It doesn't have a permanent title yet; I have a few ideas for one but I didn't want to name it anything definite until after I finished it. The problem I'm running into is that I want it to be 13 chapters long. I plan on packing it with symbolism and creepyness that make you think but I'm having a writer's block with the setting.

The story is about Charles Henry Baxter or 'Charlie' and he has just been murdered by his now ex-wife. The story starts with him walking down the road of death and his mind being in a muddle. He is in denial about being dead; that being dead is an impossibility for him. He flashes between his previous life to his afterlife trying to sort it out when a Black Veiled woman appears before him cracking jokes about him being dead, welcoming him to hell, and just acting crazy. She offers him the sweetest deal of the afterlife, however, on how he can come back to life if he can make it through a trial. The catch is that if he fails that he ceases to exist. He realizes that he has in fact died and he accepts her offer despite the consequences should he fail(he doesn't believe that He could possibly fail, just like he couldn't have possibly have died). A piece of the road forks off and he takes it and ends up at the entrance of Theater that is falling to pieces. It is guarded by another woman, Castille, and she offers him another deal. That she'd help him if he promises to retrieve something that she has lost in the Theater during her own trial(though I don't know what that is yet =/). He again agrees and is gained entrance.

I don't know what to do with the theater though without making it super corny. I want it to reflect the monsters in everybody's mind and it is supposed to target a person's weaknesses. Do you have any ideas?

Anyways I'm going to have it where he ultimately fails at his final test. I mean there's a reason that people don't just come back to life. And there's a twist at the end that I'm not saying if I ever finish it and decide to share it. One of the main themes of the story is how you can only move forward and can't turn back. Another is don't be a jerk, you might just be killed for it or be careful who you trust.

What do you think? Does this sound like anything you'd read? And what do you think the theater should be like?

Originally Posted by Beliar

It doesn't have a permanent title yet; I have a few ideas for one but I didn't want to name it anything definite until after I finished it. The problem I'm running into is that I want it to be 13 chapters long. I plan on packing it with symbolism and creepyness that make you think but I'm having a writer's block with the setting.

The story is about Charles Henry Baxter or 'Charlie' and he has just been murdered by his now ex-wife. The story starts with him walking down the road of death and his mind being in a muddle. He is in denial about being dead; that being dead is an impossibility for him. He flashes between his previous life to his afterlife trying to sort it out when a Black Veiled woman appears before him cracking jokes about him being dead, welcoming him to hell, and just acting crazy. She offers him the sweetest deal of the afterlife, however, on how he can come back to life if he can make it through a trial. The catch is that if he fails that he ceases to exist. He realizes that he has in fact died and he accepts her offer despite the consequences should he fail(he doesn't believe that He could possibly fail, just like he couldn't have possibly have died). A piece of the road forks off and he takes it and ends up at the entrance of Theater that is falling to pieces. It is guarded by another woman, Castille, and she offers him another deal. That she'd help him if he promises to retrieve something that she has lost in the Theater during her own trial(though I don't know what that is yet =/). He again agrees and is gained entrance.

I don't know what to do with the theater though without making it super corny. I want it to reflect the monsters in everybody's mind and it is supposed to target a person's weaknesses. Do you have any ideas?

Anyways I'm going to have it where he ultimately fails at his final test. I mean there's a reason that people don't just come back to life. And there's a twist at the end that I'm not saying if I ever finish it and decide to share it. One of the main themes of the story is how you can only move forward and can't turn back. Another is don't be a jerk, you might just be killed for it or be careful who you trust.

What do you think? Does this sound like anything you'd read? And what do you think the theater should be like?

That sounds really good :) I would buy that book :D

Originally Posted by Miss_Muffinz13x

That sounds really good :) I would buy that book :D

Thank you! =D

Actually yes, I would definitely read something like that. The way you described it makes it sound appealing and very interesting.

The theater idea is especially fun. You could go a lot of different directions with this one. What exactly is this part of the trial supposed to "accomplish", from the Black Veiled Woman's perspective? Why is he sent here? If you figure that out it might help with where you're going. As is, I'll offer some of the suggestions that popped into my head while reading this.

a) Perhaps the Theater is like a giant ant trap, meant to lure souls in but not let them out. Whatever they may find on the movie screens is either so appealing or horrifying that they are forever frozen in place, unable to tear their eyes away from what they're seeing and eventually wasting away into nothing. Perhaps there are specters or other wispy phantoms there that Charlie would see. Silent, nearly invisible echoes of their former selves that now have no purpose but to Watch.

b) Maybe he goes into the Theater and proceeds to watch his "life" on the screen. It shows him nothing but the most horrible, petty things he's done, painting himself in a negative light.

c) It could be that since the Theater is in a realm apparently outside of the normal spectrum of space and time, past and future really hold no meaning. Even if something hasn't happened yet on earth, it could still be seen here. Maybe Charlie sees scenes of varying time periods. Perhaps it would try showing him what will eventually happen to humanity in the future, which would likely be nothing good.

I also like the idea of the Theater as an almost living entity. If you've ever seen Rose Red, something like that.

Miyu: This gave me some ideas and I appreciate that, thank you :)
The Theater is definitely meant to be a trap of sorts, but I like the idea of incorporating the screens themselves since he's already had flashbacks in the one chapter I wrote so that would go with the flow of everything. B would be good, since Charlie wasn't a good person so that could be interesting. I'll have to credit you now, thank you again =)

:D Bawww, glad I could help! It sounds very interesting.