Q's Stillborn Twin Brother...

Q's dead twin brother is a family secret that gets revealed (by a clueless relative?) on her 10th birthday, 9/11.

How she reacts to the news is yet unclear. I need to do a bit more character sketching on Q before I can figure this out.

I MIGHT change the title to Quinella. Is "Q" a bit contrived? It's also a bit Star Trekkie, although my Q has nothing in common with the science fiction character.

I won't make any hasty decisions.

Q, A Young Character at a Pivotal Time in History (Some Back Story and Random Notes)

Some basic facts about Q: She was born September 11, 1991.

This date, of course, becomes important only on Q's 10th birthday, which will be a pivotal point in the novel, BUT not the main focus. At this point, Q will not lose a friend or family member, but she will lose a bit of her innocence. (How, I'm not sure yet, BUT no incest stuff--this has become such a cliche by now--yech!)

Q's parents (as of yet, unnamed) have named her Quinella because in early Summer 1991, when her mother was six months pregnant with Q and her twin brother (who dies at birth), Q's father won back-to-back quinellas at a dog track in Florida. In Race 7, he placed a $20.00 bet on 7-8 (two long shots), and won $427.50 (this amount might change), and then turned around and, in Race 8, placed $426 of his winnings on 7-8 again, also long shots. Again, the dogs win, and the Nettas find themselves flush with cash.

However, this windfall becomes their curse, for they never again win such a large amount of cash gambling.

Must run now, but will add some more notes later!

Ciao!

"Ask Ma'am": Q as Underaged Advice Columnist

I'm mulling over the idea of creating Q as an underaged character who is posing as an advice columnist.

Her mother is the actual columnist for a local newspaper, but when her mother goes AWOL from her life as a mother, wife, and columnist, Q, unbeknownst to the newspaper, assumes the "Ask Ma'am" column and begins dishing out humorous and outrageous advice to readers.

When the column goes national (and the big money begins rolling in), Q's mother returns to the family, and the conflict between mother and daughter flares up big time, especially when "Mother" (unnamed as of yet) realizes that Q is, by far, much more talented than the mother. Therefore, she must pay Q a large allowance to keep Q as ghost writer.

Meanwhile, Q discovers domaining as a sideline, using her substantal allowance to register dotcoms and reselling them on the aftermarket.

:=)


Even at a young age (10-13?), Q realizes that, eventually, her house of cards in the advice biz is going to collapse and that she will have to fend for herself.

Character Sketches and Plot Outline

I have been working on an outline for "Q"; and, yes, I'll be including the quotation marks in the title.

First, though, I'll be developing a character sketch of "Q." My work tends to be character driven as opposed to plot driven.

Before developing the outline, I'll be jotting down possible character sketches of all the primary characters: Q, her parents, her partner, her nemesis, and maybe a best friend.

At the moment, I don't have a clear view of "Q."

I'm leaning toward a 3rd person (limited) viewpoint, but this could change to omniscient.

Quinella Net = "Q"

...And now my main character has a last name: "Net."

Short and sweet, but, best of all, strange, offering lots of opportunity for personal issues and confusion.

Before November, I might change my mind, though.

I think Quinella will stick, although I'm not quite sure about Net as a last name.

Could it be contrived?

Quinella

The main character of "Q" will be named Quinella, which gives rise to her nickname of "Q."

Can you imagine the issues one would have knowing she has been named after a type of wager at a racing track?