[QCRIT] Upmarket Fiction- NO TURN AROUND- 91K- 4th attempt
Third Attempt (previous attempts can be found on the third attempt, but let's be honest, they're not worth looking at)
Hello!
Once again, thank you to everyone who has offered feedback already. I really appreciate it, and it's made me a better writer in general. There are many kind and selfless people on this platform, and I am thankful that I am part of this community. Here is my fourth attempt. It's probably too long, but I really don't know how to shorten it, and I figured that since it's dual-POV, maybe I could afford a little extra length. This attempt also progresses to just over the midpoint of the novel whereas my other attempts reached the first act. Regardless, here it is:
Dear AGENT,
25 year-old Lawrence Thornton wants to devote his life to protecting the environment and feeding people from the earth, just like his Pappaw taught him. When Pappaw dies, Lawrence leaves Kentucky to hike the Appalachian Trail, hoping to escape Pappaw’s memory and fulfill that purpose elsewhere. In a small trail-town, he meets Cho-Hee Mun, a musician who reminds Lawrence there’s still beauty in the world.
When her cover band gets a chance to tour playing their own emo-rock, 24 year-old Cho-Hee Mun leaves bible college and the expectations of her pastor father, forging her own path as an artist. Cho struggles to adopt this identity, and her performances ring inauthentic. However, at a small show, she meets Lawrence whose charm and vulnerability inspire her to embrace her new identity.
The two spend 24 hours together, falling for each other, but their separate journeys lead them to losing contact. By chance, months later, they meet again, and their feelings for each other reignite. As winter sets in, they decide to live together during a downtime in both of their travels. As their relationship blooms, Cho’s struggles to write music for her band, instead writing music for herself. Afraid of who she is becoming, Cho leaves Lawrence to rejoin her band. Devastated after losing Cho, Lawrence decides to finish the trail and then fully devote his life to helping the environment and other people, just like his Pappaw did.
But neither can forget the other. Cho and her band continue touring, but no one else understands her like Lawrence did. Lawrence continues the trail and finds community, but never felt more joy than when he was with Cho. Will they continue devoting their life to something they may no longer want, or will they turn around and embrace a life they didn’t expect?
[BASED ON YOUR INTEREST IN X & Y], I present NO TURN AROUND, a dual-POV upmarket fiction novel complete at 91,000 words. Fans of David Nicholl’s One Day and Mary H.K. Choi’s Permanent Record will both love NO TURN AROUND.
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Thanks!