I don't know about that last sentence, it just occurred to me as I was writing it, so I went there.
Even if it means killing her in the process!
But I think you can make them sufficiently scary by emphasizing the mysterious and unpredictable nature of what is going to make them think someone or something needs killing.)Ī despairing young widow discovers that the reason her suicide attempts keep failing is because she is a werewolf. (I am not fond of the model of werewolves as mindless killing machines. Also, it means she would know things about animal psychology that seem like they would be either useful, or irritating, since she doesn't know to what extent werewolves think like regular wolves. "go off the rails" is perhaps not the best phrase, but all I can think of now are ones that sound a bit silly in this context, like "only to have everything go all pear-shaped"Īnyway, since she can't actually be a veterinarian after the wolfing (because of the animals losing it in her presence and her distracting urges to chase things, or perhaps eat them) I think it could come off a little more plausibly with just research and instinct. You know, the way you understand it if you've actually done it, or if you've been married for years to somebody who does it.Īfter the untimely death of her husband, a veterinarian struggles to create a new life for herself in Seattle - only to have everything go off the rails when a vicious attack awakens her werewolf heritage.Įr. So I cast about for other jobs, things like "day care provider" or "veterinarian" or "EMT" - but I feel like if you want writing about somebody's job to be compelling, the writer needs to understand the job really well. But I think that's way too subtle to work as part of the implicit pitch, and maybe that means it's too subtle to work as storytelling. So I was hanging onto the idea that she has a hard time being a programmer because of neural rewiring (many parts of her brain are now devoted to wolfing duties) and general physical restlessness. At one point the novel had a whole sub-plot about her trying to keep afloat the video game company her husband started, but somehow that wasn't working. Then, I was thinking about catchy careers a person might have that would make being a werewolf difficult. She just has to like it more than anyplace else she's been. And even though her desire to stay in Seattle is important, she doesn't have to have been there all along. Maybe she could be from a really small town or something and just not recognize the signs of an imminent mugging. I had been going away from urban crime because it felt so cliched, but it makes more sense to me in somebody new to a particular city. After going back and forth with Tinatsu a few times, I came up with:Ī young window's struggles to create a new life for herself in Seattle are upended when a vicious attack awakens her werewolf heritage.
But it could have more zazz.Ī young Seattle widow's suicide attempt awakens her werewolf heritage. Since I am now determined - determined, I say! - to come up with a one-sentence (or logline, as I now know to call them) that seems exciting to tinatsu , we are going at this again, after much noodling on the other post.Ī young widow's suicide attempt awakens her werewolf heritage. McjulieDear Internet, thank you for playing Julie's Novel Mad Libs.