House Boy Outline
My outline for writing House Boy, including character profiles, plot breakdown, and brainstorming.
Author’s Note: This is an outline that I used and added onto across the course of writing this story. The story obviously evolved as it went along, so not everything in here made it to the page unchanged. This is for anyone interested in seeing the behind-the-scenes part of my writing process!
Characters
SCOTT PIERSON: 23, recent college grad and DC transplant. He got a recommendation for this job from the congressman whose campaign he interned for the summer before. He is a young Republican and an idealist. He wants to climb his way up the ladder and make a name for himself. He is finding out the hard way what it will cost him. He is somewhat stocky, dirty blond hair, and has an ass like nobody’s business.
Opening Belief System: I can succeed in politics without compromising on who I am.
Challenges:
His idol is revealed to be a creep
His agency is taken away
He is forced to debase himself
He is turned on by being humiliated and used
His girlfriend is also pretending to be virtuous while playing the game
The only way to get ahead is to give in and work the system
Closing Belief System: The ones who succeed are those clever enough to work the system.
Alternate Closing Belief System: Success in politics is not worth compromising who I am.
What is scott’s internal journey? He is humiliated by everything that he’s having to do, but he finds himself turned on by all the humiliation. He’s also finding a burgeoning same sex attraction, and that goes against all his morals. I want him to have cognitive dissonance, but how do I write that? I should have him express more strongly a moral disgust for homosexuals and same sex behavior. I need him to be revolted by Tim and by Adrian. When he resists the congressman, he gets punished for it.
THOMAS ADRIAN: 45, Congressman from Texas. He is hiring a new houseboy and wants someone discreet, loyal, pliable, and who is his type. He has a beard and dark brown hair. He has a wife who is 15 years younger than him and he has two small daughters, 3 and 5. He is the head of the Financial Services Committee but wants to be head of Appropriations.
What is his whole relationship with Scott? He wants someone to satisfy his sexual needs. He likes breaking Scott down and feeling like he has control over the boy. He thrives on humiliating him and taking stuff out on him.
MICHAEL DOWNING: 40, Adrian’s chief of staff. He is thin and balding. He oversees the hiring process and does the initial screening of Scott until Adrian gives the okay. He is used to procuring boys for the congressman, but with him jockeying for Appropriations, they want to make things a little more discreet.
PATRICK O’BRIEN: 45, Congressman from Kentucky. Went to college with Adrian Thomas and have been friends ever since. Hired Scott during his reelection campaign last summer and was surprised by the boy’s ability to adapt to any crisis. Recommended him to the position of houseboy.
ASHLEY FARLEY: 23, Scott’s girlfriend. She works as an intern at the Washington Examiner. She’s secretly fucking her boss to get ahead.
STEPHANIE: 25, a thin redhead who works as Adrian Thomas’ secretary. She knows he gets up to some shit, but she does her job well.
TIM OLSEN: 24, Assistant to the Speaker of the House. He tops the Speaker but he wants to bottom for Scott. He’s self-obsessed, catty, narcissistic, but very sexy. Ends up getting fired after Scott blackmails his boss.
ADAM SMITH: 70, Speaker of the House.
LEX CASTILLO: 28, Assistant to General Michalka (Secretary of Defense). He is a tall, beefy latino guy with long curly hair he wears ties up in a man bun. He tops the General and is attracted to Scott. He represents an outsider perspective on Scott’s relationship with the congressman. He understands the sex worker angle, but feels as though Adrian is taking advantage of him. He encourages Scott to pursue something for himself.
GEO: 25, Assistant to Senator Duff (ranking member of the finance committee). He is one of Tim’s friends.
TREY: 25, Assistant to Jesse Carter (head of the RNC). He is perma-locked and a little sub. He starts to hate Scott after he gets Tim fired.
Timeline
- September he does the ground work for a run: meeting with Texas GOP chair to clear it with them, reaching out to gauge donor interest, etc.
- October he starts doing more soft launch stuff (meeting donors, writing op-eds, hiring a campaign manager).
- He holds a town hall as someone “exploring a run” in Texas where he wins over the crowd with his immigration stance
- Late October he gets approval from the head of the RNC
- November 8 he files to run.
- Late November he gets the idea to screw over the congressman
- On December 7th he withdraws his name to “focus more on the congressman”
- In July, once the primary is over and they’re at the RNC, he releases damaging information that forces Adrian out of the race. He then immediately meets with the head of the RNC to secure the party’s nomination for Adrian’s district.
- In November, he wins the general election.