Oh, Please. Not Again

This post is all about the random thoughts I have when I’m trying to write and rewrite. It’s a chronicled brainstorm so I can look back later and say, “Damn, that’s an awful idea.” Or not… I do like writing the parenting stuff and diary shit, but not today, folks. It’s novel time.

I’m thinking of revisiting my “Dizzy Spell” novel and adding some major changes. The unpublished book got zero bites from any agents, and I’m not sure why, but altering the story couldn’t hurt.

As it stands, “The Dizzy Spell” is about a girl who finds costume wings, which actually allow her to fly. There are subplots about science, specifically botany, and an obnoxious media news guy who covers the human flight story, once footage of her goes viral. She’s a superhero, with a secret identity, who by pure chance, ends up saving a couple lives. In the end, the girl is confronted by the magician who lost his wings. He tries to kill her dad and there’s a battle. After the girl wins, she gives up her wings to the authorities.

First of all, we have to change that ending. What kind of crap is that? Give the wings to the man? No way. And I’m sorry if the comics have done flying people before, but this book is way different. They’ve also done magic a million times, but that’s not stopping anybody from writing that mess.

My gut feeling here though is that the magician guy sucks. The mystical stuff is way too over-explained. Maybe the magician should be a martian instead. I’ve been wanting to write sci-fi and here’s my chance. Perhaps the magic comes from an alien substance that nobody can detect. The substance may even seep into the girl’s skin and allow her to fly without the wings.

So how did the substance get there? Is the source revealed? Is the source a good guy? There needs to be a true villain in the story somewhere. One of the school kids is a douche, but he’s too much of a secondary character to balance the heroin.

And is the heroin written poorly? Yes. She is also too young, I’m afraid. Maybe I can age her a bit. There’s also zero diversity, which may be a red flag.

The biggest change of all is to add a character. I’m thinking this alien substance might appear elsewhere. How a painter rolls paint onto a wall, and suddenly he can walk through the wall. Let’s say the painter uses his powers for evil. Maybe that’s my bad guy right there. Or maybe there’s a woman with a cellphone that transports her to wherever she calls. Maybe stuff backfires too. Like somebody’s hair dryer turns into a flamethrower. Or a lamp glows so bright the whole neighborhood is lit.

Maybe I can sprinkle some of this alien power on my keyboard and write something that’s actually interesting. Oh wait I just made the shit up, it’s not real. Damn it.