The following document is an idea that I had for a novel/anime last night as
I sat in bed for two or three hours unable to get a bit of sleep :P I will
start by posting the general outline and if the interest grabs me,
individual chapters/episodes will emerge.


                              My Inner Self
                              -------------

Setting:
   Arizona, present day
   Texas, mid 90's
   Alaska, late 90's
   Michigan, turn of the century

Characters:
   Alan David Ryan, protagonist
   Elizabeth Browning, best friend

Summary:
   Alan is not on good terms with any of his family and has thus been
supporting himself since he moved out at age 16. When he was 18, he finally
got around to finishing his GED and started attending the local community
college. Because of more family tension, he left the state (Texas) after
finishing his associate's degree and did not leave a forwarding address.
   Seven years later, his present situation is as a computer programmer for
an Arizona company that develops missiles and other technology for the
military. He never got around to finishing any more school and is taking night
classes during semesters when he has the spare cash, in hopes of eventually
finishing.
   He doesn't really have any friends outside of a few of the guys at work
who occasionally invite him to social events in an effort to get him to meet
women. It doesn't work. He lives alone in a cheap apartment right on the
edge of the bad part of town and drives a car that would likely explode if
he ever figured out how to break 60 mph.

   On the night of his 26th birthday, he is particularly lonely as he drives
home through the worst monsoon he's ever experienced. Water floods the
streets up to two feet deep in some places and most of the traffic signals
have changed to blinking red.
   Fatalistic thoughts drift through his mind as he gradually makes his way
home. Not suicidal, just depressing. He wonders what the world would be like
if he were never born, yada yada.
   As he approaches a stop at the last intersection before the side street
that leads to his apartment, lightning strikes a telephone pole at the side
of the road. He is blinded and stunned. As his eyes finally begin to
recover, he turns just in time to see the pole falling on top of his car.

- wake up in dark room
  - table, chair
  - no 'walls'
- window opens
  - can see into his old bedroom in texas
- starts to hear a voice thinking aloud, his voice
  - answers the voice, which is rather groggy and doesn't respond
- view in the window moves around the room