Stories To Be

Jennifer Michelle said:
I've changed my mind. The opening scene will probably be (for the timebeing anyway) the first time BoD actually notices Death. I figure from BoD's view, before she knows who D is, D looks like a doctor. And BoD is baffled when the doctor says "she" can't help the person BoD is next to, or somesuch.
 

Sara said:
You need to start bugging some of your other friends to post some advice for you here. Then I won't feel like it's just me and whatever spambot happens by.

I'm with your change of mind here. While there's nothing wrong with starting a story midway through and then catching the reader up later, I don't think it would work here. This is a story about a perfectly normal woman who suddenly realizes she can see Death. Even if you did start from when she already knows the score, you'd probably have to backtrack at some point and tell the story of how she and Death met. So this will likely be easier.

So now the question is, what is Bod's name? No, forget that, I'm just being silly. The real questions are:

-Does BoD know about her powers in any way before meeting Death? It seems unlike to me that she'd have the idea down to "I can prevent people from dying." I think people tend to fit their observations into what their education and experience has taught them and that would be quite a leap for her to make. Plus, unless her life leads her to be aroound obviously dying people a lot more than normal, she probably won't have enough experiences of her powers working to figure out that something's weird and start connecting the dots. Not to mention, she could potentially save people's lives without even seeing them. Depending on the range of her ability (and I'm assuming it isn't hindered by walls, because that strikes me as supremely dumb), she could just be visiting a friend with a broken leg in the hospital and unknowingly save 14 people from dying. So depending on her life and what kind of person she is, she might have a slight sense that her presence has some effect on gravely ill or injured people, but she doesn't quite see the whole picture until Death says "Remember this and this and this?". And then the puzzle comes together.

-What's different this time? I'm guessing that Death has been present and visable to BoD every time she saves someone. (Unless Death is in another room or something. I can believe that BoD can't see Death through a wall.) So why does she notice Death this time? Is there something particularly unique about the way Death looks that she just didn't notice before? (I'm thinking that there should be some consistant factor in Death's appearence to BoD, even if she sees Death differently as her views about Death change.) Is Death looking to be noticed? Or is Death just approaching BoD for the first time? If so, why? It's possible, that Death hasn't figured out who and what BoD is until now. Since Death is immortal, human lives probably seem very brief to Death. Death likely doesn't take much notice of humans who aren't about to die. So it could concievablt take Death some years (not very long to Death) to pinpoint what's going on.

On a side note, what happens to people physically when BoD prevents Death from taking them? You seem to be suggesting that some injuries are too severe for even BoD to stop from resulting in death. But what about other injuries and illnesses? Do wounds close, cancers stop their advance, tumors shrink? If there is indeed a point after which BoD's powers have no effect, where is it?
 

Jennifer Michelle said:
My friend Kevin said to say he will be posting once he gets himself caught up with online things.