Outline 003

With all the failed subplots, I was kind of bummed out about Alex.  I wasn't really feelin' him.  He just wasn't someone I wanted to hang out with.

I don't remember precisely when I got the idea -- I believe it was a smoke break at work, because I didn't have time to actually work on the outline, but ideas were still flowing through my mind anyway -- but it occurred to me that another way to go with my protagonist was that he LOVES the paranormal...  Maybe he even wants to develop his latent psychic abilities!

So if that's the case, maybe his name IS Philip Blackwood!

So instead of Alex's comedic quirk being that people know him as Philip and want him to investigate paranormal mysteries even though he is trying to distance himself from the field, Philip is Philip and he LOVES investigating the paranormal and his comedic quirk is that he wants to be psychic but he just isn't!

This take on my protagonist refreshed the whole project for me!

I would MUCH rather hang out with Philip than Alex, and therefor I believe it's a safe bet that the Reader probably would, too.

And maybe I didn't need to worry about a subplot for my protagonist.  Maybe I should just work on him solving the mystery and see how that plays out.  Worst-case Scenario: I read the first draft and decide not having a subplot was a mistake.  If that's the case, there's always the second draft to make it right!  :)

My first step was to update my Outline:

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PHILIP BLACKWOOD MYSTERIES #1

Outline 003

Sc 01 - BRITNEY BRIMES (25) is in the kitchen and sees a LITTLE BOY out of the corner of her eye.  She doesn't hear anything, just turns to see the boy running out of the kitchen.

Britney follows the boy, but he's not in the living room.  She walks on to the storage room, and finds the Little Boy standing there, staring at her, looking unhappy.  She tells him she's seen the little girl, but never seen him.  The Little Boy doesn't answer.

Does he know the little girl?  Is he is her friend?

The Little Boy says, "I'm not a boy," his voice deepens, his eyes become dark sockets, and he morphs, "I'm the Debbul."

Britney screams and flees.

Sc 02 - PHILIP BLACKWOOD (26) is very clever, great at unraveling mysteries by recognizing which clues belong to which aspects of a tangled mystery.  His friend TIFFANI BELLE CHRICHTON (27) shows up to ask a favor.

Sc 03 - TIFFANI wants PHILIP to investigate a case.  The Brimes Family are being tormented, but Tiffani's group -- Central Texas Paranormal Investigators (CTPI) -- can't solve it.  It's too powerful to be residual or intelligent ghosts, it is actually hurting the family and their daughter, but 2 religious cleansings have failed to exile whatever it is, and no Catholic churches in the Central Texas area will area will sanction an official cleansing.  Seeing that Tiffani is desperate, Philip tentatively agrees to look at the evidence Tiffani's group has collected.

Sc 04 - PHILIP review's evidence:

1. A little girl, DODDY, actually converses with the team for a couple of minutes.

2. An inhuman growl is heard in EVP.

3. A night table in the baby's room is moved 17 inches on video.

4. A small shadow turns into a large, menacing shadow on IR video.

Philip is intrigued enough to help.

Sc 05 - TIFFANI takes PHILIP to meet CARLTON BRIMES.  Britney and Ariel are at Britney's mothers.  If possible, Carlton would rather wrap this up before Ariel comes home.  (This is unrealistic, but Philip holds his tongue, though Tiffani is uncomfortable with this unrealistic expectation, too, he can tell.)

Ariel's Room: Ariel scratched, furniture moving.

Kitchen: Little girl seen.

Storage room: Little boy turns into "the devil".  Growl EVP.

Parents' bedroom: Aural conversation with Doddy.

Parents' bathroom: Banging on inside, not heard outside.

Guest bathroom (near Ariel's room): Guest pushed into shower.

Hallway: Shadow IR video.

Sc 06 - PHILIP and TIFFANI talk over the case: This is a new house and the Brimes are the second family to live there.  No trauma from the previous tenants.  Before that, this land was empty.  So no history to explain ghost phenomena.  (Which strengthens the "demonic" possibility more.)

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Sc 09 - PHILIP isn't sure if either CARLTON BRIMES or BRITNEY BRIMES are sane... How can he fulfill his promise (to help them out) to Tiffani?  TIFFANI wants his help because she and CTPI, by law, have to inform Child Services if they think one of the parents caused Ariel's scratches.

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Sc 14 - Tiffani finds out that there was a low-rent apartment complex on the land for a couple of years before the land was bought by the Tiger Group out of Japan.

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Sc 16 - PHILIP walks into the kitchen to find BRITNEY staring, silent.  He asks what's up and Britney asks doesn't he see her.  Her?  Britney points.  Philip doesn't see anything.  Britney insists that "she" is right there!  Philip walks slowly toward the spot, his hand outstretched, feeling.  Philip stops cold when he feels a tiny hand grab his own hand.  He reacts physically and AT THE SAME TIME Britney says, "Did you feel that?  She just grabbed your hand!"

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Sc 23 - PHILIP and TIFFANI learn that CARLTON BRIMES thinks that BRITNEY BRIMES accidentally scratched ARIEL BRIMES and he wants them off the case!

Sc 24 - This is PHILIP's excuse to quite the case... But he can't.  He has to figure this out for his own reasons!

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Sc 30 - PHILIP knows that BRITNEY didn't accidentally scratch ARIEL!

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Sc 37 - PHILIP makes a deal with the ELEMENTAL: Inside belongs to the Brimes family and outside belongs to the Elemental.

Sc 38 - PHILIP explains to POE that he doesn't have to protect Doddy anymore, no one can hurt them where they are now.

Sc 39 - PHILIP explains all.  The BRIMES Family is safe here.

Sc 40 - TIFFANI and PHILIP are having lunch to discuss how the Brimes family is doing now.  Tiffani asks Philip one final question about the Brimes case...