Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction with Gay Characters
FIRST ASSIGNMENT: Story statement.
Love and self-sacrifice in the face of death.
SECOND ASSIGNMENT: The Antagonists.
P.J. Hogan is the wealthy father of Pythias Knight’s boyfriend, Damon Hogan. He aligns himself with the powerful and has connections within the United States government where he secretly funds a clandestine government program run by FBI agent, Tessa Thorn. The program gathers children with superhuman powers and trains them as human super soldiers.
We later learn that P.J. Hogan was physically abused as a child by his father. His relationship with him changed after he began to excel in sports and academics, knowing his father’s disapproval of homosexuality and self-acceptance. Hogan’s shame led to dramatic changes in his behavior. He struggled with his sexuality and in turn directed this shame toward his eldest son, which led to him using his scientists to cure Damon of his superpowers after learning his son had the ability to teleport. Thorn wanted to cure Damon from what he thought was a disease. Hogan also used Damon as a pawn and later had the boy framed for a crime he never committed.
There is also agent Tessa Thorn, who is the daughter of prominent politician, Senator Rupert Thorn. Her father wanted a son to carry on the family's military tradition and decided to raise his only daughter as one. Tessa excelled and was placed as head of the American government’s special operations unit. She oversees the government program that is experimenting on the superhuman teenagers. Agent Thorn is secretly sabotaging the program and wants it to fail so she can get her own program in place, that is focused on social control. After the assassination of her father, she targeted Damon Hogan, who she saw as a threat to the country’s national security.
THIRD ASSIGNMENT: Breakout Title
1) Damon and Pythias
FOURTH ASSIGNMENT: Comparables
Alfred Bester’s science fiction classic, the Stars My Destination, meets TJ Klune's, The House in the Cerulean Sea
Heartstopper meets the Umbrella Academy
FIFTH ASSIGNMENT: Hook Line (logline)
Boymeets boy at a futuristic boarding school in Manhattan and together combat forces seeking to control them and their superhuman abilities.
SIXTH ASSIGNMENT: Conflict
1) Beginning (The Inciting Incident-The telepathic teenager, Pythias Knight, meets and falls in love with Damon Hogan and discovers he is unable to read his mind.
2) First plot point (First Act Turn- The First Act Turn begins with Pythias’ decision to break into P.J. Hogan’s office and learn what his boyfriend’s father knows about him and his telepathic abilities. The first Act Turning Point only makes matters worse with the arrival of government agent, Tessa Thorn, who confronts Pythias outside the office building where a fight transpires leading to his apprehension and subjugation to agonizing tests.
3) Mid-point (2nd turn-Unable to break Pythias, agent Thorn frames Damon for the murder of a prominent politician who turns out to be her father. Damon is imprisoned in a federal prison, where he is branded a domestic terrorist and faces a death sentence. The strength of Damon and Pythias’ love is challenged, even in the face of death.)
4) Climax (everything goes to Hell- Pythias rushes to save Damon’s life and reputation. Pythias also has a final face-off with Tessa Thorn.)
5) Resolution (big sigh- The murder charges are dropped against Damon—this is the realization or acknowledgement that Damon and Pythias have become heroes.Now that the boys are free, their lives are at a new level of equilibrium.)
FINAL ASSIGNMENT: Setting
The novel is set in the futuristic and illustrious New York City, where a minority of young people are born with superhuman abilities that they keep secret.
From a bird's eye view, we follow our teenage protagonists as they move about the city of tomorrow. Skyscrapers and flying vehicles soar above the streets that convert kinetic energy of foot traffic into self-renewing energy that powers the city as holographic “streets” guide the hovering cars with digital billboards casting holographic ads.
New York Write to Pitch 2022 - Seven Assignments (12/22)
in New York Write to Pitch 2023 and 2024
Posted
Name: Damond Lindsay
Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction with Gay Characters
FIRST ASSIGNMENT: Story statement.
Love and self-sacrifice in the face of death.
SECOND ASSIGNMENT: The Antagonists.
P.J. Hogan is the wealthy father of Pythias Knight’s boyfriend, Damon Hogan. He aligns himself with the powerful and has connections within the United States government where he secretly funds a clandestine government program run by FBI agent, Tessa Thorn. The program gathers children with superhuman powers and trains them as human super soldiers.
We later learn that P.J. Hogan was physically abused as a child by his father. His relationship with him changed after he began to excel in sports and academics, knowing his father’s disapproval of homosexuality and self-acceptance. Hogan’s shame led to dramatic changes in his behavior. He struggled with his sexuality and in turn directed this shame toward his eldest son, which led to him using his scientists to cure Damon of his superpowers after learning his son had the ability to teleport. Thorn wanted to cure Damon from what he thought was a disease. Hogan also used Damon as a pawn and later had the boy framed for a crime he never committed.
There is also agent Tessa Thorn, who is the daughter of prominent politician, Senator Rupert Thorn. Her father wanted a son to carry on the family's military tradition and decided to raise his only daughter as one. Tessa excelled and was placed as head of the American government’s special operations unit. She oversees the government program that is experimenting on the superhuman teenagers. Agent Thorn is secretly sabotaging the program and wants it to fail so she can get her own program in place, that is focused on social control. After the assassination of her father, she targeted Damon Hogan, who she saw as a threat to the country’s national security.
THIRD ASSIGNMENT: Breakout Title
1) Damon and Pythias
FOURTH ASSIGNMENT: Comparables
Alfred Bester’s science fiction classic, the Stars My Destination, meets TJ Klune's, The House in the Cerulean Sea
Heartstopper meets the Umbrella Academy
FIFTH ASSIGNMENT: Hook Line (logline)
Boy meets boy at a futuristic boarding school in Manhattan and together combat forces seeking to control them and their superhuman abilities.
SIXTH ASSIGNMENT: Conflict
1) Beginning (The Inciting Incident-The telepathic teenager, Pythias Knight, meets and falls in love with Damon Hogan and discovers he is unable to read his mind.
2) First plot point (First Act Turn- The First Act Turn begins with Pythias’ decision to break into P.J. Hogan’s office and learn what his boyfriend’s father knows about him and his telepathic abilities. The first Act Turning Point only makes matters worse with the arrival of government agent, Tessa Thorn, who confronts Pythias outside the office building where a fight transpires leading to his apprehension and subjugation to agonizing tests.
3) Mid-point (2nd turn-Unable to break Pythias, agent Thorn frames Damon for the murder of a prominent politician who turns out to be her father. Damon is imprisoned in a federal prison, where he is branded a domestic terrorist and faces a death sentence. The strength of Damon and Pythias’ love is challenged, even in the face of death.)
4) Climax (everything goes to Hell- Pythias rushes to save Damon’s life and reputation. Pythias also has a final face-off with Tessa Thorn.)
5) Resolution (big sigh- The murder charges are dropped against Damon—this is the realization or acknowledgement that Damon and Pythias have become heroes. Now that the boys are free, their lives are at a new level of equilibrium.)
FINAL ASSIGNMENT: Setting
The novel is set in the futuristic and illustrious New York City, where a minority of young people are born with superhuman abilities that they keep secret.
From a bird's eye view, we follow our teenage protagonists as they move about the city of tomorrow. Skyscrapers and flying vehicles soar above the streets that convert kinetic energy of foot traffic into self-renewing energy that powers the city as holographic “streets” guide the hovering cars with digital billboards casting holographic ads.