Plot problems

[Ireth]

I'm having issues with the plot of my WIP. Once the quest the four protagonists are on gets going, it seems just like "they meet these people and this happens, move on. They meet that person and this happens, move on." Lather, rinse, repeat until the climax. There are some characters/things that recur in important places, but for the most part it's just one Wacky Wayside Tribe after another. Really not the plot I want -- I had enough of that in the prequel, where it was only the B-plot rather than the A-plot. I'm not sure I can generate enough emotional drama between the protags to intersperse the physical conflicts or other encounters nicely and keep it from being boring or repetitive. I could give an outline of the plot if that would help. Any thoughts?

[Butterfly]

Have them meet a witch hunter who stalks them thinking one of them's a witch, or a cannibal stalking them from some remote cave, tower, thing... something like that.

You need conflict, obstructions, tension. Don't make it easy for them to finish this quest.

[Ireth]

I'm not sure those specific ideas would work for this story, but the idea is good. I'm sure some Fae would take an interest in one of their own leading a group of mortals through Faerie.

There is going to be a lot of tension between the characters, since none of the humans really like their Fae guide all that much, and the Fae guide wants to get on the mortals' good side for the sake of his paternal affection for the daughter of one of the mortals, who is part of the group. This chafes the nerves of the girl's real father to no end. The problem is, as I said, showing that tension without being repetitive about it for ~300 pages.

[ThinkerX]

I suggested this (or something like it) before, but:

have them encounter Fae 'traders' or 'smugglers' who cross over to our world for plastics, fabrics, modern metals, that sort of thing to trade for other items in Faerie proper. Have a couple of these types dogging their trail, trying to decide if the interlopers are merely 'customers' or out to divulge trade secrets (like that most of these valuable goodies are actually stolen from thrift stores and rubbish bins). At least some of the other encounters your group has would also be wondering about this, or acting as pawns for the smugglers.

(Besides, if I remember right, one of your characters spends the entire trip in a terrycloth bathrobe - given the rigors of outdoor travel, at the end of a few weeks, it would be more like a terrycloth bikini.)

[Queshire]

The description you gave us makes me think of the super successful manga One Piece. In it they basically go from island to island beating up whichever bad guy was currently threatening that particular island. What keeps it from being boring is the interesting characters they meet, the wide variety of different situations they encounter even if they're based on the same "beat up the bad guy" formula, the fact that a good number of the threats they face have a personal connection to them, and several elements that recure throughout, namely the world goverenment, navy, and the blank century.

There's a lot you can do from even a basic template.

[Ireth]

I suggested this (or something like it) before, but:

have them encounter Fae 'traders' or 'smugglers' who cross over to our world for plastics, fabrics, modern metals, that sort of thing to trade for other items in Faerie proper. Have a couple of these types dogging their trail, trying to decide if the interlopers are merely 'customers' or out to divulge trade secrets (like that most of these valuable goodies are actually stolen from thrift stores and rubbish bins). At least some of the other encounters your group has would also be wondering about this, or acting as pawns for the smugglers.

(Besides, if I remember right, one of your characters spends the entire trip in a terrycloth bathrobe - given the rigors of outdoor travel, at the end of a few weeks, it would be more like a terrycloth bikini.)

I do like that idea, but I'm not sure it would suit this story. Seems a bit out of place to suddenly bring into the second half of a duology. If it were a longer series I could do more with it, or I could make another series for it. (Also the robe is polyester, not terrycloth, but that's just nitpicking. XD And she does have pyjamas on underneath.)

The description you gave us makes me think of the super successful manga One Piece. In it they basically go from island to island beating up whichever bad guy was currently threatening that particular island. What keeps it from being boring is the interesting characters they meet, the wide variety of different situations they encounter even if they're based on the same "beat up the bad guy" formula, the fact that a good number of the threats they face have a personal connection to them, and several elements that recure throughout, namely the world goverenment, navy, and the blank century.

There's a lot you can do from even a basic template.

I've heard of that manga, but never seen it. I'll see what I can do with the idea though. There are a couple of Fae with personal connections to the mortals, but one is their guide and the other is going to serve her own purpose in the plot; she's not one of the encounters I'm worried about. I've been considering bringing back a minor character from the prequel, but that might be tricky due to the nature of the Fae Courts. The prequel takes place when the Winter Court is in power, and the WIP takes place during the summer; Fae from one Court don't typically roam around when the other is in power.

The fact that it's summer instead of winter is a factor in itself -- the Summer Court are generally much nicer to humans than the Winter Court (with a few exceptions), so it might not be a matter of beating up bad guys at every turn. No bad guys = no conflict, unless the mortals do something stupid to piss the Fae off. And I don't want them to just traipse around Faerie helping Fae in varying states of distress at every turn, either; I'm having enough trouble getting a unicorn into that position to establish a debt that will later be repaid at a critical moment. I've already used the "unicorn falls down a hole and the virginal heroine helps it out again" idea, so that's a no. I can't think of any reason the Fae would want to harm a unicorn, especially the Summer Court. They've been known to kill mortals just for damaging living trees.

[ThinkerX]

I do like that idea, but I'm not sure it would suit this story. Seems a bit out of place to suddenly bring into the second half of a duology. If it were a longer series I could do more with it, or I could make another series for it. (Also the robe is polyester, not terrycloth, but that's just nitpicking. XD And she does have pyjamas on underneath.)

If I remember correctly, it was a fae lord who sent them on this quest to begin with - one with the ability to travel between Faerie and earth. So...have him involved in the smuggling racket up to his elbows, with the further implication he's been at it for a while - have little incidents from the first novel that 'click' into place with this revelation (like why he was in the habit of going to earth at all). Have a few items obviousely from earth scattered around his manor, for example, things that 'went out of style' on earth decades earlier. Drop a few hints that he see's the reason for the mission (vanished daughter? if I remember right) as being involved in said cross dimensional smuggling. The 'other' smugglers encountered by the heros would belong to a rival group.

[Ireth]

If I remember correctly, it was a fae lord who sent them on this quest to begin with - one with the ability to travel between Faerie and earth. So...have him involved in the smuggling racket up to his elbows, with the further implication he's been at it for a while - have little incidents from the first novel that 'click' into place with this revelation (like why he was in the habit of going to earth at all). Have a few items obviousely from earth scattered around his manor, for example, things that 'went out of style' on earth decades earlier. Drop a few hints that he see's the reason for the mission (vanished daughter? if I remember right) as being involved in said cross dimensional smuggling. The 'other' smugglers encountered by the heros would belong to a rival group.

Some issues with this. It was a King (two, technically) who set them on their quest; neither of them had ever gone to Earth, but the son of the Winter King did. The prince was out to claim a bride, no more and no less. The reason for the quest hinges on the climax of the prequel, and the consequences of the actions taken by the Winter princess, which have turned her into a fugitive. (Won't tell what because MAJOR spoilers, but there is no smuggling at all.) Though the heroine of the prequel does get a good look at the interior of the castle wherein the prince lives, there is nothing modern there -- that would require extensive editing of an already finished manuscript, which I don't want to do unless my publisher or agent requests it.

I don't want to sound like I'm bashing your idea, when really I love it. But I've said multiple times before that it begs to have a story of its own, not to be shoehorned into a work in progress, especially a half-finished duology.

[Queshire]

Well if it's unusual for a winter fae to be out in summer, then why they're there can be a big plot point. Also Fae are typically depicted as having something of an inhuman mindset, not sure if it applies to your world, but having to deal with a fae whose "help" was harming could also be a plot point.

[Ireth]

Ooh, yes, that's very helpful! ^^ I do try to portray my Fae as inhuman in their morals and mindsets, so that's perfect.