; even if the truth is painful, I want the moment when it is discovered to feel like finally being able to take a breath after having held it for far too long.
CHALLENGE. Steal This Prompt
Pick one (or two) of these 10 elements and incorporate it somehow into your concept:
A locked door
There is a room in the deserted house that Jessica grows more and more determined to get into, and no one appears to know who locked it or what is in it, though Jessica has a strange feeling that she has seen the door before.
A secret
The whole mystery is based on secrets. Jessica has forgotten an important fact about her own past, while the others nearby may know more than they are prepared to say. The more she looks into it, the more she comes to the realization that some of those helping her have secrets too.
Eventually the locked door and the missing memories are linked together, which makes Jessica have to choose between wanting to find out everything or accepting that some truths are better kept hidden.
𝓙𝑒𝓈𝓈𝒾𝒸𝒶 𝓜𝒶𝓽𝓽𝒽𝑒𝔀𝓼 ✒︎