Not the End
GENRE
YOUNG ADULT ROMANCE DRAMA FAMILY
Core Theme
SPEAKING OUT WITH YOUR AUTHENTIC SELF.
TIME PERIOD
Contemporary
COMPARABLE TITLES
KIDS, BULLY
CHARACTER LIST
• DIMAH: 17. INSECURE, ASPIRATIONAL, UNDERDOG, MODEST.
• ARON: 17. THE BOLD ATHLETIC GUY WHO ASKS DIMAH OUT AND CHANGES HER WORLD.
• JANICE: 17. THE MOST POPULAR GIRL IN SCHOOL WHO BULLIES DIMAH.
• JACOB: 17. AN ATTRACTIVE, POPULAR GIRL WHO IS FRIENDS WITH DIMAH BUT GOES ON TO RAPE HER.
• DIMAH'S MOM: 30S-50S. DIMAH'S HARD-WORKING, LOVING, SUPPORTIVE MOTHER.
• SCHOOL NURSE: 20S-60S. THE HIGH SCHOOL NURSE WHO ANGERS DIMAN BY BELIEVING RUMORS OF HER SEXUAL LIFE.
Logline
This novella is about sexual assault, bullying, and having the strength to move forward. Dimah, the main character, experiences abuse in different forms which alter her life tremendously. At the end of the book, she finds her voice and discovers she is stronger than she, and others, think.
Target Audiences
Age: 13-17,18-34,35-54,55+
Target Gender: Female Leaning
Setting
Small Town (Unspecified)
Based on a True Story
No
Publishing Details
Status: Yes: self-published
Publisher: Self-Published
Year Published: 2018
Starting Description
This story plays with time. It starts off at Prom a year earlier. Then, it fastforwards a year and the girl we first met looks completely different. The reason for the changes are then revealed slowly as the chapters take us back and forth between past and present until both inevitably collide.
Ending Description
At the end of the story, fed up with all the bullying and abuse from people that don't know what happens, Dimah decides to tell the truth. She finds her voice, confront her bullies, and makes the decision to move forward.
Group Specific
Information not completed
Hard Copy Available
Yes
ISBN
978-1733995092
Mature Audience Themes
Sexual Abuse
Plot - Other Elements
Coming of Age,Happy Ending,Meaningful Message
Plot - Premise
Quest,Overcoming Monster/Villain,Internal Journey/Rebirth
Main Character Details
Name: Dimah Emerson
Age: 17
Gender: Female
Role: Protagonist
Key Traits: Insecure,Underdog,Selfless,Modest,Aspiring
Additional Character Details
The author has not yet written this
Additional Character Details
The author has not yet written this
Additional Character Details
The author has not yet written this
Genre
DRAMA, ROMANCE
Brief
Dimah is a traditional young girl who wishes to be loved by the man of her dreams. The dream turns into a nightmare when she discovers she was used by this man, and the whole school is now against her. She is bullied, humiliated, but she still finds the strength needed to overcome her multiple difficulties.
Overall Rating
FAIR
Narrative Elements
Authors Writing Style: FAIR
Characterization: FAIR
Commerciality: FAIR
Franchise Potential: GOOD
Pace: GOOD
Premise: FAIR
Structure: GOOD
Theme: GOOD
Accuracy of Book Profile
She could add other characters to her profile. Jake, Aaron, Janice, and Dimah's mother are also relevant characters.
Draw of Story
It's the story of many young girls who are used by bad intentioned men. Also, the girl's naivety seems reliable, accurate.
Possible Drawbacks
The book basically talks about one single plot, and it feels a little bit repetitive. It could explore different stories and conflicts.
Use of Special Effects
THE STORY DOES NOT RELY ON SPECIAL EFFECTS
Primary Hook of Story
It's a story about the loss of innocence. That very moment when you figure out that life is not exactly like in the movies. The bullying, the sexual assault that the protagonist suffers is also relevant.
Fanbase Potential
The author has a trilogy that could become a "Not the..." franchise. Thus it could conquer a large fanbase, but it needs development, especially when we talk about the characters, who could be more distinct.
Awards Potential
I see the theme having Awards potential. Bullying is a powerful subject to explore nowadays, but the story itself needs more punch to be remarkable.
Envisioned Budget
LOW BUDGET
Similar Films/TV Series
EIGHTH GRADE - AN INTROVERTED GIRL HAS TO FACE HER FEARS TO BECOME HERSELF; SPEAK - A GIRL WHO HAS TO DEAL WITH VIOLENCE AND BULLYING; DEGRASSI - CANADIAN SERIES THAT PRESENTS THE YOUNG ADULTS' UNIVERSE, AND TALKS ABOUT THE DIFFICULTIES OF GROWING UP.
What’s New About the Story
I believe that its originality comes from the way the story is told, in two different timelines that gradually reveal what's going on. Conflicts and dialogue could be more intriguing.
Lead Characters
The lead character is a girl like many others, and this is the best thing about her. The story feels more realistic because of Dimah. Usually, teenage characters are written by adults and the writers tend to give them adult characteristics. Here, the protagonist is absolutely naive, romantic, innocent, as a girl of her age usually is.
Uniqueness of Story
It's not a rare gem as it is, but it can be improved if turned into an indie movie that deeply explores the bullying subject.
Possible Formats
Film - Indie, Film - Streaming, TV Series - Limited Run / Mini-Series, TV Series - Streaming
Analyst Recommendation
WORK IN PROGRESS
Justification
While the story has many positive points, it has room for improvement (see possible paths below). If you can't change the story at this point, my suggestion is using your notes as a guide to highlight the best aspects of it when taking the next steps, either putting a pitch page together, a treatment, or a presentation.
Tips for Improvement
The characters, especially the antagonists, are flat. They are too villainous, too evil, and too unrealistic. They would need balanced characteristics to sound like standard teenagers. The story is narrated by the protagonist, and she would be expected to portray antagonists as evil, but it feels exaggerated. The dialogue is cliché, too simplistic, too expository. The story could be more interesting overall if the lines could better describe the teenage-y universe. Some situations seem too unrealistic, such as the one in which an adult nurse humiliates the protagonist because she had listened to rumors that Dimah was a "slut". It doesn't feel realistic at all, and since this is a crucial turning point, this part should be modified. The fact that Aaron starts following Dimah for absolutely no reason is pointless. He even declares his feelings to her, but the whole backstory is a little uncertain and unconvincing. The story has potential, Dimah is a likable and reliable young girl, the theme is relevant, but the plot, characters, actions, and dialogue need improvement to become a promising young adult piece.
Brief
This novella is about sexual assault, bullying, and having the strength to move forward. Dimah, the main character, experiences abuse in different forms which alter her life tremendously. At the end of the book, she finds her voice and discovers she is stronger than she, and others, think.
What We Liked
- This tells the tale of the universally recognized danger of being young and trusting. A high school girl thinks a boy is a friend to her, yet he rapes her on prom. Her journey from victim to young strong woman is moving. Nearly anyone can relate and empathize with feeling like an outsider when no one is getting the chance to know the real you. Someone finally does, and this helps her transform her from a timid girl to a confident woman.
- Film: High school stories have traditionally done well on film. This one has a great story arc and cinematic character arcs for an audience to be involved in. The themes are recognizable. Love and rejection is universal, and this story has the added gravitas of a sexual assault, but with a heroine who takes back control of her life. The lead characters are worthy of empathy, while others deserve scorn.
- TV: "Not the End" would work well on TV not only because it has big emotions and attractive people. There is conflict from beginning to end, and while the conflict is largely internal, it's externalized by sharp dialogue and would be a draw for young actors. Nearly everyone has been to high school or at least seen depictions of high school in film and TV, so there are themes that are universal and characters that are empathetic as well as others who aren't deserving.
- Key points: High school; Love; Rejection; Strong characters; Comeuppance
Synopsis
Timid and bullied, Dimah's life in high school is one of constant humiliation. For whatever reason, she is the subject of scorn from pretty much the whole school. Her one friend since middle school is Jacob, and even he leaves her for the popular kids. He comes back though, and even asks her to prom.
She meets him at prom, and he immediately wants to leave. He takes her to a hotel room he's pre-rented for the occasion, and she decides to just go with it. Until she doesn't. Jacob forces her clothes off and doesn't listen to her when she says no. He rapes her.
Back at school, Aron, a popular football player, takes notice of Dimah. He's nice to her and makes a real effort, despite her defensiveness and insecurity. He defends her in an incident where Janice, a popular girl, tells Dimah to stay away from Aron. During the verbal sparring, Dimah tells the crowd that she was raped by Jacob. Aron, who was holding Janice back, let's her go and she runs off after it is clear the crowd is now on Dimah's side.
Aron continues to pursue Dimah, and takes her to a special place and they decide they're in a relationship. Dimah confesses everything she has gong through to her caring mother, who is sorrowful and cries. The school year finally comes to an end, and Dimah and Aron drive off together to start at the same college.