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[arimle.livejournal.com]

today i had the best idea. a mystery novel where the protagonists are a functional multiple system who work as a private investigator. wouldn't that be the greatest thing ever? if anybody plans on doing nanowrimo next year, feel free to steal this idea, since i doubt i'll have the time.

(i/we haven't been around very often lately because things are very busy, so if you don't know me, hi, my name's elmira.)

Comments

[ksol1460.livejournal.com]

We've had at least three (singlet) writers who were doing a novel on that very subject contact us looking for free advice and research info in the last six years.

Two of them ended their correspondence with "Well, thank you for telling me what it's really like, but I'm going to write it the way I originally planned it (with all the stereotypes in place) because no one would believe it the way you tell me it really is." A third, the most promising, simply ran out of steam.

The one we'd like to see is the cops and whoever getting after the jewel thief, or whatever he is, who they're sure is a multiple, and it turns out that the only multiple in the whole deal is the guy who owns the jewelry store and he's the one who finally nabs the crook.

Or better yet, the only plural in the story is the mayor.

(OK I'm silly, it's late)

Getting out of the crime genre as such, you could put plural characters in any kind of novel; a John Grisham-style story with a plural attorney (or judge) would be cool. Or one of those elegante sophisticated confections Dawn Powell (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1931082014/qid=1103448300/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/002-8792973-3882449?v=glance&s=books&n=507846) used to serve up back in the 40s... heck, I can think of a ton of ways a plural character could fit into those.

If I could think up decent plots, I'd write it.

[arimle.livejournal.com]

no no, i wanted the detective to be the multiple. although your jewelry store idea is pretty great.

[ksol1460.livejournal.com]

Exactly! The three people we heard from all had the same idea, a plural detective. One of them went into great depth over how she thought it might work. She was also the one who ran out of steam, alas.

[emploding.livejournal.com]

we had a couple of multi characters in our novel for this years nano, but it wasnt one of the main focuses, sort of just a 'sideline' thing ... but it was very amusing to write some of the scenes and trying to make sure it all made sense, which of course it never does lol

[bizamoogie.livejournal.com]

I was/am working on a story where you follow a group's daily life or whatever only to find out they are personalities of the Main Character. But I'm afraid I'm making it seeem like the main character is schizophrenic instead of multiple.

[ksol1460.livejournal.com]

I keep threatening to do a Doonesbury-style comic strip featuring our household and sethrenn's.

[cirape.livejournal.com]

One of our Multiple friends has been told by one of his singlet friends he should write a day in his life as a fiction story. I've no idea why, though.

Oh, and we love your icon Elmira ^^

[reynartfenrir.livejournal.com]

One of the stories I started (and then petered out on, like most of my short story ideas, hah) had one member of a functional plural system as a sort of detective of the paranormal, and the rest of his system would keep reluctantly getting pulled into solving the mystery. Of course, I'm a sf/horror writer, so all of my stories have that bent to it. But ksol1460 is right - plural characters could 'fit' in any kind of novel.

~ F