Need help with a book I'm writing...

[darthotaku]

I'm an aspiring author, and I've descided to take the leap and try writing a full novel. The basic premiss is that a neurotic, possibly schizophrenic, 30-something office worker ends up at an anime convention pretty much against his will.
It's the average "regular guy meets counter culture and changes what he believes is important" kind of story. I think it has potential, but so far I can only think of a few things that happen to the character.

so far as I have planned, his company car breaks down in the middle of the desert and he's picked up by an eccentric group of people who take him to a really insane convention (not completely sure why he goes along at this point) and while he is origionally horrified at what he sees (ex. yaoi, lolicon manga, scantilly clad cosplayers) but soon realizes he actually likes it. (I think it's mostly him coming to terms with former abuse or something like that.) along with points where his condition causes him to see really strange things, as well as it seeming to be his condition but it really isn't (like he runs into a tentacle monster, thinks he's halluscinating, and finds out that it's really just a costume)

that, and a running joke that his business suit, haircut and glasses make him look kind of like the main protagonist from "kodomo no jikan" is all I have so far. so any ideas you might have will be appreciated.
if I do use an idea you came up with here, I'll mention you (or at least your screen name) in the special thanks at the end of the book.

 

[roostuf]

Well you certainly have the out-lines for a very interesting plot, "An average Joe who works 9 to 5, a man who pays his taxes and goes to church every Sunday. A man who is hollow inside and is missing something, something no one he knows can relate too. But on one little boring assignment from the big wigs up stairs he finds himself in a whole new world where everything that is there is at odds with him. Will he find peace with himself or will he start a bitter civil war with himself that could have dire outcomes."

it could be about his internal struggle to be accepted by an all together different culture and trying to fit in with people he already knows. Just throwing some suggestions out there.

i believe this will go great not only with anime fans but people who like there stories about deep characters and interesting plot twists.

 

[Ursus Buckler]

I don't really know what goes on at conventions like that, but as a writer I'd advise you to actually plan it properly before you start writing it. Write up a few key aspects about the character and think of situations that you can place the character in that will draw out certain key aspects of his personality. You could try and make it so that he's already married and has a very stern prejudice against these sorts of conventions, but finds himself falling in love with a cosplayer which tears the marriage apart, the new and outlandish behaviour that the cosplayers bring out in him being met with confusion and scorn by the wife... no man is an island, after all, so he must be seen to have people in his life in order to make him realistic.

Just a suggestion.

 

[Pearwood]

You can either have him as a schizophrenic or as the normal everyman, having both will really clash. I take it you've been to enough anime conventions to have a good idea what goes on at them, you'd also want to research schizophrenia. Ursus' idea is good too, then you've got drama and a device to keep the plot moving forward.

 

[NewClassic_v1legacy]

o any ideas you might have will be appreciated.

A couple of things I'd like to suggest, on the craft side of things, is to put some effort into the outlining structure, world, and character before you figure out whether or not the novel has enough meat. So far, everything seems like a pretty thin premise. I can empathize in that it's still the very early stages, but a few things you'll want to figure out before you really get into the meat of the work.

Character and conflict. These are what's going to drive the narrative. From the sound of the events, this sounds like it could be a pretty creative bar story for the office worker being dragged to the convention, but aside from "Ha ha, wacky situation," there isn't a whole lot of conflict for the character. I almost want to cite the dream sequences (well, what we know of them) in Catherine to emphasize the conflict section of the character. In order for the audience to really have something to grasp onto, the conflict has to be quite real to the character. Cluing the audience in that it's just another costumed attendee is going to make the character's stresses seem really silly.

If I would be doing such a project, I'd find a game/anime character that's relatively unknown, but on the same vein as Pyramid Head [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyramid_Head] (though less immediately recognizable), and give the protagonist recurring nightmares about a similar figure. Once the protagonist has a clear antagonist, I'd pair it with a con-goer who's in-character during sequences, and have those paranoiac moments of unrest as the major external conflict, driven harder by the persistent internal conflicts of the con as a whole.

That's just an idea though, hopefully I got the need for a constant source of conflict across, at the least.

Beyond that, fleshing out how the conflict is going to work across 50,000 words is pretty tough given that most of the action is going to take place in a pretty limited area with very few genuine threats on the protagonist's life.

I was going to talk about audience, style, point-of-view, and whatnot, but I realized I'd already gone on for a while yet. If you're interested, let me know, I'd love to talk forever on the subject. Until then, though, I'll try to stay relatively brief.

In any case, good luck. I'm huge on writing craft, as it's what I've spent the few years of my adult life studying and practicing. I'd recommend reading The Elements of Style [http://www.bartleby.com/141/] at some point, and looking up books, articles, and posts on organizing novels.

Hopefully that's helped. Warmest regards,
Nuke

 

[Hamish Durie]

good story concept but it seems like a very bg step so good luck also what will this book be called?

edit: oh crap fergot about you asking for pointers mabye he accepts this new culture stedidly(i know it's late my brain is fuzzy so i can't spell) learning new things and getting deeper and deeper into this new culture that his famils and friends that have only met boring office man are deeply shocked by the anime reading, cosplaying, game playing(again fuzzy brain)person that he has become.

you could proberblly turn this into a great novel explaining gamers and gameing culture to many different people who see games as strange and different and weird but that might have to wait for a sequal(fuzzy brain sorry)

 

[robotam]

Maybe, it's just that it's a long drive from the desert and he's got to know them a little and they tell him that they are meeting with a couple of friends and ask if he wants to come with.
He's already missed what ever work thing he was supposed to be going to. His car won't be fixed for a few days and maybe he just doesn't really like his job.
So he fiqures he may as well. Only when they get to the convention does he realise they aren't just "meeting with a couple of friends". BOOM he's at the convention.

Maybe he had called the eccentics "strange" or "weird" or whatever and so they decided to show him, that yes they may not be normal, but at least they are having fun. So they told him that they were just having a small get-together, as they knew he wouldn't agree to go to an animie convention.


Maybe after the convention, he goes home and returns to his normal life, but can't stop thinking about these people. That's when he realises that his life is boring, and he decides to track his new group of friends down, with his only lead being that they were talking about an even bigger convention in Japan that was a few weeks away.

But due to some plot event, he loses his medication and his halucinations grow worse, allowing him to get into anime style adventures along the way (piloting mechs, fighting monsters and whatnot)


For mass market appeal stick a romance side plot somewhere...
...and dinosaurs, everyone loves dinosaurs.

 

[Ranubis]

Sorry, double post.

 

[Ranubis]

Very impressive idea, looking forward to seeing this become reality. As an aside, I entered the geek scene only a few years ago, now can't imagine a time different. Write this story, and I think many people like me would identify with and support this novel.

For suggestions, I like the romance idea, but I'd have to disagree with the marriage being torn apart. Maybe the character has a girlfriend, a secretary who is really just using him to move up the company ranks perhaps? Good conflict between the uptight and snobbish one and the unconventional convention chick.

What job does the character have? Perhaps he works as a stock broker for a company, and after his first convention begins investing in counter-culture things that the company feels are bad investments. After that, the investments could pay off and he gets promoted, or they could flop and he gets fired...

Oh! For the backstory, why the character is how he is, perhaps he had an older brother? I'm thinking the brother was good in school, on the fast track for college and law school, when he suddenly decides to become an actor or something. Parents argue with him, he runs away, they disown him, and focus their failed anticipations on the character, molding him into his current self. Has never heard from brother since then, maybe he turns out to be running the convention?

Anyway, just a few ideas, loving the premise! Keep writing, and good luck!

 

[Kopikatsu]

Question. What kind of Schizoid is he? Because there are four different types, and I personally have disorganized Schizophrenia. (So no, I don't have a little voice in my head that I have conversations with.)

Don't know if that would help with your story, though. Disorganized S isn't really...one of the entertaining ones? You could try paranoid Schizophrenia.

 

[AndyFromMonday]

Your description of the character doesn't fit the condition he's suffering from. Schizophrenia isn't just about hallucinations. Hallucination's are a product of the delusions schizophrenics often experience and the delusions themselves are actually the "meat" of the illness. Hallucinations are not exactly common but can be experienced. Remember that hallucinations aren't always visual but might also be olfactory or auditory, auditory being the most common ones. Visual hallucinations the patient can actually interact with are extremely rare. In regards to delusions the most common one is that everyone the person meets is against them but they can become even stranger. Certain schizophrenics have reported feeling bugs under their skin which is also common. Schizophrenia is a horrible disorder and frankly, the fact that your character actually has a job is quite amazing. Hell, the fact that he actually "gets along" with the people who drove him to the convention is incredible as schizophrenics tend to be socially withdrawn and can become violent when they interact with people they do not trust, which is basically everyone.

Remember that schizophrenia's most common and most strongly experienced symptoms are delusions. You have to make them a big part of your characters personality and you also have to explain how someone like your character managed to get a job whilst suffering from this condition. Most schizophrenics are incapable of getting a job due to their condition. You CAN provide the reason that no one noticed his illness but that's highly unrealistic as the delusions are quite strong and manifest themselves pretty much constantly. The hallucinations, which your character obviously suffers from, are fully visual which would imply an extremely serious case. There's also the "socially withdrawal" part of the disease which is a big part in making it impossible to get a job and since any job involves some sort of interaction with your co-workers the fact that no one noticed this symptom, which is quite severe, and reported it to the manager is even more astounding. What's puzzling me even further is how your character managed to get past the psychiatric consultations which are mandatory for any job above working at a fast food joint.

Yes, there are treatment options out there but the treatment is only to reduce the amount of delusions experience and, if present, the hallucinations. Even heavily medicated it's highly unlikely they'd manage to get along with their co-workers. The social awkwardness will still be there and it's much more severe, even with medication. Everyone experiences some sort of social awkwardness around strangers, especially geeks/nerds or whatever but schizophrenia takes that to the extreme.

I suggest you choose a different disorder as you don't seem capable of actually representing this illness properly. You COULD, on the other hand, spend a lot of time researching and learning about it, maybe even interacting with schizophrenics in order to gain a better understanding of the disease. Writing a good book isn't easy and representing a disorder as misunderstood as schizophrenia is even harder and would require a lot of work on your part. Of course if you only want to write scat...

 

[darthotaku]

But due to some plot event, he loses his medication and his halucinations grow worse, allowing him to get into anime style adventures along the way (piloting mechs, fighting monsters and whatnot)

quote]
that was going to be an idea. basically, one of the people he ends up traveling with would be like "nobody gets in my car without being clean" and throws his medication out the window. after that, I didn't think of piloting mechs, but that might work.

 

[Tallim]

Question. What kind of Schizoid is he? Because there are four different types, and I personally have disorganized Schizophrenia. (So no, I don't have a little voice in my head that I have conversations with.)

Don't know if that would help with your story, though. Disorganized S isn't really...one of the entertaining ones? You could try paranoid Schizophrenia.

None of them (as far as I'm aware) cause *visual* hallucinations so I think the "condition" will have to be thought about a bit more.

 

[Kopikatsu]

Question. What kind of Schizoid is he? Because there are four different types, and I personally have disorganized Schizophrenia. (So no, I don't have a little voice in my head that I have conversations with.)

Don't know if that would help with your story, though. Disorganized S isn't really...one of the entertaining ones? You could try paranoid Schizophrenia.

None of them (as far as I'm aware) cause *visual* hallucinations so I think the "condition" will have to be thought about a bit more.

Actually, there IS a kind of Schiozophrenia that causes hallucinations...but I'm not really familiar with it. That's something you would have to look up! 'Cause I'm too lazy to. Also, I have to go to work soon.

 

[MrShadowzs]

Sounds good i'd read it, sounds like welcome to the NHK, normal guy with a problem that suddenly get dragged into otaku culture

 

[Tallim]

Question. What kind of Schizoid is he? Because there are four different types, and I personally have disorganized Schizophrenia. (So no, I don't have a little voice in my head that I have conversations with.)

Don't know if that would help with your story, though. Disorganized S isn't really...one of the entertaining ones? You could try paranoid Schizophrenia.

None of them (as far as I'm aware) cause *visual* hallucinations so I think the "condition" will have to be thought about a bit more.

Actually, there IS a kind of Schiozophrenia that causes hallucinations...but I'm not really familiar with it. That's something you would have to look up! 'Cause I'm too lazy to. Also, I have to go to work soon.

Probably true though as far as I understand it, visual hallucinations aren't something commonly associated with schizophrenia, audio ones are. Not to say they both can't occur but the OT suggests that the schizophrenia is there mainly as a framing device for the weird hallucinations. Probably some better conditions that could be picked unless they are relying on other common effects of schizophrenia for the story.

 

[Shymer]

Who is this novel going to be aimed at? You need to understand the potential audience to determine what content would be appropriate for them - and also you should read books aimed at the same audience to understand what sells and what publishers look for.

If you are going to portray sensitive subject matter (like mental illness), then a good degree of research is in order. Get the details right - own your subject matter - make a difference to the reader's perception of a taboo subject.

If you are going to portray a culture that's relatively unknown and otherwise stereotyped (convention-goers), a good degree of research is in order. Go to one - talk to people there - take notes about what's really there - understand why people go.

When people read they often have some simple questions in their minds that absolutely require answering:
1. So what? - your reader's need to have a reason to keep reading. If nothing /happens/ in the book, then they may well be disinclined to read (or publish)
2. Oh yeah? - if you fail to research your material and write stuff that does not ring true, it will turn people off.
3. Huh? - simply put, your writing should be simple and readable. If people don't understand it, then they won't persevere.

Writing a novel is a heart-aching difficult long-term project. Love your material. Work with a writing group to keep you going. Keep writing.

Good luck.

 

[chuckey]

This sounds like it could be an interesting book but you really need to clear up a few things. First I suggest that you really describe the convention, the atmosphere, the aroma, the look, the feel, the types of booths, the types of shows or culture that's represented; basically make me feel like I am at the convention.

Next I would work on the character. The idea of Schizophrenia could be changed to a guy hallucination derived from a hard work life. If his job is demanding and filled with long and constantly changing hours, the guy could easily have hallucination from stress and fatigue. Along with that you could have your character suffer some sort of loss or tragedy that could really mess with his psyche. Maybe he had a kid who loved anime or whatever.

For the part where he gets stuck in the desert you could describe how he is suffering the heat, the dehydration, the real problems that come with being stuck in the desert. From here the guy could be willing to hitch a ride with anyone that comes by. In addition to that you could Also don't make his acceptance really quick, make it tough for him to accept anime because of the loss of his son due to him getting attacked a convention or something.
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Hope this helps I would love to be a part of this book.