Chelsea Noack

New York Pitch Workspace 2021

1. Story Statement: In the not-so-distant future, the world faces climate collapse and humans are addicted to pills that were created to stave off addictive habits. In this world, Poppy Newton, a young climate scientist, and her cohort, are joined together by one thing: The Clubhouse. Something deeply ominous is happening to women at The Clubhouse, a collective so elusive yet renown that their nightly activities are unknown except to the limited few who enter, yet the world covets its existence. When a member of the cohort disappears in its doors, the urgency to break down its doors becomes a matter of life and death. Little do they know that their own lives are interwoven within the confines of The Clubhouse which turns their plans upside down.
2. Antagonist: Abe Miller is a former boyfriend of Poppy and co-founder of The Mend. He is a handsome, charismatic leader with prestige provided his work in the scientific field. He also is on the board of the Clubhouse, a title he holds proudly at such a young age. Abe is well-liked by most, but he is known to have a hothead most accept as a token of leadership. Abe and Poppy had a horrific end, in which Abe attempted to take advantage of her on their research trip to the Maldives. Since then, he has floated in her life like a taunting ghost while basking in his success. Little does Poppy know that Abe has plans for her, and fully expects her to one day break into the Clubhouse. 
3. Title: The Clubhouse, Walls Scream Within, Smuggled Petals.
4. Comparable: 
   • The Curie Society “A covert team of young women--members of the Curie society, an elite organization dedicated to women in STEM--undertake high-stakes missions to save the world.” https://www.amazon.com/Curie-Society-Heather-Einhorn/dp/0262539942/ref=sr_1_17?keywords=young+adult+fiction+science+women&qid=1638065339&sr=8-17
   • Under the Magnolias “This night not only marked the end to the drought, but also the end to the long-held secret we’d kept hidden under the magnolias.” https://www.amazon.com/Under-Magnolias-T-I-Lowe/dp/1496453603/ref=sr_1_17_sspa?keywords=fiction+women+sexism+country+club&qid=1638066026&sr=8-17-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExUzNJVVpZMThJWFZWJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMzczMTgyMVcyMFFMQVNGM0IyOCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMTQ4NjA1TldDWTFIWjZOMkJVJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmX25leHQmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl
5. Hook Line and Core Wound: A young climate scientist becomes obsessed with the inner workings of an exclusive club, only to find out it has plans for her and the world around her.  
6. Inner Conflict/Secondary Conflict: Poppy Newton has family ties to the Clubhouse. Alongside that, she faces interpersonal relationships, such as her friend Alice, who works at The Mend and wants the company to thrive. In many instances, Poppy will gaslight herself and consider her obsession a weird response to grief from her mother’s passing. In many cases, it’s those she loves and trusts the most that do not support her obsession. And, perhaps, they are right, as the Clubhouse wants her to be interested to lure her in.
7. Setting: The climate crisis has shifted the world in which mass immigration from flooded countries/states and health disparities is present. Women are excelling in STEM, but for some reason there is a lingering force keeping their voices unheard or secondary. Folks are convinced the pills from The Mend saved the mental health crisis, as the pills prevent those from being addicted to substances. It’s a world that still seems like our own, but it has a mass amount of subtle and uncomfortable contradictions.