Putting The Strange Case on Wattpad
Recently, I have dove back into the world of the Outlier Cases. This is a three-book series I developed during my undergraduate days at George Mason. I completed the first book in the series for my MFA thesis and after graduating I shopped the novel around. But although I received some partial and two full manuscript requisitions from agents, it didn’t get picked up.
After querying for a year, I decided to shelve the project and focus on something new—yes this involves the magic trees and humanoid wolf I keep yelling about on Twitter, but we’ll get to that in another blog post. I didn’t decide to shelve The Strange Case due to discouragement, but rather push myself to take a step back and see if there were ways I could improve the manuscript. I often find that putting distance between myself and a project allows me to gain a better perspective, and what I learned during my time away from the project is that I want to add time travel into the mix.
Yes, you read that right. Time travel. Let me explain. Originally, my plan was to have Ollie (one of the main characters in series) cross paths with a different mad scientist in each book.
Book 1: Doctor Jekyll (from The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde)
Book 2: Griffin (from The Invisible Man)
Book 3: The Time Traveler (from The Time Machine)
But after taking a step back, I realized that this approach may cause the focus to shift away from Ollie’s character arc and make the plot of each novel feel too cookie-cutter. Plus, leaving time travel until the very end would cause me to have to do a ton of world building in a very short amount of time, taking away from the emotional stakes that Ollie and other characters will be facing come Book 3, which could cause their arcs to fall flat.
So over the past few weeks, I’ve been editing the manuscript to include time travel and lay more groundwork for the next two books. I feel good about the edits I’ve made so far and I’m excited to send it to close friends to read.
But, I want to take an additional step with this project: I’m going to upload it to Wattpad. For those who are unfamiliar with the platform, Wattpad is a website for writers to publish original creative works. What I like about the platform is that it’s a great tool for building communities around stories, meeting new writers, and getting feedback from readers.
In other words, Wattpad is a great opportunity for writers and readers to engage and there are few things get me more excited than talking storytelling and shop. In fact, it’s a key part of what keeps me motivated and pushes me to be a better storyteller. And, also, I’m tired of putting my work in a folder on my computer, waiting for a gatekeeper to deem it “worthy.” Do I think The Strange Case is the next big thing? Maybe not. But I don’t think it’s bad either. In fact, I think people will enjoy it and, if I’m being honest, writing stories that entertain people is why I got into writing in the first place.
About The Strange Case
The Pitch
In Victorian London, where industry hurtles forward and mad science lurks, Oliver Reid is bored with picking pockets. He wants to get out of London's criminal underbelly and do something proper for a change. What does proper look like? Ollie honestly doesn't have a clue. But after a smuggling job goes south, Ollie knows he needs to disappear. So, when he learns Dr. Henry Jekyll and his associate Mr. Edward Hyde are looking for an assistant, he takes them up on their offer. But it doesn't take long for Ollie to realize there's something strange and complicated and downright mad about his employers' relationship, and, as usual, his curiosity gets the better of him. He begins to investigate and what starts out as a trivial inquiry, soon escalates into a lethal juggling act filled with instances of mistaken identity, time travel, body snatching, backroom brawls, decade-old grudges, and an ancient order trying to take over London. The case will challenge Ollie's perception of those closest to him and he will learn the world is rarely as black and white as he always believed.
Genre
A YA, sci-fi, mystery adventure
Read This If You Like
Time travel, heists, family drama, retellings, and reimagining of classic Victorian characters
Sassy and very salty characters
Rober Downey Jr.’s Sherlock Holmes
Kester Grant’s The Court of Miracles
Kiersten White’s The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein
