Jaycee Woods

I was formatting one of my draft short stories when I inadvertently added to my reading list.

The working title is “The Crazy Ex.” Norah is stalking her ex boyfriend. She is deeply conflicted about whether she wants to marry him or hurt him. In the middle of the story, she shoots him in the head execution style.

The twist is that he faked her murdering him so she would be committed to a mental institution. Her mental illness was such that she was a danger to herself, but the contemporary mental health system blocked her from getting the in-patient treatment she required. To save her and the sweet part of her that he loved, he framed her for his murder.

It is a critique of how the danger a mentally ill person poses to themselves or others is not taken seriously until they actually harm someone, then we likely institutionalize them in prison instead of a mental hospital because we so compassionate.

I didn’t like her name so I looked for an alternative. Current champion replacement name is Hedda from Ibsen’s play “Hedda Gabler.” I will need to read the play, but the summary makes it sound like a nice fit.