Brainstorming help

[Aidan of the tavern]

Sadly it has been many months now since I last properly wrote anything (partly also the reason for my low profile at Mythic Scribes these days). However, I'm back and I could really use your help with brainstorming.

Having scratched out a rough draft in my spare time over the last 3 years, I now want to get back to it, and go right back to the drawing board. I'm talking about completely re-designing plot points and the like, something I should have done long ago, but back then I wasn't really taking it seriously.

I need to get my brain working in terms of character hooks, what I mean is the thing associated with the protagonist that the plot evolves around (i.e. a magic ring, having important blood, etc). I need that spark that ignites a pile of dry wood into a roaring fire, I need some random ideas throwing at me to reawaken my inner writer (I've stopped being poetic now).

I'm thinking more along the lines of the protagonist having something important in his possession (to use a trope) as opposed to having royal blood or something. Obviously I don't want it to be too cliched like a sword that can cut anything or ultimate armour (which I'm embarrassed to say featured in my original version ). Also with Lord of the Rings as a big inspiration for me I don't want to mirror Tolkien too much. One idea I had was that maybe the protagonist is the key in some way to unlocking a deep kind of magic, but my creativity is a dammed-up river at the moment. I don't mind how random, any ideas you feel like throwing at me would be refreshing help.

:help:.

Thanks

 

[arroncook]

How's about the protagonist's blood being the key to re-awakening magic into the world/restoring a previous way of things? I could see a really interesting novel about the psychological impact of needing to sacrifice oneself in death (obviously discovering that in your climax) for the sake of the greater good or improvement in the world.

Doesn't lend itself to a series mind! Unless you weave in a romance and following the heirs of the protagonists the new world their father purchased at the price of his life.

 

[Sinitar]

Here's my suggestion: Approach the story from a different angle. Don't limit your options by starting with just one thing. You're still going to put your ideas together at some point, so why the delay?

Do you already have a world/place where the story takes place? If not, build one by keeping in mind several options for external conflict(eg: Famine requires a world with scarce resources. Because of that, overlords appear and their influence extends to the character's village and so on). Then, think about a possible ending for your story.

At this point, you know a thing or two about your story. It's up to you if you want to work on the plot and use the character's possession to tie it up or make it the central piece of your work.

Things may change when you're starting a proper outline, but I find it hard to search for that one important element without knowing the influence it has on the character/world.

 

[Aidan of the tavern]

How's about the protagonist's blood being the key to re-awakening magic into the world/restoring a previous way of things? I could see a really interesting novel about the psychological impact of needing to sacrifice oneself in death (obviously discovering that in your climax) for the sake of the greater good or improvement in the world.

Doesn't lend itself to a series mind! Unless you weave in a romance and following the heirs of the protagonists the new world their father purchased at the price of his life.

Interesting, it would have to be a certain branch of magic though, as I've decided magic is fairly common, but the sacrifice thing is interesting.

Here's my suggestion: Approach the story from a different angle. Don't limit your options by starting with just one thing. You're still going to put your ideas together at some point, so why the delay?

Do you already have a world/place where the story takes place? If not, build one by keeping in mind several options for external conflict(eg: Famine requires a world with scarce resources. Because of that, overlords appear and their influence extends to the character's village and so on). Then, think about a possible ending for your story.

Things may change when you're starting a proper outline, but I find it hard to search for that one important element without knowing the influence it has on the character/world.

Yes, the main things I'm keeping from the original draft are the world I've created and some of the characters. Thanks for your views.

 

[Caged Maiden]

Since I'm really good at taking a pile of nothing and turning it into a plot, I'll try to give it a go.

For me, there are a few things that take a beginning idea, and turn it into a story. Since you have some good suggestions for the MC, I don't want to reiterate what other people have said. How about we talk about secondary characters and challenges?

I like secondary characters that are complex in and of themselves. Once, I used a chance meeting with a blind priestess seer, and another time, I used a jailbreak to introduce a completely useless girl who the MC couldn't then abandon to the wild forest. Think about your character's journey, and use a secondary character to throw wrench in it, whether little or colossal. If your character is a selfish git, make him feel somehow responsible for someone else's safety, of if he's a struggling hero, throw him a bone and give him a powerful mage who believes in his cause. Secondary characters are often the best ones, and sometimes save an otherwise doomed story, by offering some comic relief, or challenge to a too-powerful hero.

Hope this gives you some things to think about Best wishes!

 

[Aidan of the tavern]

Since I'm really good at taking a pile of nothing and turning it into a plot, I'll try to give it a go.

For me, there are a few things that take a beginning idea, and turn it into a story. Since you have some good suggestions for the MC, I don't want to reiterate what other people have said. How about we talk about secondary characters and challenges?

I like secondary characters that are complex in and of themselves. Once, I used a chance meeting with a blind priestess seer, and another time, I used a jailbreak to introduce a completely useless girl who the MC couldn't then abandon to the wild forest. Think about your character's journey, and use a secondary character to throw wrench in it, whether little or colossal. If your character is a selfish git, make him feel somehow responsible for someone else's safety, of if he's a struggling hero, throw him a bone and give him a powerful mage who believes in his cause. Secondary characters are often the best ones, and sometimes save an otherwise doomed story, by offering some comic relief, or challenge to a too-powerful hero.

Hope this gives you some things to think about Best wishes!

Yes, I love working with characters, thanks for taking part in this discussion.

One of the elements of the story (what I would like to accomplish) is how the relationships develop, and become more and more complex, especially between the protagonist and the antagonist. I hope to include a range of characters, and give time to each one in their role in the story, even if they are a one appearence character. I'm not writing high or epic fantasy, my writing will revolve around subtlety, the intentions of one character unlocking so many responses, that kind of thing. I have to believe that they are all the people they should be, that if I want to I could write a story about them, and make them the protagonist.

On a side note I've included in a draft a "cameo" appearence for a certain character. She doesn't effect the plot in any major way, but I know I would love to write a short story about her in the future, so I just put her there as a kind of teaser preview for myself.

 

[MadMadys]

I could probably cobble together some ideas for you. Take them as you will.

You say you want the MC to have some sort of object that is tied to magic but want it to be something atypical. I see a few possibilities with this but most interestingly I think you could do something with the mystery of the object that gives you all sorts of angles to play at. For example, say this given object is fairly well known to people as something of a key. Now what it is the key to, exactly, is a mystery. Some say treasure, magic, power, ark of the covenant, happiness, fountain of youth, juggling monkeys, or whatever else. It's different to every person but it is something desirable. Now when we say "key" we could mean anything. Of course many would think head, stem and bits but whose to say what the key is exactly? Maybe it's a trinket or a word or anything you want it to be. As I typed that, I think it being a word or phrase that the MC was told when they were young (not knowing its importance, of course) would be interesting. Or, or, they have a ring or locket or whatever that has the phrase inscribed on it. Maybe at some point the baddie gets their hands on it only to discover that the object itself does nothing to open the treasure.

Having others know that your MC is in possession of the "key" allows them to be approached by any number of other characters for any number of reasons. This allows you all sorts of abilities with encounters, your cameo, or whatever else you need to serve your plot ambitions.

Now if I were writing this, I would go for a slightly more humorous tone because I think it would work with this kind of story but you could make it however you like.

Hopefully that kindling helps.

 

[Graylorne]

I could see a really interesting novel about the psychological impact of needing to sacrifice oneself in death (obviously discovering that in your climax) for the sake of the greater good or improvement in the world.

Hey, that's my plot! Here I am, working for months towards that selfsame goal...

Not a problem, of course. The world of books is big enough.

 

[Aidan of the tavern]

I could probably cobble together some ideas for you. Take them as you will.

You say you want the MC to have some sort of object that is tied to magic but want it to be something atypical. I see a few possibilities with this but most interestingly I think you could do something with the mystery of the object that gives you all sorts of angles to play at. For example, say this given object is fairly well known to people as something of a key. Now what it is the key to, exactly, is a mystery. Some say treasure, magic, power, ark of the covenant, happiness, fountain of youth, juggling monkeys, or whatever else. It's different to every person but it is something desirable. Now when we say "key" we could mean anything. Of course many would think head, stem and bits but whose to say what the key is exactly? Maybe it's a trinket or a word or anything you want it to be. As I typed that, I think it being a word or phrase that the MC was told when they were young (not knowing its importance, of course) would be interesting. Or, or, they have a ring or locket or whatever that has the phrase inscribed on it. Maybe at some point the baddie gets their hands on it only to discover that the object itself does nothing to open the treasure.

Having others know that your MC is in possession of the "key" allows them to be approached by any number of other characters for any number of reasons. This allows you all sorts of abilities with encounters, your cameo, or whatever else you need to serve your plot ambitions.

Now if I were writing this, I would go for a slightly more humorous tone because I think it would work with this kind of story but you could make it however you like.

Hopefully that kindling helps.

Hmm, good post. At the moment practically nothing is set in stone, so it doesn't necersarrily have to be something connected with magic, it could be something of political value, or anything really. I'm very intrigued by your idea that there are several theories to what it can do. While I'm going to include some threads of humour here and there I see the story also being quite dark and sinister in places.

Hey, that's my plot! Here I am, working for months towards that selfsame goal...

Not a problem, of course. The world of books is big enough.

I won't use that one then

 

[Graylorne]

I won't use that one then

Don't worry, I won't sue you

But it's a promising idea, to have the mc as the key and not the super important ages old by wisemen foretold artifact.

 

[Aidan of the tavern]

After consideration I think I'll make the protag himself the "hook" as opposed to giving him a magic bit of jewellery/talisman/book/spoon/whatever.