Are any of these story ideas any good?

Question

This isn't an attempt to show off as much as it is just me legitimately wanting to know I work on these stories and daydream about them often. And I'd just like to know which stories sound horrible to people and which sound decent (if there are any).

I'm really not looking for any answers saying that I shouldn't rely on the opinions of others when it comes to deciding whether or not I like an idea. Just because someone says that an idea isn't good, that doesn't mean I won't do it. I'm just looking for consensus. If everyone says an idea sucks, then I will consider trashing it. Emphasis on consider.

Thank you for your time and help.

The Leave’s Momentum: A crime fiction set in Boise, Idaho. Centered around many different characters of various backgrounds. Details their actions leading up to the latest victim of a sadistic serial killer and the events following. Characters include a guilt-ridden police detective, the latest victim‘s older brother, a promising new FBI agent, a has-been crime fiction writer, a hateful female police sergeant and many others. Not so much a story about uncovering the killer’s identity as much as it is about the characters’ growth stemming from the events the murders cause.

Sanity’s Warren: A Drama about an intellectually gifted young boy who has spent his entire life in a basement. He begins to detail the main points of significance in his life to explain why he feels he is losing his mind. Goes into his mother’s tragic death, his father’s violence and several murders his father committed. It’s a story about the boy’s observations of his surroundings. He fills in so many blanks with other characters and their thoughts, while unintentionally leaving himself blank. It’s about his fall from innocence and his growing theories about what makes a man do the things he does. All the while, his dark side is explored and embodied by his mysterious roommate who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

The Reaper’s Casket: A fictional biography of a male mortician suffering from a case of necrophilia from causes unknown. He resents himself and his practices but can’t stop what he’s doing for fear he might kill to get what he wants. Bounces between past and present. The present dealing with his hatred for who he is and his constant search for change. The past deals with his tragic romance with a woman that seemed to suppress his urges. Just so you know, I do not plan to go in depth with his relations with his victims. The last thing I want is to gross people out, this is a story about sympathy for someone you would normally despise. Describing in excruciating detail what goes on with him behind closed doors would be counterproductive.

Phoenix Asunder: A serial arsonist in Kansas City, Missouri requires an angry, lecherous arson detective to utilize his years of accumulated experience for the first time. He’s accompanied by a gifted FBI agent with a tragic history. All the while, the detective’s wife slowly slips deeper into a depression that mirrors the FBI agent’s profile of the arsonist. The final character is the arsonist himself whose story is told as an epistolary tale through his various journals and recordings.

Oaken: A 1960s town of considerable size has children kidnapped, drained of blood completely, mutilated and dumped on roadsides. Mainly told through the point of view of a widow trying to keep her son safe, it’s a story about uncovering the violent history of the town that has ties to its current situation.

13: A non-fiction study of Eliot Ness' investigation into the Cleveland Torso Murders. Several liberties will be taken to fill in the blanks of history, but will still be a dramatic interpretation of the search that arguably ruined Ness' life and pride.

Elissa Tami: Short story. A writer becomes obsessed with a name. After putting it into a book, he finds evidence being thrown his way about the actual existence of a woman of that name whose history is strikingly similar to his. Explores the possibility of foreign universes and realities. It's not a ghost story.

Untitled: Short story. An active, athletic young man retreats into mental sanctuary after a car accident causes him to lose his legs. Begins an ascension into artistic enlightenment shortly after.

Stillness: Short story. A shut-in discovers that the entire world has stopped and he is the only one not affected by this. Meant to be allegorical to life being more and more concentrated indoors and seeming to revolve less around the existence of others.

I am a Human: Short story. A mysterious creature disguised as a human tries his best to fit into human society while succumbing to depression due to constantly being ostracized.

Left Hand: Short story. A nurse at a mental hospital becomes convinced that the newest member who’s being haunted by visions of the Devil isn’t actually schizophrenic.

Answer 1

Hey there, I'm responding with pleasure! You have skill in having good ideas, man. I applaud you for wisping them out of your head to get a feel for what people like. I have done this as well. Most of the time I never end up writing anything; never actually. Yes, 'tis my own downfall....



There were a couple that didn't interest me as much as the others:



Untitled: I am not sure people can relate to a man who's lost his legs just because he was athletic unless you built his character well enough that a large group identifies with him. I would find it hard to describe an ascension into artistic enlightenment personally, because usually people are somewhat rigid in there affinities for certain things throughout school and such but if you can handle it, it might work. I immediately thought of Forrest Gump's Sgt. (I think), if you could somehow create such a real depression like this character's and bring him back through art and the like then that would be something indeed.



Oaken: I feel like it's missing something. I feel like 1960's is a good choice of date, but with it comes this town that has a past and yet remains kind of bland. I'm sure you've come up with a more thought-out version of the setting though. When I read that children were drained of blood my mind immediately goes into a whole slew of reasons for that but then the bodies were left to be found and now I'm just lost. Are you staying true to history and wars and things like that? If it's going to be a murder mystery or a horror, try to come correct, you know?



I am a Human: I think you're going to want to establish exactly what the creature is, it's limitations, and similarities to humans. The W's, what, why, when, where, who is it? Then it would be extremely interesting to be identifying with this creature while it finds out how hard it is to be human.



Phoenix Asunder: I guess you have to be into crime, murder mysteries and stuff to write one and I'm usually not prone to reading them. There are some authors/writers with some skill in creating a book that is easily read but very complicated but sometimes I just lose interest. This interests me in that it's antagonist is an arsonist, a serial arsonist. That's different. I would be extremely interested if the guy was taking on some real big projects like Fight Club projects with perhaps a political or symbolic purpose behind it. I don't usually like reading about cops or FBI agents because they are usually not unique, try to change that.



The Leave's Momentum: Same thing as Asunder, the only way it would be readable for me is if the characters made it that way. I'm a failure at dialog, I can read it, but I can't write it well yet. If these are realistic characters I'm sure someone would read it.



The Reaper's Casket: I disagree on going too much into gory detail. If you want to make a name for yourself and really dig deep into your own creative mind then I would say go balls out! It's super hard to get people to relate to a sick person but if you can do it elegantly and scare them, well then, you have done something!



Elissa Tami: Reminds me of Stanger Than Fiction and yet, surreal, like Mulholland Drive. I suggest you watch both movies and take from them what you can. The story itself might not have to be written but the unveiling of events that coincide will be your focal point.



I'm quite impressed at the originality of your ideas and the large scale hopes you have for them. Stillness and Sanity's Warren are intriguing. Left Hand sounds like a great introduction to horror from you. Also, a non-fiction work would be great to add to your repertoire!



I say don't trash anything, if anything, come back to them after they've had time to settle in your mind!



Greatest of luck to you!

Answer 2

I like Sanitys Warren, Reapers Casket, Oaken, and Stillness. The others are interesting too but those four stories are what interest me the most. I am a Human sounds a little boring but I can't say anything because I shouldn't judge a book by its cover. Besides that you have very good ideas and I can tell you are very creative and smart. These are just my opinions you shouldn't drop a book just because people aren't interested in them. Just because I said I am a Human doesn't interest me it doesn't mean someone else won't be interested in it. I like your ideas, good luck writing them!

Answer 3

I think they all sound really interesting:) especially Oaken and Stillness.