For those of you who read

[alwaysgrowing]

I am in the midst of writing a novel. I am about half way done, and just about at the climax of the story arc. Short synopsis, two brothers, older is a drug addict, younger one depressed. The older one is comiong out of his haze and trying to be a good older brother. Younger one is about to commit sucide, or try. I'm not sure which one. I am trying to decide if the second half of the story is about how the older brother tries to make right for his brothers memory. Or about how the bond between brothers grows stronger as the younger brother recovers from his attempted suicide. which arc do you think sounds more readable?

[Stonecold54]

really depends on how it is written. first thing that came to mind when i read your post (usually first ideas have the most merit)....was that younger brother actually does commit suicide and the conclusion is the struggle of the older brother to not relapse and his fight to get better no matter how hurt he is losing his younger brother to suicide.

I think the second suggestion of the younger brother not dying would kind of just be narrative story telling to far past the point of climax where if he dies you can have more peaks and plot twists.

again that was very first impression what I wrote.

[alwaysgrowing]

Thanks SC. II was leaning the other way, but I think you are right, and it wouldn't seem credible. In the story, both brothers are writers. Except the older one lost it when he went addict. I'm going to have the older brother read the younger's journal after he dies. And the rest of the stry will be about the struggle of the older brother to be the man his little brother wanted, while finishing the novel his younger brother had startred.

Thanks again

[The_Grinder]

I think you should have the older brother talk him out of it, then everything is good, then towards the end, the younger brother actually does do it. Riveting stuff you should be paying me for this.

[Stonecold54]

Thanks SC. II was leaning the other way, but I think you are right, and it wouldn't seem credible. In the story, both brothers are writers. Except the older one lost it when he went addict. I'm going to have the older brother read the younger's journal after he dies. And the rest of the stry will be about the struggle of the older brother to be the man his little brother wanted, while finishing the novel his younger brother had startred.

Thanks again

I love reading stephen king for that reason, he always has characters in his books that are writers....

[Control]

You could have the older brother realize his younger brother is depressed and he finds the strength to overcome his addiction so that he can save his younger brother. Then, as a result of his sobriety, he gets his life together and falls in love with a girl. The younger brother falls in love with her too and she leaves the older brother for the younger brother which drives the younger brother into a drug relapse and he gets high and kills his younger brother. Then he kills himself cuz he feels bad for killing his brother. Then the girl feels like it's her fault so she kills herself too.

The End

[Stonecold54]

You could have the older brother realize his younger brother is depressed and he finds the strength to overcome his addiction so that he can save his younger brother. Then, as a result of his sobriety, he gets his life together and falls in love with a girl. The younger brother falls in love with her too and she leaves the older brother for the younger brother which drives the younger brother into a drug relapse and he gets high and kills his younger brother. Then he kills himself cuz he feels bad for killing his brother. Then the girl feels like it's her fault so she kills herself too.

The End

holy lord, lol.... you need a kitten :P

[rad0]

i dunno..but after thinking..maybe the younger brother is newbie chris..then he logs on to superiormuscle.com and see's a pic of bouncers package..he finds a new reason to live..which confuses the older brother..because he has come out of his haze to realize the younger brother like the sausage..then he kills himself....does it work for you???

[babyblues]

If you decide to go with the younger brother comitting suicide and the older brother working through his grief, I would recommend you read a book called "A Grief Observed" by C.S. Lewis. It's real short, less than 100 pages. He also wrote the Chronicles of Narnia. He married later in life and lost his wife to cancer. She had cancer when she married him and he knew that she was dying, but the grief that he experienced was overwhelming. The greater the love, the greater the grief when it is lost. While he is a Christian writer, his description of what life was like every day with this grief is so painfully real. You might not agree with his conclusions about God or the Bible, but I've never seen someone bear to the world such a painful and devastating struggle. A great read nonetheless.