So I thought I'd post a few basic story ideas to see if I could get the ball rolling a bit. Here are seven, arranged from least to most extreme, with assorted buzzwords in parentheses.
Susan Slept Here (30something/teenager romance)
(Named for
the movie of the same name. You needn't be named Susan.) I'm an award-winning writer/journalist researching a piece on youth problems. You're a troubled girl a cop friend has pulled off the streets. Rather than throw you in jail, he brings you to me, so I can use you as another piece of research. You move into my spare bedroom, and I start to take better and better care of you. And as time goes on, you get it in your head that it's fun being my guest, but what would REALLY be fun would be being my WIFE.
The Drive (brother/sister-in-law romance)
In six weeks time, I'm marrying your older sister. We're both about 15 years older than you, and she's always been the one to suck up most of the attention. Well, you'll suck up the attention now, what with the fact that you missed the bus back home from your school trip and the fact that you hang out with all those JUVENILE DELINQUENTS (your father's words). Because they don't have time and because I do, I'm dispatched to drive cross-country and pick you up. Of course, now we have to drive back. And the little motel we stop at the first night doesn't exactly enjoy the idea of two single people sharing a room. Good thing I've got your sister's engagement ring along to have it resized. Good thing you're so good at pretending YOU'RE the one who's with me...
Pyg... what now? (status transformation)
You've always wanted to be popular and beautiful. I've always wanted to get into Harvard (or grad school there, if you want to age it up a bit) without working too hard. Maybe we could help each other out for the next few months, see what happens?
Roommates (brother/sister incest, status transformation)
When I left home for college years ago, I was a nerdy, pudgy kid. Over the course of my first three years there, though, I've remade myself into a handsome, muscular guy, who's quite popular around campus. But when you come up to school -- also nerdy, also pudgy -- mom and dad insist we share an apartment. That rankles. I can't very well say I've moved in with my sister. So I tell a few folks a little white lie: I've moved in with my girlfriend. And then people want to meet her... and... well... you volunteer for the job.
Mystery Cruise (father/daughter incest)
I booked this father/daughter cruise about a year ago, but now, as it draws nearer, we're a bit surprised how little information we have on it. All we have is a departure date. No list of activities. Nothing. When we get onboard, everything is similarly quiet. But as we sink into the schedule of the first day on the ship, it starts to become obvious what this ship is: It's a place where fathers and daughters are encouraged to become romantic partners. And that should freak us out? Right?
A New Start (mother/daughter role change)
I gave birth to you when I was still in high school, a move that shattered any hopes I had of pursuing my dreams. As such, I've always felt a bit angry and resentful, and our relationship has suffered. Now, we're moving to a new city where no one knows us. You've always been mature for your age of 16. I've always been a bit small for my age of 32. And as we're having yet another argument, you say something so ridiculous it's worth a shot: Why don't we pretend to be each other for a bit? No one at either your school or my work knows what either of us looks like. We can do it for a day or two, then switch back and laugh about it. That day or two, though, starts to stretch out longer and longer...
The Proposal (father/daughter gender transformation)
My wife, your mother, tosses the idea off so casually: "Why don't you two just swap places?" She claims to have the method to do it. She also claims that once done, it can't be UNdone. And she claims we'll all be MUCH happier that way. Is she nuts? Or is she right? And are we seriously THINKING about this?
There's more where those came from. If any appeal but don't feel QUITE right, feel free to PM me, and we'll work out something more attuned to your tastes.
UPDATED 10/28:(This is a really strange idea, but I'm quite taken with it. I promise if you played it out with me, I could make it your number one favorite thing ever. Even over puppies.)
The Long Game (not really sure how to classify this one, but it's caught my attention)
The story of a relationship in reverse. I'm a rich guy in his late 30s/early 40s. You're my 20something girlfriend. We've just moved into a sleepy small town/suburb. Through a simple misunderstanding, some of the neighbors believe you're my daughter. And we don't correct them, thinking it's funny. But we didn't realize how word spreads here... and we also think it's just a little bit hot to play along. So we go along with it. You start going to high school. I fend off single women my age. And, of course, things get more and more involved, until we're in so deep we don't see a way out. And maybe we don't want to?
UPDATED 1/23:Three more, one for each category.
Do-Over (infidelity, egad; status change)
You're a frustrated housewife, stuck in a marriage to a guy who could have been something but never lived up to his potential and got mired in his depression. You sometimes wonder what would have happened if you had married me, someone who became a highly successful something or other (you can choose my super awesome career). And then you add me on Facebook, and we get to talking... and my grandmother is dying, and she'd always wished I would have a family... and would you and your husband be willing... for a small fee of course... for you to act as if you ARE my wife? My rich, high society wife? The money would be good, promise.
Witness Protection? (father/daughter incest, role changes)
I'm a single father, and you're my daughter. We recently witnessed a crime, and the only way we'll be safe is if we're in witness protection. But when the government places us under its protection, it messes things up and says we're husband and wife, not father and daughter. We protest the error, but it's a lot of paperwork, and everybody in the neighborhood knows us as who we are, so why not just go with it for a while? (There's a more sci-fi version of this that involves a wife becoming a daughter, too, but we can leave that out in the interest of keeping things simple.)
Prom (gender change, implied father/son incest but not really, if you think about it in the right way)
My son's heart is broken by his girlfriend right before prom. My wife, a witch, is having none of it. She's vowed not to use her powers in such a huge way, but she asks me if I'd be willing to become his new prom date, someone who could really show up that former girlfriend. And I agree to go along with it, provided I change right back at the end of the night. Well... the reversal spell just isn't working... and how far is this whole thing going to go before we get back to our "right" places? Or is this the new right place?
Feel free to PM about any of those and/or any of the above that aren't crossed out. I will also accommodate any requests that are vaguely in the wheelhouse of things I enjoy.
