Before I map out my story, I want to explain how this story will be different from my first fiction project, mostly because I want to tell myself what my goals are/try to tweak my style a little/improve my writing/try something new!
I'm still unsure whether I actually LIKED my first project or not. I'm not sure I did. I think it was borderline self-indulgent, and this time I'd like to strip my style down somewhat, while still maintaining a sense of dreamy lyricism.
Like my first project, this one will be third person limited omniscient, but this time not all of the main character's thoughts will be accessible to the reader (trying to build some tension!).
SYNOPSIS
The story consists a single scene and is divided into four parts that flow seamlessly into the other and are meant to indicate the locations of the two characters: The Rocks, The Water, The Dock, The Boat. It is summer in Sweden. Two women (cousins, lifelong friends), Hanna and Anna, are sunbathing on the island of Oddo in the early morning. They are sitting on flat, smooth rocks facing the water. To their right is a dock, to their left is a small rowboat tied loosely to a rock. Their families are still asleep in the summerhouse hidden in the trees behind them. We are privy to the thoughts of Anna. It's clear that Anna has done something wrong (revealed slowly throughout the story), but it's unclear what she has done, and she doesn't share it with Hanna. Instead they make small talk about their vacation while on the rocks. Contrasts between their bodies are made: Hanna is pregnant and luminous, Anna is dull and soft. Then, they wade into the water and share a few memories from childhood. Here, the contrasts between their personalities are made: Hanna is bold and fearless, yet calm and wise. Anna is observant, nervous, and unfulfilled. As the sun continues to rise and the air becomes unusually warm, they climb onto the dock and stretch out in the sun. Here, they remain silent, and Anna broods about the differences between her husband and children, and Hanna's husband and baby (flawed vs. perfect). Anna cannot decide who is the real source of her unhappiness: her husband or her children. Anna tells Hanna she must take the boat and go into town in the afternoon, and asks that Hanna prepare the guestroom for Anna's mother-in-law, who is coming to visit that night. In the final section, The Boat, we are no longer given Anna's thoughts, but instead an account of the final events. Anna takes the boat into town to buy a length of rope. When Hanna goes to clean up the guestroom, she finds a body beneath the sheets.
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