I'm not too proud... I need help.

[Caged Maiden]

I am turning to my fellow scribes for some writing help. I am stuck on a novel and need help brainstorming the conclusion.

I have a manuscript which is half done. It was my NaNoWriMo and so I completed this first 50k words with little more for inspiration than a character I like and the borrowed political strife of the English Peasant Revolt of 1381.

Linnette is the daughter of one of Duke Waltham's tenants. While she spends her days (and nights) in the arms of a neighboring nobleman, her father and the Duke have arranged for her to marry a minor noble with a good name and connections to powerful merchants in the city. Rafe is not only distant, he seems downright disinterested in Linnette, but after a few quick exchanges, (and a flat-out rejection from her lover) she goes to the altar with a heavy heart. She is glad to be moving to the city, and leaving a terrible secret behind (that her friend killed a thief called the Black Mask, who turned out to be someone important) , but she soon finds that married life is not at all what she expected it to be. With a husband who is constantly distracted by his work, and comes home in the middle of the night, the feisty young woman tries everything she can to keep hope of happiness alive.


What Linnette doesn't know is that while her husband appears to be just an employee of the chancery, his office, and he are mixed up in something which might decide the fate of the city. As the various factions vie for control of the city (The old church, the new church, the minor nobles and the high-ranking nobles, the crafter's guilds, and the merchants).

Here's the point I've gotten to:

Spoiler: give away the whole plot

Linnette breaks into Rafe's study one day after he comes home in the middle of the night and she discovers drops of blood on the floor the next morning. She finds a bloody knife in his desk and accidentally ruins one of her husband's scrolls. She takes the scroll and rushes to copy it before he returns (she has been well educated and has suitable experience to accomplish this). Their relationship hits an all-time low when a prostitute knocks on the door late at night, and Rafe ushers her upstairs only to demand Linnette return to her own room. (He's being informed about the sinister underlying plot). Then he leaves to go deal with an informant who's being tortured.

When he returns, Linnette is leaving, and he stops her. Long scene short, he wakes up in her room and stares at the paintings all over it and realizes she forged the document he's been struggling to decode. He meets with his partner Yvette, and they discuss what can be done (the letter was a hit on Linnette aimed to get Rafe to back off).

And that's as far as I've gotten. I considered having Rafe dress as the Black Mask and carry out an assassination, which would make Linnette all paranoid because only she knows the thief is actually dead. Or I could just have her brought into the organization (since she is qualified to decode the messages).

The end was supposed to come to me as I worked, but I'm stuck in the mud. I can't write one more line without knowing where I'm going, and for whatever reason, I have too many ideas to draw a line between them. Does anything stick out as an obvious conclusion? I think I am missing something that should be obvious.

I don't even know what questions to ask myself, because when I sit down to try to write this, I just stare blankly, unable to rein in my ideas. Any help would be useful, I hope I detailed the story enough to get an idea of what has led up to the place I've gotten stuck. Thank you in advance.

 

[Leif GS Notae]

Review your beginning and see where you started to look for your mile markers. When you go over it a few times, you'll have the answer you need. Often, buried under a lot of words and plot lines is the simplest answer you can have.

 

[Saigonnus]

I would say, figure out which of the numerous factions you want to control the city; even if it changes hands two or three times before the end. For example, if you want the old church to control the city, perhaps this coded document implicates the new church or one of the other factions of some treachery or falsehood in their belief system and the worshippers begin to either form a new sect or revert back to the old church, the balance of power shifting a bit with it. Maybe if this knowledge becomes public, in desperation the guilds and nobles (who often ran the guilds) could try to seize control by force, perhaps by killing or imprisoning believers. This could serve as a catalyst for a resurgence of faith to the old gods and they fight back and physically take control.

 

[Butterfly]

When I get to something like this I list my ideas into option 1, option 2, on separate sheets, with bullet points to the string of events, then I can choose one. Hopefully.

But here are my thoughts from what you have posted. I don't know if they are useful to you or even if they will help you...

If Linette is able to decode those messages that could put her in danger, say if a message to one of the nastier factions is intercepted and she decodes it. Maybe it is already on Rafe's desk and he doesn't know it.

She could be kidnapped for this, ransomed, held hostage to ensure the assassination is carried out.

Or, perhaps, Rafe instead of being the assassin could be the saviour in stopping the assassination of an important figure, thus saving his girl in the process, or not. The black mask could potentially even be Linette's idea...

 

[Penpilot]

From the description given, I find that there's been a lot said about stuff that happens, but I can't figure out any clear motivations for what's driving the characters. Without those, I find it hard to offer up specific options. This may or may not be a symptom of what's nagging you.

I'm a pantser who learned to really like outlining. Usually, to find out where I want to go with a character, I look at where they start off. Most of the time, but not always, I'll put them in a position directly opposite of where they started. If they started off in a position of power, I take that away. If they're weak, they end up strong. If they're alone, they end up in love. ETC. Obviously, these are kind of vague terms, but the specifics are dictated by the details of the story. Also, ask yourself what does your character want? In the end they should get what they want or at least understand why they can't have it and accept that fact. The story should shape itself around getting those wants or not getting them. One last thing, the wants should be possible to achieve and have tangible steps to achieve them.

Hopefully, this'll be enough to get you going again.

Cheers

 

[Rullenzar]

I usually find myself stuck in the mid-range of my work. I've been told by other writers that the beginning usually just comes to you and you should always know your end game plan before you start writing. All my advice comes off of that strategy, knowing your end and filling in the pieces backwards.

So, I recommend you sit down, grab a coffee/cig or whatever you need to relax one morning and read through your story start to finish. Once you have it all fresh in your mind or even as your reading ideas will come. Maybe you see something you didn't before, add in something here or there. Once read, you should also be able to figure out how it is you want it all to end.

If this doesn't work take a week or two off from that story then come back and try what I mentioned above once again. It could be just that your anxious to finish it and that feeling is blocking your creative juices. If it doesn't work the second time either just try thinking of your main character. Why is it you like that character so much? What drove you to write their story? What do you feel will fascinate those reading about him? Basically just think about your main character and formulate an endgame. Don't think about anything you have written thus far. Just think about your character and where you feel they will end. Once you have the endgame work backwards and fill in the pieces, see if what you have written so far fits in and make changes that need to be made. <----you can try this first too.

FYI: For future works I highly recommend knowing how you want your story to end before starting. It will be this goal alone that will keep driving you to tell your story and in turn be the turn pager for those who read your work. I'm surprised honestly that you have made it this far into your work without having your endgame worked out. So hats off to you and I hope my little exercise works for you.

 

[Rikilamaro]

As I am currently read this for you I skipped the spoiler. But I will let you know when I get to end if anything smack me up side the head as a logical, or at least fascinating ending.

 

[Caged Maiden]

Thanks everyone. I felt really stupid posting this. Like I have failed in being creative. For whatever reason, I sit down to think about where I want this to go..... and all I can think is that it can go ANYWHERE. This is the only novel I have ever typed from the beginning (all the others were hand-written first and then typed once I got them completed. It was also written in two weeks and I haven't looked at it in almost 6 months.

I got a bit lost along the way, and have never had this happen before. Also, thank you to the wonderful people who have offered to read this work for me. Your input and criticism only makes me stronger. Incidentally, if anyone wants to read the introduction to this book, it can be found in my portfolio (Written in Red).

 

[Phin Scardaw]

FYI: For future works I highly recommend knowing how you want your story to end before starting. It will be this goal alone that will keep driving you to tell your story and in turn be the turn pager for those who read your work. I'm surprised honestly that you have made it this far into your work without having your endgame worked out. So hats off to you and I hope my little exercise works for you.

Outlining is very useful, and I always figure out the end of the story very early on, usually once the beginning has been established and I know that the story has taken off. It's like flying a plane - you need to know where your destination is before you leave the runway. Otherwise, you'll fly around in circles until you run out of fuel.

Brainstorming is very useful as well. Jot down all your options and spend some time exploring these. You may find that more than one appeals to you, which can make choosing difficult. The important thing to remember is that the ending must bring about emotional satisfaction for your reader. This is why usually the hero defeats the villain and saves the world - because that offers audiences the simplest and most powerful emotional catharsis.

To achieve the end, you need to know what your main character needs. What do they lack? What do they need to learn? What is the principal conflict that they need to resolve? That will guide the story in the right direction, and the answers to these questions should help you in your outlining. Often, the clues will be already in your beginning.

 

[Caged Maiden]

From the description given, I find that there's been a lot said about stuff that happens, but I can't figure out any clear motivations for what's driving the characters. Without those, I find it hard to offer up specific options. This may or may not be a symptom of what's nagging you.

Thank you for this suggestion. I thought I had thoroughly considered what motivated my characters, and most of this story is Action-reaction, but I can see now that their motivations have CHANGED by the middle of the story. How could I be so blind?

Rafe was only interested in his business with the organization in the beginning, and concerned with protecting his position, his wealth, and doing the right thing. He was in support of the new church which believes all people to be in the image of the divines, and that people are equal in the eyes of the gods. That was his main motivation, seeing the old church shut down or at least the power wrestled out of their cold dead hands if that's what it took.

Now, he has a wife he's fond of, and she has been threatened. His motivation has become more personal. It's no longer about his money or station, it's about innocent peoples' lives, and that he will not tolerate. He wants to end the threat and bring down the corrupt leaders of the old church who are supported by the high-ranking nobles, and he's not afraid to take them out one-by-one.

Linnette in the beginning of the book is blinded by a foolish infatuation and sees the world like a sheltered girl. She is self-serving and haughty. When she leaves her father's house and moves to the city, her whole world changes. She tries her best to be a happy wife, but when her new husbnd starts literally crawling in after midnight and acting suspiciously, she takes action. Breaking into his study was only the beginning. She's sneaked out and around most of her life and is used to covering her tracks, but when she has to forge the scroll, she get's caught. Her motivations changed when she began playing detective, trying to see what her new husband is up to, and I think I got caught up in that. How long will she secretly investigate before she just comes out and asks what he's up to?

About the scrolls:
Rafe and Yvette together invented the scrolls as a means to send orders to their operatives. To outsiders they look like illuminated manuscripts with holy script on them. To the members of the organization who know how to read them, they are orders, communications or warnings. Linnette figures out how to read them all on her own. The letters are read under the red lamps of the brothels (where Yvette's business is conducted). The red, yellow, white, orange, pink paints all disappear under red light, while blue, black and green appear black. So she puts this together herself, and I wonder when he returns home from his last meeting with Yvette what will their exchange be like. Would she tell him she knows he is decoding scrolls? Will she play along like she's ignorant?

I need to reassess her motivations at this time. If I don't she is going to be like dead weight I'm dragging around with no clue why she's dong anything.

 

[Caged Maiden]

If Linette is able to decode those messages that could put her in danger, say if a message to one of the nastier factions is intercepted and she decodes it. Maybe it is already on Rafe's desk and he doesn't know it.

She could be kidnapped for this, ransomed, held hostage to ensure the assassination is carried out.

Or, perhaps, Rafe instead of being the assassin could be the saviour in stopping the assassination of an important figure, thus saving his girl in the process, or not. The black mask could potentially even be Linette's idea...

I had considered both kidnapping her, or an assassination attempt where the display Rafe and Yvette are planning goes wrong and Linnette is "murdered" rather than their intended target (not really killed just looks that way in an attempt to lay blame on someone else).

After reading this suggestion, it occurred to me, I might have Yvette threaten Linnette. Holy crap that would be scary for her. Yvette doesn't play around, and it might be fun to make tension between the two masterminds of the organization (which doesn't have an appropriate name yet, if anything occurs to you great folks)

 

[Butterfly]

I agree. This is an excellent idea Anihow.

You can show her character development as well in overcoming this obstacle. Or maybe even not...

Will she survive, I wonder?