we are defined by what we do

Columnist

Once a fêted fresh voice in New York media, Yelena Belova may have started to coast on the strength of her skyrocketing popularity rather than her writing. That is the accusation in a New York Magazine cover story that questions the "single and fabulous" lifestyle Yelena documents in her Vogue column. To wait out the storm of criticism, Yelena's editor has sent her to Saltburnt to gather material for a special summer edition of her column to be titled "Sex and the Country."



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BACKSTORY:




Yelena was born and raised near West Chesapeake, Ohio to Russian immigrants. Her mother is a biologist, her father works for the federal government, and her older sister is an investigative reporter. Comfortably middle class at a time when that still meant something, her parents could afford to send her to a great school with minimal debt, and after graduating she moved to New York City to start her writing career.

Initially, Yelena tried to be a reporter but discovered her writing was best when her voice could shine through. As a columnist, she mined her own messy love life for stories that made modern, single women feel seen. Several years into a thriving career, Yelena is now the author of a New York Times best-selling book based on her column, which she now writes exclusively for Vogue. She is still single, still dating, and still scandalizing her critics by writing openly about sex.






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RUMORS:




⧗ The CIA uses her column to send encoded messages to informants.
⧗ Has traded sexual favors for designer shoes.
⧗ Her real name is Helen White and she pretends to be Russian to seem more worldly.




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IMPORTANT CONNECTIONS:




⧗ ALEXEI — Father. They have a strong bond but he has never and will never read her column.

⧗ MELINA — Mother. They have a strained relationship. Melina follows Yelena's column despite Yelena's objections and she always has something to say.

⧗ NATASHA — Sister. A heroic investigative reporter doing important work in Washington, D.C.




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WANTED CONNECTIONS:




⧗ "MR. BIG" — The on-again, off-again toxic situationship. Are they married? Engaged? Afraid of commitment? Whatever the issue is, they've come in and out of Yelena's life and have a nickname like Mr. Big in her column.

⧗ PAST LOVERS — People Yelena has had dated and written about. They can feel any kind of way about it. Maybe they have a secret kink Yelena exposed, or they feel like she used them for material, or maybe they got a lot of dates out of it and wouldn't mind being featured again.

⧗ CURRENT LOVERS — People for Yelena to date over the course of the month as she works on her next column.

⧗ FRIENDS — Friends to gossip with, turn breakfast into brunch, give sage advice.




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OTHER NOTES:




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