Jaycee Woods

Sometimes I have large incomplete draft stories that I drop and then come back to later. Often that incomplete story is essentially done so I just need to wrap it by being willing to say goodbye to the characters. Other times the incomplete story is stuck without a clear path to conclusion as I had not decided how to resolve the conflict between the characters. An example of the latter was my Akiko story which was already 50k+ words. My constraint in the direction of the story is that I was going to allow the male lead to solve Akiko’s problem.

Akiko is in a loveless marriage based in materialism & the pursuit of wealth. She wants her ex-husband back as he was loving, but after she had an affair in the past he became cold & indifferent towards her. Her current husband’s wealth is dependent upon patent licenses granted by her ex. Now her husband expects her to seduce lower licensing fees from her ex.

In the draft, Akiko has a neurotic breakdown rooted in low self-esteem, which leads her to be cared for by her ex. While he gives her physical support (shelter, food), he denies her the emotional support she wants from him. As his resolve weakens, her ex finds out about the seduction mission, which causes him to feel betrayed by her again.

I added a therapist for her in the story to build Akiko up since her ex wouldn’t and Akiko can’t. After the breakdown, Akiko goes through a drunken period that was a mess as drink becomes her refuge from her emotions. Eventually her ex becomes highly directing to compel Akiko to take care of herself while she sleeps on his couch.

I added a rival to Akiko, her ex’s lab assistant Suzi, who wants Doc (as Suzi calls him) to see her as more than an assistant. When Suzi has a tragedy (her dad’s heart attack), Akiko witnesses her ex treat Suzi with the tenderness and support that Akiko wants from him.

The sticking point was Akiko out of her ex’s house and life. Her husband is ruined financially as her ex is allowing the patent licenses to expire so Akiko will be broke, husbandless, jobless, & unskilled. I don’t expect Akiko to have a happy ending.

Without thinking of better alternative to get her out of her ex’s life and off his couch, I opted for Akiko to become a 38-year-old college student living “independently” on student loans. Suzi helped her towards that path as a way to get Akiko out of Doc’s house and life. In the end, Suzi becomes the heroine to the rescue of her man in distress. 🙂