[Tessa]

I'm writing a third book, getting ready for the first launch (it's in edit phase now). My agent wants a third when I'm ready for a new idea. He's helping me, so I'm writing it. (Part of the marketing plan, best thing to help sell your book is another book.)

I'm hoping you can help me with ideas on where you would look for a child that has no one to support them, may or might not be orphaned. Definitely separated for now.

I need to round up about a dozen kids, toddler to under 15, to make the story arc. So far, I have two pre teens. One who found the protagonist, one they found hiding in a cement well house. The location will help to flesh out the character. Prefer urban areas, rural comes later. Protagonist in this part of the story is a very old, but skilled and wise, survivalist female. She gets around, slow but sure. She collects these kids by the time her son, strong male survival protag, tracks her down. His parents raised him right, he knows how to find her, and does.

Open to any ideas.

 

[kokosmom2]

Reminds me of King's "The Stand"

 

[Tessa]

I loved that book and mini series. I was addicted to it!

No biological warfare or influenza in this one. Collapse is due to politics, ergo financial and resulting race bating riots. Sound familiar? It's my response to a couple of situations I've been in lately where I was the only conservative. My heart hurts to think they hate me so because I believe differently. They would ban together and kill me, take my preps if they could, because of my beliefs. I don't feel that way about them, but there it is.

I used to be responsible for the book of business in Compton. It was a horrible time in my life. The folks I dealt with had total disrespect for anything. I had to deal with the financial aftermath of the riots. It was awful.

 

[Mels thinkingitover]

Schools or daycares would end up with lost children hanging around if the disaster occurred during that time of the day. The playgrounds and little league fields nearby. The places kids were familiar with going to and would gravitate toward just sure their parents were going to be there eventually to pick them up.

A larger foster home would have abandoned children nearby. I've often thought those poor children would end up abandoned in a disaster.

There's a couple of ideas anyway.

 

[orangenomad]

school. kids go there looking for help from favourite teacher or school nurse. find food and nurses first aid stuff. Maybe your character was a teacher or a school nurse before shtf?

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[ajole]

I'm hoping you can help me with ideas on where you would look for a child that has no one to support them, may or might not be orphaned. Definitely separated for now.

I need to round up about a dozen kids, toddler to under 15, to make the story arc.

The location will help to flesh out the character. Prefer urban areas, rural comes later.

Rural kids won't be alone for long...we take care of our neighbors.

But for a day or two or three...if the parents were "at work" which often means 30-60 miles away in my AO, and can't get home, or get eliminated; it might mean the kids are alone until the neighbors that are at home realize the parents haven't shown up.

Urban...maybe a day care place with a teen age worker or two that was there after school, the adults in charge realized they had to go, so left them to handle the pickups, but they never came, and she/he has been taking care of them ever since using the few supplies in the building, which are now running out?

Maybe a neighbor dropped off some supplies as they bugged out, knowing they were doomed but unable/unwilling to do more?

 

[happypreppermom]

Maybe hiding out in a church. I think that's where my kids would most likely look for help if I wasn't around.

 

[Revmgt]

Maybe in a group of young petty marauders, think of a post-apocalyptic Fagan from Oliver!.
He could be gruff with the kids, stern, because he's trying to toughen them up because life "after" is so hard. Maybe have him reflect sadly on how things used to be for kids, but all that's over now.
You can even have an Artful Dodger kid who shows the new kids what to do.

+1 on whoever referenced The Stand, best book I ever read

 

[Revmgt]

Reminds me of King's "The Stand"

Mother Abigail!

 

[Jerry D Young]

1. Mall
2. Library
3. Down by the 'river', 'bridge', 'overpass', where the homeless gather
4. Women's shelter
5. Pre-school
6. Hiding in school bus
7. Downtown business with daycare center
8. Bus/train station
9. Hiding in storm drain outlet
10. Top floor of parking garage
11. C-Store cold storage room
12. Behind bar or restaurant where mother works
13. Dog walking park looking for dog
14. Bus stop waiting on parent to get home
15. Hiding behind dumpster at apartment building - latch key kid
16. Hiding in tree in residential yard or in a park
17. Hiding at abandoned fire station
18. Hiding at close by "Safe Place" signed business
19. Hiding/trapped in back of police car (no escape locks)
20. Local swimming pool locker room
21. Local favorite restaurant because they got hungry
22. Divorced parent's house
23. Grandma's house
24. Hospital, looking for pregnant mother
25. Hiding at best friend's house

Just a few ideas off the top of my head.

 

[hardcalibres]

Looting Toys-R-Us?

 

[swamppapa]

Humans are creatures of habit
Home, school, church, hide aways/ clubhouse, when I was a kid we lived behind a Goodyear garage I built a hideout in the discarded tire area made tunnels with the tires and hollowed out a pile of tires,

Disused equipment shed on a golf course, a shuttered grocery store Till it became a shooting gallery for junkies.

Storm shelter.

After that my life got pretty rural.

 

[Bazooka Joe]

How long after the event? Early on, they'd be looking for parents, family, family friends, school mates. Once it became clear they were on their own and for whatever reason they couldn't stay at home, I'd say the school area will become dominated by a gang. Kids will hang out there, but it will be more Lord of the Flies-y. Kids who want to avoid that will have to hide out with a friend or two wherever seems safe. Probably places with smaller openings so that adults and larger kids have a hard time getting to them - collapsed buildings, underground tunnels, crawlspaces, etc. They'll want to be near water and will need some source of food. In an urban area, that might be near a shopping district or near a lot of apartment buildings that they can scout through.

 

[scorpio948]

Most likely inside the bellies of predators.

 

[texican2]

Schools or daycares would end up with lost children hanging around if the disaster occurred during that time of the day. The playgrounds and little league fields nearby. The places kids were familiar with going to and would gravitate toward just sure their parents were going to be there eventually to pick them up.

A larger foster home would have abandoned children nearby. I've often thought those poor children would end up abandoned in a disaster.

There's a couple of ideas anyway.

^^^^THIS^^^^

My thoughts exactly....
When children have lost everything they will go to a know place of protection such as a school or church....

How sad that this could become true especially in cities and suburban areas....

Why we live remote....

Election day is drawing to a close....
It is getting more than interesting....
Only time and God knows the outcome....

Texican....
A Proud Deplorable....
TRUMP 2016....

 

[BJJ_Grappler]

Children, who are alone, will go to places of comfort. Places that they felt secure at in the "normal" world. Of course these places are likely abandoned, or maybe not.

- toy stores
- church
- playgrounds
- fast food places
- schools
- relatives house
- their tree house
- a friend's house
- their play spot
- a fire station
- a police station

etc.

 

[crooked s]

Growing up we had a fort in the woods behind the house. Or a tree house.

 

[Iowa102]

Couple of situations come to mind: Some of the scout troop stranded in the woods for some reason agree to meet up after they make their way home only to find them abandoned. The second idea is a big brother and little sister subsisting on rabbits that their family raised in the garage after their parents didn't come home.