I got this idea from a dream last night, but I'm not sure if I'm the one who can write it. The story stars three girls, the oldest being 16, the second oldest being 15, and the youngest being 12. The first is a runaway, the second is a orphan from birth, and the final one the first two just found in the middle of the woods one day. I don't even know their names,(although I know the youngest has the nickname "Dirt Angel") but I know a fair amount about them. The oldest ran from an abusive mother, and has a lot of skills necessary to maintaining the mansion they are currently squatting in, which is in the forest. The orphan was raised by the streets, and she knows how to fight from having to defend herself in the streets from many threats. She also helps out with the maintenance of the place to the best of her ability. The youngest was just... left out in the woods one day when she was six. Okay, the first's mother was... an alcoholic who beat her daughter constantly. The second one never knew her parents, while the third had a mother who is a... complicated case. I'm not even totally sure about her yet, but I do know she didn't leave her daughter out in the middle of woods out of hate or mistake. She did, and still does, love her, but just couldn't keep her for some reason and didn't want to put her up for adoption. Perhaps she is insane, I don't know yet. Now, what I'm wondering with all of this is if there are any tips you guys can give me when approaching this concept. I'm not exactly an expert on teenage girls, much less them in situations like that, so I'm wondering if there are any tips for that. Not sure where to post this, so I posted it here, knowing it did have something to do with creating a plot for the concept.
I think your concept sounds very interesting. Translating a dream to a story is often very hard - dream logic doesn't always make sense when you're awake. Be prepared to think for a long time before you come up with a story which fits the characters and situations in your dream. If your story takes place in a modern setting, the girls would get the attention of the social services. If it takes place in a medieval setting, it's probably easier for them to get away if they want to take care of themselves. I'm guessing kids with that background would have a lot of trouble getting along with other people. They'd feel mistrust towards most people (which provides a motivation for them to live in a house by themselves). If it's a fantasy setting, there could be a magical reason they need to stay in the house - for example, to keep their eyes on a supernatural danger. Since they didn't have a normal upbringing, they probably never learned how teenage girls are supposed to behave. I.e, you can just write them as people, and not bother much about the "girl" part. Did that help any?
Some. As for the setting, they can't get help from social services. I think it's today, but there are weird hints in the dream that this may be a post-apocalyptic setting, or at least something is very... wrong with the world. Whatever that is allows them to squat without anyone really finding out. There may be something supernatural going on, but I don't know. As you said, stories from dreams are very confusing. It's like trying to solve a very confusing puzzle, you get bits of info, but not an entire picture.
Not sure, I don't think they are, but again, there was always this hint that something was very wrong with the world. However, I don't know of any setting outside the forest and the mansion in the world, except perhaps presumably a corrupt city or something for the orphan.
I think you need to make up things which weren't in the dream for the story to make sense. Continue dreaming, if you will.
Maybe it helps to lie down in a soft armchair, close your eyes and let your mind wander at the edge of sleep.
Yes, that would help. Well, your questions are quite helpful for finding answers to this story. On a side note, have you ever written a story that came to you in a dream?
I'd only like to add that even if it is a modern, normal world it is perfectly plausible for children to live on their own, as squatters, with no adult supervision of any kind and for noone to ask any questions or step in in any way at all. Trust me on that. Especially the 15 & 16 year olds.
I once knew a girl named Dirt Angel. This sounds a lot like the "gutter punk" subculture that can be found in New Orleans (and other places). To get ideas, you might look through Google images for terms like "gutter punk" or "hobo punk."
Okay, that sounds incredibly interesting, and since I usually love anything with the punk label, I will be sure to look into that. Hmm, that does fit one of the characters, which is the orphan. Other times though, now with some clarity that comes with time, there was this massive theme of nature conquering everything. Dirt Angel came from her being covered in... dirt constantly. She was out in the woods for awhile before they found her, caking her in a layer of dirt, but she had this innocence to her that her that got the angel part. This innocence stems from not being exposed to certain elements that the other two got quite healthy doses of, and a little from her being a small girl. The only thing that has really happened to her that's particularly bad was her mother leaving her out in the woods, which she still believes was for the best, even if her mother provided no reason at the time. Thanks guys, the story is coming a lot more into focus now!
Not sure entirely why, but your idea greatly intrigues me. Possible suggestions: I found the vagueness of having something "very... wrong with the world" highly exciting, and would suggest you leave this mysterious for at least part of the book. This problem with the world could also be the reason that the mother sent her six year old daughter away. All of this is a static setting. Any idea what actually happens in the story?
Well, now I have written the first part of the novel, sort of, and... it didn't work out so well. You can see the results in the post, "Three Angels," which is the title I'm going with for now. I've decided the youngest girl is 10 when left, and will become 12 over the course of the story. 6 is WAY too early for the skills she needs to have. The title is in reference to the three main characters. Their nicknames are, "Dirt Angel," for the youngest, "Street Angel," for the second oldest, and, "Wood Angel," for the eldest. The nicknames reference their skills and personality.
