PEOPLE – The Novel
Sunday, October 19th, 2008Collaborative Writing Project – Official Blog
A tale of people that collide into each other. That fight with each other.
That seek for acceptance, friendship and love.
Make Literature Online proudly announces the launch of New Collaborative Writing Project.
On this blog, you will find all information, announcements, news, and updates related to the endeavor of making the first, solid state fiction book online. This is also the official forum page where you can review and discuss this project and make your contribution to its development.
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Collaborative Writing – Quick Introduction
In this collaborative writing project everyone may write a storyline or a new chapter of the novel.
Every submission goes directly to our selection catalog. Other members review, discuss and rank your writing and if they find it the most inspiring and intriguing to be part of a new novel, it becomes the official new chapter and you the official co-author of new fiction book.
There are many advantages and benefits of collaborative writing approach, but first and the most obvious one is the instant feedback on everything you write.
PEOPLE – Novel Storyline by Raluca Enescu (Romania)
The action takes place in the UK.
Lewis Marlow, a philosophy professor and his wife, Yolanda, a journalist, are libertarians. They often speak or write about challenging the tradition and social taboos- creating controversies and debates. Their son, Eric, a talented painter, is gay. Lewis and Yolanda are completely acceptant of this fact and love their son as he is. As gay marriages just became legal in the UK, he wishes to marry his lover, Garry. There is however a big shadow cast over their happiness: Garry’s parents, Howard and Grace Kat, a couple of extremely uptight and conservative people have just found out that he is gay and reject him ruthlessly. Lewis and Yolanda disregard Garry’s parents for their attitude. Lewis and Yolanda’s next door neighbors are Stella and John, emigrants from South Africa who came here in the early 80’s. She is of white race, he is of black race. At the time when they fell in love, marriages between people of different races were illegal in South Africa, so they had to flee the country where they were born in order to fulfill their love. They pretty much agree with Lewis’ and Yolanda’s liberal views.
Lucy Harper is a student taking a class taught by Lewis . Her best friends are Kari, a girl of African descent and Carlos, a refugee from Cuba. She is secretly crushing on Matt, a guy who is also taking Lewis’ class; at first, she’s oo shy to attempt to flirt or even talk to him- but later, encouraged by Kari, she strikes up a conversation with him. She will be very shocked to find out that he has extremely racist and xenophobic views- and, to make matters worse, he will seriously insult Carlos. Lucy wishes to somehow change Matt’s mind and to reconcile him with Carlos- but apparently there’s no chance- or is it?
Sophie, Lucy’s mother, is a feminist lawyer. In many lawsuits, she has represented women who were victims of sexual harassment at the workplace She is divorced. Andy, one of her acquaintance has one very good reason to resent her for what she is doing: a few years back, after only making a few casual jokes and compliments to a -very paranoid-female coworker, he has been accused of sexual harassment; although charges against him (which were actually unreasonable) have been dismissed, he thinks that all this feminism thing has gotten way out of control. However he may disagree with Sophie, he is, nonetheless, attracted to her.
All those people seem to be living worlds apart- however, life will bring them together and force them to deal with each other. What will result?
The Opening Discussion
Hi, my name is Raluca Enescu, I am the author of the “People” novel storyline. Let me share some inner views on this story that inspired me to start writing it.
The Characters
Lewis and Yolanda are what you may call “people of liberal views”. They don’t quite believe in tradition- in their family, there are no “traditional roles”. Their core belief is that everything- tradition and social taboos included- is to be subjected to critical thinking; for that reason, to more conservative’s people eyes, they may seem disrespectful. One may stereotypize them as “ultra-liberals”, “Guardian readers”, “hippies” “tree huggers” or such- but they are actually none of these (or maybe a little bit of each). They are people who refuse stereotypisation. There is a strong intellectual connection between them- they tend to work together and support each other.They enjoy discussing/debating with each other and confronting their views.
On the very contrary, Howard and Grace are an extremely traditional couple and they are not entirely happy with each other. Howard is regarded as a highly respectable man in the society, he is successful and caring more of his career than of his wife and his son- that he often treats coldly. He judges people harshly when they don’t meet his standards of success and “picture perfect”. Grace, in her youth, sacrificed a career in order to become a housewife, because it was believed in her narrow-minded family that this is the more respectable way. She is submissive to her husband and, though angry at him, she keeps anger inside. She doesn’t dare to complain. She’s that kind of person who’s obsessed with “what the neighbors may think”.
As for Yolanda-the way I see her is a bit softer and a bit more politically involved: as in- hippie,turned to punker, has has been a radical socialist while she was in her twenties-then abandoned the ideology, then, in the 80’s, became a passionate activist against apartheid in South Africa (that’s how she got to meet Stella and John Naidoo). During the “crazy years”- she has also done drugs-then almost died for an overdose and went to rehab and got a new life. Her aunt and all the people who have known her judged her harshly for having taken drugs- so it was hard to for hereto re-integrate in the society. Feeling that she is treated like a reject, she became extremely depressed; at the same time, she met Lewis, who encouraged her to write about the way she feels she has been wronged about society: the same (obsessed with consuming) society that promised her glamor and has deceived her is now turning the back on her. She fell in love with Lewis and they got married. Years later, after their son, Eric, confessed to her that he was gay, she and lewis became interested in the gay rights movement and ended up becoming activists, together with their son.
Narrative Perspective
I see two possibilities: either 3rd person narration/omniscient narrator or first-person narration, the characters taking turns in narrating ( Julian Barnes style)
The Beginning of the Story
I personally would start it like this: Eric and Garry are at the airport, waiting to return from the USA where Howard and Grace live to the UK. Eric calls Yolanda from the airport-very disappointed that Howard nearly chased them away from his house; a little flashback narrating how their encounter went – something from which to figure out how uptight they are- then another flashback to describe Lewis’ and Yolanda’s habits/lifestyle- just to contrast; then back to the airport where Eric and Garry are waiting and the story begins…
Do you like this idea?
I am waiting for your response and contribution.
