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Sun 27 Feb, 2005 11:13 am
I have an idea for a novel. The protagonist is a mid-west carpenter who goes to work in Las Vegas. Leaving his family in Missouri, the somewhat naive guy gets caught up in gambling, shady characters, owing money to loan sharks, who in turn want him to do something against his morals to pay off his debt. This is just a rough sketch of the plot. I don't want the story to be formulaic or mainstream in any way. I intend lots of character development culminating in a change in the protagonist which helps him resolve the conflict in a unique way. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.
If you're talking about a good guy who's a carpenter who tries and fails to withstand tempation, there will be people who see it as a Christian allegory -- if you want to go with that, cool, but if you don't, maybe choose another profession for him.
Mr. Larue:
Neat handle!
But this sounds like a very hackneyed plot.
All plots are hackneyed before they are written down.
And the old saying is that there are only two kinds of stories: a stranger goes to town, or someone goes on a journey. It's the language and execution that counts.
Character development will be critical. I think that's where there might be some cliche pitfalls--for example, don't have a character named "The Boss," a fat man in a polyester suit who wears Ray-Bans and smokes stogies. That would be a cliche Vegas character.
It's not my story, but it would be fun to have one of those drive-thru marriage priests play into your novel. It seems like that sort of character would bring a lot of tension--toeing that line of moral corruption.
Not enough information yet to be of much help.
Showgirls. Got to have showgirls. Lots of them.
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