So how many of us here are actually writers as well as readers??!!

[ravenscross]

Actually, it's not. There's no such thing as a new story (well, thats what I was told many times in the writers group).

I'm just basically saying that if that is the full plot, then it needs to be molded a bit more.

For instance, the flooded London. This idea has been used a few times (most recently in the book and movie Flood), you have to think why. The fact is that London is going to build a second flood barrier due to belief that global warming will wipe out most of the city. What if the building of this barrier caused bigger problems with unpredicted tidal flow more than the water itself, more the technology having to give way to natures pattern.  You also have to explain why its low tech. Future advances, especially in cities, will increase the use of technology, thus giving way to a "tribe" of cyber punk mentality. Looking at new developments (which allow signs and spoken language to be translated in real time, with information feeds from the internet), would mean that London would be taken over by tech-heads, feeding off the data around them. Thus you'd get a BladeRunner feel in a city that was the Venice of the 21st Century (seeing how Venice will be under water by 2070 in current predictions).

As for the time travel and living the life backwards, has anyone else seen Momento?

The twist here, just guessing mind you, is that its a VR program, designed to find out if the party is guilty, the last 'rights' as it were to prove you are innocent. This would give way to a cyberpunk low tech feel as it would be created inside the 'victims' mind, giving it the feel of how they view the city. The act would remain the same, only the world has been change to protect the innocent.

I didn't mean to stamp on the heart of your writing, just to point out that the quick summary (which leads to book cover blurb in the end), would suggest that it's, well to use a horrid word, cliched.

Please forgive me if it seemed otherwise. It's been a bad day.

[PracticeJack]

i understand bad days mate. 

That was a VERY basic breakdown. I obviously dont want to go into too much detail

London is flooded because of a funding cuts which meant that the building of the flood barriers was given to the lowest bidder which meant due to substandard construction the barriers collapsed.

He actually is travelling through time though

and your wrong about the twist

[ravenscross]

So is he traveling thorough time in reverse then? Are events rewinding around him, or is time going forwards, but history is in reverse? How does this effect the flooding, is it going down?

If I'm wrong about the twist, then I claim that as my idea.... Nobody touch it! Hahaha

[smudge]

I suppose I`ll have to read them both then! Both seem marvellous flights of fancy.

And for the pedants amongst us...I have seen `Memento`, I`m not sure about `Momento` unless it is tres obscure! This way to IMDB --->

[ravenscross]

Yeah, all right, slip of the gingers! That coming from someone who has his slip ups enforced!!!

[smudge]

Me know! Apparently it is `Eats Shoots and Leaves` week. Tough on grammar, missspeling, feneral guck ups and tough on the causes of slipshod gramer, mispellin and such.

BTW, when I wrote `Memento` I also spelt it Momento...it just seems right and a force of habit (due to me writing `Fave Single: One Moment In Time by Whitney Houston` on all my profiles)

[smudge]

Do you know what? I think he was right...I AM a tithead (TIROON)

[Nubs]

In writing my novels, I think I'd like to be admired and hopefully respected by many, and hopefully that they'd like my work a lot, as for my comedy plays, I'd like to see them used by amateur dramatic companies and schools/colleges, purely for the sheer enjoyment that I'd hope they would encourage and develop, particularly the schools.
 
Either way, in all truth, I'd like to have some degree of success, even if I didn't actually make a great deal of money from my writing, as long as those that experienced my books or plays, gained some entertainment from them!

[PracticeJack]

So is he traveling thorough time in reverse then? Are events rewinding around him, or is time going forwards, but history is in reverse? How does this effect the flooding, is it going down?

If I'm wrong about the twist, then I claim that as my idea.... Nobody touch it! Hahaha

Its only him thats going in reverse..

IF you desperately want to know the twist then ask me nicely and i might let you know by pm. otherwise its gonna be worth the wait ( I hope )

[smudge]

I have put some short pieces on my MySpace blog. Feel free to criticise or appropriate any crap gags or turn a tired line into a vibrant one with your eloquence.

[Nethers]

Forgive me poking my nose in, I haven't been on board for a while....

Practice Jack, I think that your idea sounds great. You should definitely continue developing it.  Keep writing and don't worry about the 'cliche' argument.  As you work it out more ideas will come to you and it will take off and become your own.  Personally, I would try to avoid the 'and it was all a Virtual Reality' game as it seems to be the the 21st (or even 20th) century equivalent of "and then my mum shook me awake and I realised it was all just a dream." 

Good luck with it.