Plot Timeline

Timeline of my Story:

Beginning (Chapters 1-5) – Story begins in the present moment (Prologue) narrated by the main character and goes backwards in the form of a flashback to explain how the main character got there. There will be alternating between summaries and scenes and the scenes will include character introductions through dialogue as well as setting descriptions of the In-between. Main scenes:

  • Rhea’s first time in the In-Between and what that felt like
  • A typical day in Rhea’s life on Earth (summaries of the not so important details of her day might be included)
  • When Rhea first meets Alvis in the In-Between

Middle (Chapters 6-10) – The chapters begin alternating in points of view between Rhea and “the soul boy” once this new character is introduced. (tentative) The conflict develops and there are more scenes than summaries.

Main scenes:

  • Rhea meets the “soul boy” (no name yet)
  • Rhea develops feelings for the “soul boy”

End (Chapters 11-15) – Conflict reaches its peak and Rhea is forced to make a final decision about whether she would like to remain on Earth and live out the rest of her life or move on to the In-Between and subsequently the “after life” to be with the “soul boy”.

Character Prompt

Character #1: Rhea

Image: She has smooth olive skin and long, but frizzy curly hair. Her eyes are big, brown and curious, her eyelashes naturally long and curled. Her athletic body shows that she enjoys exercising or at the very least cares about her health, yet her fashion sense prioritizes comfort over appearance and femininity. People often assume she is much younger than she really is because of her kind face and the lightness of her steps.

Voice: She is quiet and soft-spoken, but can also be sarcastic and assertive when she feels comfortable with the people around her or in the place that she is in. She has been an avid reader from a young age and this shows in her speech when words that are outdated or unusual in daily speech slip in conversation. She speaks hurriedly when she is nervous or anxious and sometimes a slight Hispanic accent becomes noticeable when she talks to family and friends.

Desire: She wants a caring boyfriend, someone that will understand and accept her and all of her quirks. She wants to figure out what she wants to do as a career. She wants to know what makes her so special and whether she is special at all. Initially she wants to stay in the “In Between”, the alternate dimension she discovered when she held her breath for too long, and where she has met a boy that she likes.

Conflict: The death of her grandmother interferes with her desire to stay in the “In Between”. Her vanity and idea of what the “perfect guy” should look like initially gets in the way of her developing a relationship with the boy from the “In Between”. She is torn between picking medicine or writing as a career because she wants to help people but also loves books, however, she is also unsure of whether picking anything at all is worth it because she might end up staying in the “In Between”.

Action: She starts dating a very attractive guy on Earth and realizes that the perfect guy does not necessarily have to be conventionally handsome. She attempts to read most of the books from the library in the “In Between” in order to understand more about Earth and about the “In Between” and make her decision.

Character #2: Alvis

Image: Alvis is a tall old man. He has a long beard that almost touches the floor and he wears round glasses. He lives in the library and wears ankle-length dress pants with ankle socks peeking from underneath, oxford shoes, and knitted sweaters over printed button-downs.

Voice: Alvis’ voice is really low and he speaks very slowly and softly. His speech seems calculated and educated, he sounds like the kind of man who has lived many lives and thinks before he talks.

Desire: Alvis wants to go back to Earth, although he seems to be stuck in the In Between. He wants to help Rhea learn about all the great things that she would be missing if she left her life on Earth and ultimately convince her to go back.

Conflict: Initially, Alvis is only interested in helping Rhea because he believes she is the key to figuring out how he can go back to Earth. However, as he gets to know her, he becomes her close friend and his moral compass and genuine care for her get in the way of his plan to take advantage of her for his own selfish benefit.

Action: Alvis spends most of his days reading, he holds the record for the man who has read the most books in a lifetime. He also teaches Rhea about science, philosophy, history and everything she needs to know in order to make her decision.

Dialogue Prompt

The silence in the library was so loud I did not notice his feathery steps walking down the aisle until he was towering over me, his long cotton candy beard almost touching the floor.

“You must be Rhea,” he said in the kind of soft, husky voice you’d expect from Carl Fredricksen, the grumpiest most hilariously adorable old man Pixar had ever created.

“And you must be Gandalf, nice to meet you.” Although I meant it as a joke, he did not smile. Instead the right corner of his mouth upturned so slightly that if I hadn’t been marveling at the grandeur of his facial hair, I might have not noticed. With a kind of peace I had never sensed, he remained completely still blinking down at me.

“How do you know my name?” I asked, my eyes still fixed on the pages of the book that sat wide open on my crisscrossed legs. I folded down the corner of the page and flipped to the next. After a minute’s worth of silence, I looked up only to see dust flying from the shelf behind me and a stone-colored hardcover seconds before it slammed onto my face.

“Excuse me!? That was completely uncalled for!” I huffed and puffed as I slammed the book I was reading shut, uncrossed my legs, and stood up to pat the dust off my jeans. This time I saw both corners of his mouth twitch right as he turned away, his face moving perfectly in sync with his body.

“Are you not going to apologize?” I whined as I scrambled to put the books back into the shelf and follow him onto the candle-lit hall. He was quick on his feet for a man his age.

“Start with the books on aisle 125 of the left wing, bottom right shelf. When you’re done come find me. There are bookmarks in the drawers at the end of the hall, don’t let me catch you dog-earing pages ever again.”

“You could have at least picked a paperback!” I yelled after him as I rubbed my forehead, but he had already turned the corner and was out of earshot.

After 72 hours of which only two were spent eating and showering, I finally walked into his office, all six books in my hands. I slammed them on his desk and dropped onto a surprisingly comfortable rocking chair facing the window.

“So, are you God or something?” I asked.

“I did not expect you to finish them in such a short amount of time.” His eyes were still trained on the desk and his fountain pen had not lifted from the page since the moment I walked in.

“Well, I did.”

“Read them again.”

My silence seemed to surprise him because after a few minutes I heard the creaking of metal on hardwood floors as he turned in his writing stool.

“I’m meditating, you should try it sometime” I replied to his piercing stare, which I could feel through my closed eyelids.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” he whispered almost imperceptibly. He must have noticed the dark purple bruise gracing my already acne-scarred face.

“I bruise easily,” I whispered back, a calmness I had not possessed two days ago deepening my voice. In one swift movement I jumped up, grabbed the books and stomped down the stairs to the main floor of the library, the rocking chair creaking behind me.

Prompt #2 on Setting

I enter through the overwhelmingly wide gate that ends at east ten feet above my head and immediately sneeze. The dusty books permeating the walls, desks, and floors turn their spines to look at me as if my sneeze had disturbed their lifelong peace. The air feels worn and heavy as if the years have dragged it down with the yellowing dust that covers almost every surface. I can hear the tapping of my shoes coming from the other side of the room, foreign and unwelcome. I stop abruptly at the center of the room and try to familiarize myself with this forgotten place that is so uniquely new to me, yet so old. There are kerosene lamps resting on the pillars that line the long corridor I have been walking through, and there is at least one hardcover book laying under each. Why would anyone use books as coasters?

I spot what looks like a statue at the end of the hall but I decide to leave it for the finale of my journey, this is the kind of library that demands patience and leisurely exploration. I decide to grab the first book that catches my eye and my sudden motion sends layers of dust flying all over the shelves. One, two, three more sneezes and I whisper “bless you” to myself. The floorboards creak with the effort of supporting all of my 120 pounds, but despite their worn look they feel stable and protective beneath me. When I sit and rest my back on the shelf, cross my legs and think this is perfect lighting for reading. The lamps are placed in a way that the light seems to be stemming from the ground and the dim flickering of the flames soothe you into the meditative state the books have been living in for however long they have been here. “I’m sorry,” I whisper to the books, all of a sudden feeling guilty for intruding upon their haven.

Imagery Prompt: All of the FACES!

Her face looked confident and unsure at the same time. It seemed like her smile was saying “Come talk to me, I’m friendly… but don’t stay too long, I’ve got things to do.” Her eyes were the kind of blue that looks like droplets of water just landed on her face; clear and teary. The cracks on her thin lips, and the imminent crow’s feet wiggling their toes from the corner of her eyes, made her look like she knew something I didn’t. Her nose sat quietly on her face, the kind of nose so perfectly shaped it goes unnoticed. Light freckles dotted her skin, like the chia seeds she probably sprinkled all over the avocado toast she had for breakfast. There were no wrinkles on her face, but the slight striations spreading across her features created grooves over the light brown spots with no apparent regard for their place on her face. From afar, her hair just looked blonde. But if you looked closely, you would see a palette of gold and brown strands perfectly framing her round face. Calmly strumming each other, taking turns to feel the caress of the wind. The fingers resting on her neck caressed the lumpy stress that comes with a long day at work, but the almost imperceptible tilt of her mouth whispered “I’m going to be ok”.