Underground Writers Network : Forum : Critique my idea


Critique my idea

12 Years Ago


So long story short I've had writer's block for a really long time. Now that the semester's over and I don't have any school work, my summer is pretty free, and I'm determined to make a dent in a novel. So I  have an idea...and I just wrote about two pages, which is more than I've written in almost a year. Congratulate me!

Anyway, my problem is that I don't know if my idea is a good one. If you'd be willing to read the synopsis and let me know if it makes sense/if you'd want to read it/give ideas for improvement/streamlining, I would appreciate it so much!

So I basically want to write an expansive novel about things that I don't feel are being written enough about. The story will focus on a group of four young people who have recently graduated college, and are experiencing the disillusionment that comes with this. They live in Philadelphia, have gotten jobs that they don't enjoy, and are just generally dissatisfied with how their lives are working out. I also want the book to be somewhat political: about feminism, liberalism, the Occupy movement, and lack of interest in historic preservation. I plan to weave these into the characters' plot lines: one will walk women to abortion clinics in her free time, another works at a historic foundation that is facing bankruptcy, one of the friends is a gay man struggling with discrimination, and two of the women went to a women's college and tackle  the question of what feminism means in terms of their lives and relationships: one has frequent casual sex while the other has only slept with one man, and feels pressured to break up with him and live a little. Social media will also play a big role in all of their lives. I've become increasingly annoyed with books that are set in this decade and that disregard technology. They pretend that their characters do not text or use Facebook. My characters will, and it will be a major factor in the Occupy movement, the War on Women, and how they communicate with each other.

My problem is that I haven't actually chronologically worked out how these plots will all fit together, or the vehicles that I'll use to convey my themes coherently. I guess I'm just asking if any of this made any sense to you, and if you'd be interested in reading this book. Thanks for anyone who read all of this, and any feedback is appreciated! :)