Premises that horrify you

KJuno · Feb 25, 2009

I just came up with a premise that literally makes me sick to my stomach. (And I'm usually hard to impress in any way.) I told a friend of mine about it - someone who's similarly not very impressionable - and she loved it. She said it was twisted, she'd allow that, but if handled well, could be good.

Obviously I'll give it a go when I get over my shock but... >.<

But anyway, I doubt you guys can help me with that and I'm sure I'll get over it. My question is, have you ever thought of something that scared you in a way? And did you work on it?

Shweta · Feb 25, 2009

I've thought of things that appalled and scared me, and yes, I've worked on some of them. But in short fiction length. I think at novel length it would play hell with my emotional state -- other people could surely manage, but maybe not me.

dancingandflying · Feb 25, 2009

I don't think that I've ever thought of a story premise that made me sick to my stomach. Anything twisted I come up with usually excites me - not appalls. If I did, though, I probably wouldn't work on it - it would be even scarier on paper than in my mind.

Just my two cents.

d&f.

soapdish · Feb 25, 2009

Yes, those are the best ones.

I think once you even pause to consider them, you are doomed to have to write them. At least that is how it is for me. Once it gets in my head...I have to write it in order to get it out. Even if only in outline form. I have a bazillion outlines just sitting there waiting to be developed--including some that horrified me to begin with.

Aggy B. · Feb 25, 2009

Yeah, I've had a couple. I like ~~vaguely~~ blatantly twisted characters.

My senior film project in college had people asking me if I had an abusive home life.

My novel ideas tend to run in the same vein. Some more so than others. But I don't let my discomfort keep me from telling a story. I DO work on the really intense projects a little at a time to keep the emotional overload to a minimum.

Judg · Feb 25, 2009

I've had a few unsavoury ideas. But I forget them as fast as I can...

I really don't think the world needs any more twisting.

Romantic Heretic · Feb 26, 2009

I've a couple of stories like that. I do plan to write them some day.

But compared to some of the things that have happened in history and are happening now, they're not so bad.

scarletpeaches · Feb 26, 2009

I'm dying to know what the OP was hinting at now!

Have I ever thought of a story that made me sick to my stomach? No, because I know anything I write isn't real.

Besides, there are no bad stories - only bad writing.

dwellerofthedeep · Feb 26, 2009

One novel idea I had recently is centered around being grotesque. I couldn't write that sort of thing all the time though.

sunandshadow · Feb 26, 2009

Yeah I have one of these:

D/S ROMANCE FAIL
A dominant man who won't take no for an answer takes a woman captive and tries with increasing force to make her think and act submissive to him; the assertive woman meanwhile attempts to demonstrate a better way of behaving by maintaining her civil, pacifistic identity. From the woman's perspective, the man could almost have been lovable but repeatedly ruins things by not respecting her or caring whether she is unhappy. Ultimately the woman realizes that to protect not just herself but also others, she must incorporate force into her ethical way of behaving and execute her tormentor, who has made himself intolerable and unforgivable despite all warnings to the contrary. So, she poisons him, watches him die to make completely sure he's really dead, and walks away.

sunandshadow · Feb 26, 2009

dancingandflying said:
I don't think that I've ever thought of a story premise that made me sick to my stomach. Anything twisted I come up with usually excites me - not appalls. If I did, though, I probably wouldn't work on it - it would be even scarier on paper than in my mind.

Just my two cents.

d&f.

Doesn't have to be appalling in a scary way, might strike you as morally repugnant or maybe just unbearably cheesy.

miles · Feb 26, 2009

Every day I struggle to keep things from going "too far." I'm trying to write for the masses, not just those who like sick, twisted stuff. But it's hard, because my mind always goes to the extreme.

So, I guess it depends on who you're writing for.

James81 · Feb 26, 2009

So what was the premise? (curiosity is killing the cat)

Nothing I come up with surprises me anymore. I can come up with really sick twisted premises, or I can come up with hilarious, fun and light premises. Sometimes that hilarious stuff is horrying and sometimes the twisted stuff is amazing, and sometimes I get about 8 pages into it and realize that there was no premise at all.

Haggis · Feb 26, 2009

miles said:
those who like sick, twisted stuff

You rang?

Many people enjoy sick twisted stuff. Fortunately for the rest of you, they're safely locked away in their own forum. They hardly ever get out.

Almost never.

Tasmin21 · Feb 26, 2009

I wrote a short story once and it still disturbs me greatly that THAT came out of my head. Not quite sure what it says about me. Needless to say, very few people have ever seen it.

Travis J. Smith · Feb 26, 2009

James81 said:
So what was the premise? (curiosity is killing the cat)

I second this question. Your killing us, Smalls~!

mhughes · Feb 26, 2009

I find these concepts a lot of fun.

In college, I wrote a story about a teen at the funeral of his brother who had recently drowned, an event the main character witnessed. The focus was on the conversations that happened afterwards, everyone offering their condolences, etc. I don't have it anymore, but the last line went something like 'People just assumed that I tried to save him.'

Most of the class liked the story when it was critiqued. The only person who didn't was my twin brother. Never figured out why...

tehuti88 · Feb 26, 2009

Well, I write things that would be horrible if they happened to me or someone I know, but the writing of them doesn't scare me personally since I know it's just a story. I could and have written some of the most horrific things...I find the subject disturbing, but the story, it doesn't disturb me to write it.

I have, however, had certain stories that I can't write because of the characters involved. That's whether the material is disturbing or not. I've written erotic scenes featuring many of my characters but there are a few I just can't write about in that way. It'd be like, I don't know, walking in on my best friends having sex or something, then letting everyone else see it! *shudder* And even though I've written really horrific scenes featuring some characters, with certain others, even though the same things happened to them, I just can't bring myself to go into detail writing those parts of their lives. I just feel like it would be wrong. I'm not sure why, since I feel very close to all these characters; there are just a few certain ones I can't write about in that way.

I have two characters, e. g., who were molested repeatedly when they were children. With one, I wrote it all out in graphic detail without the slightest bit of trouble. With the other, I could only bring myself to write him recalling some vague memories and not going into much detail at all, and it was incredibly difficult for me to write that alone. Like I said, I can't really explain it.

Hillgate · Feb 26, 2009

KJuno said:
I just came up with a premise that literally makes me sick to my stomach. (And I'm usually hard to impress in any way.) I told a friend of mine about it - someone who's similarly not very impressionable - and she loved it. She said it was twisted, she'd allow that, but if handled well, could be good.

Obviously I'll give it a go when I get over my shock but... >.<

But anyway, I doubt you guys can help me with that and I'm sure I'll get over it. My question is, have you ever thought of something that scared you in a way? And did you work on it?

Yes and yes - a psychological thriller. It scared the sh*t out of me writing it and I had sleepless nights. I started becoming paranoid at one point, thinking that I might fall prey to the same things that affect my protagonist. I was really rather relieved when I finished it. The more scared you are, the better it might be!!!

Rarri · Feb 26, 2009

Oddly, i think the more twisted ideas can become quite profound books. I really want to know what this idea is though...

Oh, meant to add, i've had - and written - some pretty twisted things i suppose, usually involving psychosis or suicide.

Carmilla73 · Feb 26, 2009

I underatnd completely. I have an idea that I would like to work on when I'm finished with my current project. I think about if often, with certain scenes, and dialogue popping into my head. I think following it through will be very disturbing. I'm excited about the prospect through.

DamaNegra · Feb 26, 2009

My NaNo novel's premise centered around the murder of a 9-month pregnant woman in which the baby was literally stolen from her womb. Later, I had to change that, because although it's happened IRL, I didn't think people would like reading about it. I've since trashed that MS, 'cause it didn't work for other reasons.

kuwisdelu · Feb 26, 2009

Those are the most fun.

Devil Ledbetter · Feb 26, 2009

sunandshadow said:
Yeah I have one of these:

D/S ROMANCE FAIL
A dominant man who won't take no for an answer takes a woman captive and tries with increasing force to make her think and act submissive to him; the assertive woman meanwhile attempts to demonstrate a better way of behaving by maintaining her civil, pacifistic identity. From the woman's perspective, the man could almost have been lovable but repeatedly ruins things by not respecting her or caring whether she is unhappy.

This part of it was the Goldie Hawn movie "Overboard."

sunandshadow · Feb 26, 2009

Devil Ledbetter said:
This part of it was the Goldie Hawn movie "Overboard."

And about three dozen historical or SFF romance novels I have read - the premise was spawned by me saying, "If I was the heroine of this romance, I would definitely not forgive this guy, a jackass like this doesn't deserve the HEA ending!"

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