Thinking of writing a book

[GoldenRivet]

... or maybe a short story.

I am fleshing out some of the characters.

here is the plot, tell me what you guys think, or if it sounds too "done before".

"May-1942, A war ravaged B-17 bomber 'Helluva-Gal' returns from a daylight bombing raid over Germany. The plane, struggling to stay airborne, lines up in the pattern, and - despite her horribly crippled condition pulls off a near perfect landing amidst a sea of onlookers. With a final shuttering groan, she coasts to a stop on the runway and her engines fall silent - one more mission is behind her.

elation of the bomber's safe return quickly turns to mystery, when it is discovered that not one single crewman can be found aboard the aircraft. 10 men... vanished without a trace. the plane didn't land itself... it couldn't!

After a brief investigation, the air force repairs the damaged aircraft and returns her to service with a brand new crew. Ghostly encounters aboard the bomber begin to emerge - encounters which will make or break any hopes ten new crewmen hold in surviving the greatest air battle the world has ever known."

;)

[Chad]

Sounds spooky, I like spooky stuff :yep:

[TarJak]

Sounds good to me. Go for it!

[Jimbuna]

Now that sort of story intro would make me curious enough to read suvh a book.http://www.psionguild.org/forums/images/smilies/wolfsmilies/read2.gif

Nothing ventured....nothing gained.

Let's see it asap http://www.psionguild.org/forums/images/smilies/wolfsmilies/thumbsup.gif

[Syxx_Killer]

I'm intrigued. Now get writing! :up: :lol:

[kiwi_2005]

Yeah anything xfiles type of stuff interest me too. Maybe the crew entered a parallel universe where they're actually still in the plane but not in the world we know :dead: Just as long as your story dont involve UFO's abductions, then your have abducties coming out of the woodwork claiming they flew in that plane.:rotfl:

:up:

[kurtz]

I'm intrigued.

[GoldenRivet]

Yeah anything xfiles type of stuff interest me too. Maybe the crew entered a parallel universe where they're actually still in the plane but not in the world we know :dead: Just as long as your story dont involve UFO's abductions, then your have abducties coming out of the woodwork claiming they flew in that plane.:rotfl:

:up:

i'll not give away much more than this.

There is a USAAF major who heads up the investigation.

in his conclusions, he gives an almost convincing account of a series of logical events which could have lead to the aircraft landing with all ten crewmen missing.

but, the experienced, battle hardened flight crews who know these bombers inside and out - (already a superstitious bunch anyway) - poke numerous holes in the Major's conclusions- they simply are not buying what the Major is selling.

but the findings of the majors investigation stand, the matter is closed, and the crewmen are labeled as MIA.

so... you tell me what you think?

Strange series of coincidental events? is the major correct in his assessment of the "logical events"?

Paranormal? Does the ghost crew of the bomber forever haunt her hull?

Parallel universe? Are these men fighting another war, in another universe to help the British spread fascism through Europe?

UFO? Were these men simply taken?

An eerie epilogue which takes place in the late 1960s only adds to the mystery and legend of "helluva-gal"

;)

[Raptor1]

That sounds interesting, hope you manage to pull it off (And if not, at least make a short story out of it)

Though I might suggest making the date a little later, the first USAAF air raid against Germany only happened in August '42 IIRC

[GoldenRivet]

Hehe still have to research it. Thought may was a good date.

Might go with 1943 anyhow

(I might want to make the missing crew veterans, which couldn't be the case in mid 42)

[Fr8monkey]

Sounds intreguing... but not to burst your bubble but that sound alot like an old Twilight Zone episode The Arrival (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Arrival_(The_Twilight_Zone)).

[UnderseaLcpl]

Sounds intreguing... but not to burst your bubble but that sound alot like an old Twilight Zone episode The Arrival (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Arrival_(The_Twilight_Zone)).

Every idea has been done before, but that doesn't make it any less intriguing.

Personally I like the "ghost story" tack the most, especially if it ends with an appropriate cliffhanger that leaves just one or two things unexplained. Aliens and parallel universes aren't really my thing, as I feel that they take "incredible" to "incredulous". Admittedly, a 'ghost story' as it were, lends itself more to the short-story genre in a lot of ways, as the fun part is the unexplained part. What if the entire sequence of events was explained only to leave one unexplainable thing at the end, preferably revealed in a plot-twisting fashion?

I'm no writer, but that's my two cents, and I'll read the piece, or buy it, however you choose to make it available. The world can always use a good story:up:

[bookworm_020]

It sounds a bit like the first episode of "Taken", but I would be intrested in it:yep:

[GoldenRivet]

Sounds intreguing... but not to burst your bubble but that sound alot like an old Twilight Zone episode The Arrival (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Arrival_%28The_Twilight_Zone%29).

there are a number of stories out there where a plane arrives with nobody aboard, or vanishes without a trace.

Here is the difference between my story line, and the great rod serling's story line.

In the twilight zone episode "the arrival" (one of my personal favorites BTW) the accident investigator turns out to be insane... reliving the memory of an event that occurred many years ago which turned out to be the one accident he couldn't solve - it torments him... but the whole thing was in his imagination.

this B-17 situation does not turn out to be in anyone's imagination, and infact, it is loosely based on an similar event which actually happened in WW2.

and as Undersea suggested... the mystery will seem solved, until the ending - where the mystery is renewed with full vigor. :cool:

[richardphat]

Hmm :hmm: Sounds interesting. Suspense!

[Fr8monkey]

@ GoldenRivet:

I didn't say it wasn't a good idea. You did ask if it was done before.

[GoldenRivet]

I knew what you meant fr8 :)

all I'm getting at is that there is a notable difference between the two story lines.

[UnderseaLcpl]

Ok is it done yet?:D

[GoldenRivet]

:lol:

[bookworm_020]

So will there be a fight for pride between you and brag over who sells more copies of their book???:hmm:

[longam]

elation of the bomber's safe return quickly turns to mystery, when it is discovered that not one single crewman can be found aboard the aircraft. 10 men... vanished without a trace. the plane didn't land itself... it couldn't!
This part seems to have many different paths it could take.

Were they part of the Philadelphia experiment or something like it, struggling to get the plane back home while phasing in and out of the space time continuum?

Sounds like a great plot to build on, good luck with it.

[UnderseaLcpl]

How about now?

[Sailor Steve]

Of course it's done! I just finished it - fun book.

Now, did I really say that or is GR going insane? Will the plane have people in it this time? Will this thread be here tomorrow? Will Janet say yes when Rick proposes?

Enquiring minds want to know!