13. STUCK ON STORY: REASSESSING OUR CHARACTERS
7 April 2025
Alison Rocket Ross
A small hiccup in Aaron (35) Landscaper’s story.
Ok, friends. So here’s the deal. I am not having a good writing day. My head is clouded and this story just isn’t clicking right now. We have so much to do before we have a proper outline and can actually write the damn thing.
The Process for Getting Unstuck
We just gotta push through. Instead of forcing some garbage for the thing we’re stuck on, let’s look at other parts of the stories and our characters so we can fall back in love with this.
Some things I love about this piece:
I’ve always wanted to write a “body in the backyard” piece. And I think we’re going in a direction I haven’t seen before, which is good.
Mother Corbin feels like a solid character.
I’m excited for part one of Act Two. Having Mother Corbin kill the Yellow House Brother feels right.
Some things that are tripping me up:
I may have made a mistake by not involving cops right away. It almost feels unbelievable that Aaron wouldn’t call the cops. We may have to strengthen his character to really push why he wouldn’t do that.
I need more danger. If Mother Corbin is in jail after killing the brother, then I can’t come back and have the Yellow House Daughter take her own revenge. We may be looking at an alternate ending.
The killing at the end of Act Two feels too much like a conclusion and it’s stunting the growth of the story.
I just didn’t get enough sleep last night and the coffee hasn’t kicked in yet. These are very real human set backs — I don’t want to blame the story for my personal “off days”.
So what do we do now?
I’m not going to butcher my story while I’m in my current state. Instead, I’m going to work in the fringes. See if I can fill in some puzzle pieces.
We do need physical markers in the story. Items. Visual elements to foreshadow and add mood. Not to mention, we need to develop the Yellow House Neighbors. Write the tragic end of Fred.
First off, physical markers… The End of Fred is a crime of passion. In the moment. Accidental, at first. So let’s find something in the home that could have been used as a murder weapon. And let’s try to be creative here, have the item symbolize something.
Baseball Bat?
Not super creative, but it could have been the brother’s bat. It would symbolize how he was pulled into this crime without any knowledge of it from the very beginning. Yellow House Brother is, in a way, a sacrifice.
We could have him be a baseball super fan. His parents bought him a BRAND NEW BAT after and he thought it was because they supported his dreams of playing in the MLB one day. That little moment gave him the confidence to go all in. He never made it into the MLB, but he was able to get a baseball scholarship to a good University where he majored in Sports Journalism. An injury his sophomore year foiled his dreams of playing the big leagues, but he never lost his love of the game. All because of the support of his parents.
I’m going to name him Nathan. Not Nate. Just Nathan.
Don’t worry, we’ll be doing a character sheet for Nathan.
So, if Nathan is a sports journalist, we should lots of magazines in the Yellow House filled with articles he wrote. Maybe even a frame with his very first published article in it. The Yellow House Parents, after all, would want to keep him happy so he doesn’t ask questions. And perhaps, they grow to love him more than his sister because they didn’t have to murder anyone for him.
That’s a good start.
I may need a nap. I’m really dragging. Writing this is like pulling teeth right now. But that’s ok. Some days are better than others. The important thing is that we’re trying.
The End of Fred
Quick and dirty thoughts. So Fred was dating Yellow House Daughter. He died in the Yellow House. I keep getting flashes of them dressed for the prom, then something triggers Fred, he goes after Yellow House Daughter, is knocked back. Gets up. Someone grabs the bat. Fred keeps coming. They beat him to death.
It’s the daughter. She’s the one that can’t stop swinging. She’s the only one emotionally connected enough to Fred to let her emotions get the better of her. I would say, the parents walk in after the deed is done. Her beautiful dress is soaked in blood. THAT SEEPS INTO THE HARDWOOD FLOORS!
OK!
Blood soaks into hardwood floors and it’s nearly impossible to get it all out. So WHAT IF after Mother Corbin shoots Nathan, the cops come in and forensics find unknown blood in the hardwood floors — 15 years old blood, and it blows the investigation wide open.
Now everyone’s in a tough spot. Yellow House Daughter has questions to answer. Mother Corbin is spewing her theories to cops. Aaron ends up in the middle of it.
But can they produce the bat?
Do they bring in cadaver dogs? Find the body? Find the bat?
Or… Mother Corbin isn’t a reliable witness and isn’t taken seriously. Yellow House Daughter denies everything. She did used to date the guy, maybe he had a bloody nose one time. The Yellow House Neighbors are a high status family, where the Corbins have lost their place since the death of Fred. And the cops don’t like doing paperwork.
Hear me out… one of the cops went to school with Yellow House Daughter and Fred. He had always been in love with Yellow House Daughter. Never liked Fred. He has difficulties separating his feelings from his work. He immediately dismisses any accusations against her until…
He tries to reconnect. But it’s too late. He already convinced his unit not to pursue charges against her. He finally sees the darkness in Yellow House Daughter.
All he can do is warn Aaron.
Now THAT’s an interesting part two for Act Two. We can work with that.
I’m going to take some time to rest, then come back to really flesh that out. But see how we can still be productive even when we feel like garbage? It’s all about those little moments. The work day to day that will eventually come together to be something cool.
Ok, that’s all for now.
Rocket