50 Shades of Blue: The Plot

So, I sort of gave my ideas for the basic plot in a previous post. This week, I was supposed to hammer down the plot. Well, this creates a bit of a problem because my writing process usually leaves me with having a bit more mystery in where a story is headed or how it's going to get there. In equal measure, I'm not about to give the total plot away to any potential readers because then nobody would read my book.

It would just ruin everything unless all the readers are people like me who like to know what's going to happen in a story so they can concentrate more on the elements of the story most people don't pay attention to like the author's ability to depict solid characters, pacing, setting, and the journey to the conclusion in general. Not many people out there do that, though. Or... only a few people I've met in person at any rate.

Actually, I think that's a writer thing. When your brain comes up with its own stories, it's fun to look at stories other people have told and examine how they did it. It's also fun to read fanfiction for the same reason... for me, at least. I like to see how others would tell the same story with their interpretation of events.

So, how do I explain the plot of my book so far without giving too much away, but giving just enough so that you, the person following this blog, knows that I'm actually doing my homework?

Simple, I stick to the basics, detail the beginning, but leave the middle and end more loose and item-based. Without further ado, the fleshed-out plot... fleshed out as much as I can flesh something out...

• Chapter One: Meet Tesni Cygnus, a girl who has the ability to see the future of a world in which she doesn't exist giving her a feeling that she shouldn't exist. She works at a nursing home. She goes to college... and something terrible is going to happen at the college and only she can prevent it because she's the only one who knows about it to stop it. And so you follow what will be the last two days of her life... as far as she knows...
• Chapter Two: Tesni tries to sacrifice her life to stop the upcoming college shooting, but one Fin Wright gets in the way and saves Tesni's life because he also knows what happens in the future... because he's a time traveler from the future. He invites her to come along with him and off they go into a world of adventure!
• Next couple of Chapters: Tess and Fin travel to various points and places in time: Medieval England (Tess almost becomes a mistress for a king), Revolutionary France (Fin almost loses his head), Gold Rush California (they steal some money), 1930s New York (they steal some money from the mob dressed in outrageous costumes at Tess's insistence), and probably some trips to the future as well. Fin drops things about the future like the fact that he knew her mom. OH! AND THE COALITION IS AFTER THEM! RUN!
• After that: Coalition is after Fin and Tess is getting caught in the crossfire, everywhere they turn, Coalition agents are on their tails and one of the agents lets it drop that Fin and Tess's mom were... more than friends so Tess may actually be traveling with her dad. They also let slip that they'd probably let Fin go if Tess joined them and put her wonderful "gift" to good use rather than being a criminal like her "parents".
• Tess insists on a trip to see her mom in the hospital while Tess (from that time) is at school to straighten things out, we get a touching scene where Tess gets to see her mom and learns that the pendant she wears around her neck is actually a time travel device that the Coalition probably wants back, Fin isn't to be trusted (not because he isn't her father, just because he's a mercenary jerk), and her mom doesn't regret any time she spent in the past raising her wonderful daughter.
• The Coalition catches up to Fin and Tess with a glorious conclusion.

That's what I've got so far. I might have them take Vincent on a trip or Vincent might just be left out entirely. I do like Vincent though... and he is supposed to be the third-wheel, but I HATE love triangles so I'm not doing that nonsense. Vincent is a good friend who will someday be happily married to a lovely lady who isn't Tess and Tess knows it. The End.

Besides, I don't even know if Fin and Tess will end up together. It kind of creeps me out a bit what with his relationship with her mother. It's a little The Graduate for me... or, you know Petyr Bailish and Sansa Stark.

Ick.

However, we'll see. Nothing is final and I really like possibilities based on character chemistry. I'm not exactly sure how Fin and Tess will mesh just yet.