Plot Help! October 29th - November 2nd

[alison-sky.livejournal.com]

Here's the post to help each other out this week. As NaNo is right around the corner, people like you (and even you!) are trying to figure out what the hell they are going to be writing about.

Check in and see if you can help someone out. Post your issues and have others help you.

And really, if you're brave... post that you have NO PLOT IDEA and let people throw random plot ideas at you...

And keep checking back during the week as more people reply into the post!

Comments

[neurotoxicdoll.livejournal.com]

I'll admit it: even though I'm very excited to start, I have NO PLOT. So I'm more likely to be going for a memoir-type thing.

[cathubodva.livejournal.com]

I also have NO PLOT. I want to write some kind of fractured fairy tale, I think, but nothing's feeling long enough for 50,000 words. :(

Horror Novels...

[suibhne-geilt.livejournal.com]

OK. I'm making my first foray into the horror genre. I've got my monster worked out and how it interacts with my characters. The problem I'm having is I don't have a firm grasp on why a nasty evil would pursue a single person for years across several states, killing many innocent bystanders in the process.

Can you all give me some reasons why a person could be fixated on by a supernatural beast???

Re: Horror Novels...

[twbubbles.livejournal.com]

The person got a lucky shot that actually stung during their first interaction?
They smell yummier than other people?
Misunderstood Twoo Wuv?

Re: Horror Novels...

[cathubodva.livejournal.com]

Tell more about the monster! Is it sentient?

Re: Horror Novels...

[neurotoxicdoll.livejournal.com]

Does the person know the monster is after him? The reasons I can think of are the person either hurt the monster at some point, either physically or emotionally, or he has something to do with him becoming a monster.

Re: Horror Novels...

[coaldustcanary.livejournal.com]

If the Baddie kills the person it's fixated on, it can...

Amplify or enhance its powers?
Become normal/truly human?
Take on some specific power/skill of its quarry?
Go home? (to some other world, spirit world, alternate universe, planet, etc)
Get revenge for someone else's death or injury?

Kinda depends on the nature of the beast and of the person it's after. Prophecies are always fun for things like that, too.

Re: Horror Novels...

[meebes.livejournal.com]

OH OH OH OMG.
go read Dean Kootnz's 'Watchers' like right now!

NO PLOT IDEA... sort of...

[zekuromu.livejournal.com]

Okay, here's the basics:

*Female MC1 somehow (I need details about how she does this) acquires a house in need of renovation.
*Male MC2 is the renovator/live-in gardener/something like that, who Female MC1 at first (totally clichè [is that the right 'e'?]) is annoyed with
*During the renovation process, they are forced to live and work together and eventually develop feelings for the other as they learn more about each other.

Now, what I need from you guys is:

1. How does my female MC acquire the house? Inheritance? Saw it one day and fell in love with it?
2. What needs to be done to it?
3. My male MC needs some kind of secret. Doesn't necessarily have to be dark or dirty. Just a secret.

I demand that you sic your plot bunnies on me! >O

Re: NO PLOT IDEA... sort of...

[cathubodva.livejournal.com]

Inheritance is probably the best idea - and maybe she hates it because it's so run down, but she has no choice because the person she inherits it from also left her a whole lot of debt and the house isn't worth anything if she sells it?

[thepheenixeyri.livejournal.com]

OK here I am. I might not get fifty thousand words down, but C says he wants to be written in NY/NYC, or somewhere around there anyway. I've never been that way before. Is there anyway someon could help me out here? I need descriptions of the finer points of the city. I know Times Square is there and Grand Central Station. Could someone describe at least the buildings and what's in them? I'm not asking for the people stuff, I've gotten that's rather alive from someone else- I just need things to help me get more of a feel of the lay-out and stuffs.

If you could throw activity-related things at me, it would be appreciated, too.

Oh- And the above would be for Chicago, too, please. Especially Buckingham Fountain. I've been that way, but not being able to see it makes it a bit hard to describe it sometimes, especially when all you can really find on the web are picture descriptions-- I need words, here, people. :)

Thanks yall, seriously.

Phoenix

[meebes.livejournal.com]

Here're some triggery-imagery phrases I threw together for Buckingham Fountain! =D

majestic
regal
water droplets shimmering in the night
afternoon sun glimmering off the spray
mist carrssing your cheek if you stand near it
layered
warm,buttery lights glowing like jewels embedded in it-looks stunning at night
Cool stone ledge people sit on
The slosh of clear water when you rake your hand through
gurgling
coins shimmering at bottom
watery palace
golden spray against clear night sky

[pauldigiovanni.livejournal.com]

okay, so i have this:
"Six teens wake up in the middle of the forest (or desert). They’ve never met or seen each other before. They don’t know why they are there or remember how they got there. They are left with one tent, matches for a fire, food to last them a month, and no way out. Why are they there? What do they have in common? And most importantly, where are they and how do they get home?"

Basically, what would be a good way to tie this all together... and ways to add some added twists. Any suggestions would be great. :D

OHH and, it would probably be better to write in 3rd person for this, instead of first person switching off between each of the six characters, correct?

Thanks. :D

[wintersong.livejournal.com]

I think it'd probably be better to write in 3rd person. If you do want to switch off POVs between the six, you could still do that in third person (third person limited, if you want to follow their particular thoughts/feelings). :)

[illyria-godking.livejournal.com]

Ok... having recently adopted a plot, I need help putting parameters around a magical book (it's a possessed magickal object) that can make what ever is written into it happen in twisted uncool ways. It can't be a god in a book because that's no fun but I need it to cause mayhem and destruction as well.

On a separate but related note, how does one exorcise an inanimate object?

[zekuromu.livejournal.com]

As soon as I read this, I automatically thought of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows [for those who haven't read it yet, I won't disclose spoilers] But in the same fashion as the book, I'd recommend an object that, when applied to the inanimate one, exorcises it. Something that possesses an element that the inanimate object is strongly opposed to.

[crazy-onna.livejournal.com]

Ok. Here goes. Fantasy novel.

There's this island with a small population of people that have been isolated from the rest of the world for a long time. The MC is a 14 year old kid living there until he's somehow leaves (either by force because of the main villains or by accident) and ends up on the mainland where everything is different.

I planned on the MC to have a sense or ability that he would not have noticed on his island but would make him useful to the main villains. Maybe something like being sensitive to high frequencies(the mainland's technology is based on saltwater and radio frequencies) or sensitive to change in magnetic fields?

Eventually, he's going to find his father, who had disappeared years before, most likely in service for the villains or maybe as a slave. Maybe these island peoples' talent is highly sought/in high demand.

I'm not sure on what this ability could be. Help? Please?

[meebes.livejournal.com]

OOOOOOH!
Have you played Kingdom Hearts? It's kinda like this!!

Like Sora,the MC who's 14, leaves the island because there's this weird storm and stuff and he's separated from his friends.

Finds himself at Traverse town, learns about this thing he has to do, going around sealing the worlds,while looking for his buddies.

Gets involved with plot with bad guys that want him because he's the chosen wielder of the keyblade and can unlock the heart of worlds.

He finds his friends. Riku goes evil and is working for Malificent.Basically yeah,a slave, he harnesses the darkness and his hearts gone evil and they end up fighting and all this stuff...gets possessed by main bad dude

YEAH! Check it out =]

[atlanta06.livejournal.com]

I currenly have no plot, but vague ideas about what I want to write. I recently saw Insomnia(2002 version) and the insane writer guy reminded me of the one from Secret Window. Basically, a creative person driven insane by internal/external forces which leads to the events in the novel. I thought about having the MC do NaNoWriMo--:D--but it's only a wisp of an idea.

I've got some supernatural stuff going in the hallucinations. Mephistopheles makes an appearance, references to Dante's Inferno, Angel/Demon slash. *shrug* What is the main point?

[meebes.livejournal.com]

What abouuutt romance between a demon who was absolutely enamored by this one person maybe

and it's like forbidden

their roamce can make these like..metaphoric parallels to Dante's Inferno, like I know it was very symbolic and everything, so maybe there'll be these obstacles that are pretty vauge but noticeable if you've got a decent knowledge of it.

Like being dragged down

and maybe a guide who kinda acts as...whats his name..Vergil! Maybe a reference here and there to latin phrases in it -Abandom Hope all Ye Who Enter Here- if they meet at like. A school or something haha

That sorta thing! Sounds like it'd make a kickass manga. Buuut I really do like the idea of having the MC do NaNoWriMo-it'd be sooooo fun

[latara.livejournal.com]

I'm going with mystery - I've got my characters, scenes, interplay, everything except for motive. Really the mystery backing is mostly about how it's going to affect the characters, so the culprit is secondary to how we get there. At least that's what I'm telling myself is the reason I have no motive.

I need a motive for 3-4 kidnappings of high schoolers.

[terenewen.livejournal.com]

You could always sort through the Staple Mystery Motives (Love, Sex, Money, Revenge) and twist one to work with your plot. And of course, there's the glorious excuse of having your villain be a total psychopath! Which means fun, creepy backstory that would give him reason to be doing these things, which means that YOU get to exploit it for the sake of your word count!

[meebes.livejournal.com]

HALP.SOMEONE PLEASE!!

Here's a few vague jots

I want a really attractive group of emo kids! Maybe they're like a family, like in Twilight!
Maybe they're vampires! Maybe they're a gang of theives like in Theif Lord. Either way,I like that sorta thing. Let's say they only come out at night. Like Gargoyles ish or something. Cities. I like cities.

Theyll live in either a really nice rich LA type area and the nightlife and eveything, like clubs/venues blabla

Or a really poor crappy place

Or some sort of culturaallll um.Rome,Paris,Venicey place

I want a gargoyles sorta thing like they're only out at night!

The main character will be unattractive I think. Maybe he's like, intrigued by this group?


Orphan kids, a city where runaways go..

Or maybe a basic but beautiful highschool

Street life

A sort of strange royalty

Maaan,I haven't a clue! Help a brotha [sistah] out here!!

[terenewen.livejournal.com]

The immediate thing that jumped into my head, which was actually an idea that I had a LONG time ago and never took anywhere, was gargoyles that turn into people. At night. And run around causing havoc. And maybe the boy sees them and doesn't realize what they are and wants to join them or something...if you like cities, you could definitely go somewhere with that. Like, guardian gargoyles of the city, heh heh. Except for the havoc-wreaking. :D

...wow, stream-of-consciousness is fun!

[apple.livejournal.com]

Hooooraaay for no plot and no characters!

I'm not horribly worried because I won the last two years without any idea at all before November 1st, so I know it's not impossible. You just gotta start typing. The worst crap ever comes out, but you get a character or an idea, usually. (Then, of course, your characters grab the plot and go BWAHAH and run away with it.)

Anyways, I think my story is going to be about a girl who either 1) has messed up, realistic dreams, 2) cannot for the life of her find a remotely mature guy and has to sift through the "boys", or 3) somehow has to struggle with mental problems (depression, anxiety).

I kind of just want to write a sequel (or finish up the first) to the novel I wrote last year, but I'm so doubting I could get another 50,000 words out of it, and I'm not exactly sure what I could even continue it with.

Good luck everyone! And I need to buy some CDs tomorrow. I totally forgot about writing music! And I need a desk! A DESK! Ahhh!

[sophiedb.livejournal.com]

Who needs a desk when you have bed! *g*

[sophiedb.livejournal.com]

I have a half-formed plot (a weird mixture of mainstream, chicklit, adventure, comedy and travel) and half-formed characters, but no idea how to end the novel!

Hopefully a suitable ending will become clearer as I write, but when your MC is about to spend all her time, energy and money searching for a person who can't understand why and doesn't want the attention.. what're my options? She's going to get an ASBO (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asbo) or suspended sentence along the way for stalking, but I still want a "happy" ending..

Am fighting against the chick lit cliché of twu wuv, but it might end up that way at this rate *lol*

*waves* NO PLOT HERE!!!

[virgoearthgirl.livejournal.com]

Well okay so that's not completely true -- but I do have a question. Anyone else doing anything comedy-related? I think I'm pretty funny on paper...but I am on the fence between a romantic comedy or a horror comedy. ?? PLENNNTY of ideas for romantic comedy situations, but what about horror comedy situations?? any ideas?

Re: *waves* NO PLOT HERE!!!

[crazy-onna.livejournal.com]

You can try looking at some horror/comedy movies such as Tremors, Gremlins 2, Ghostbusters, Army of Darkness, Snakes on a Plane, Scary Movie, Bride of Chucky, Draculat: Dead and Loving it.

Survival Rules for Horror Movies

(http://www.savageresearch.com/humor/horrorMovieRules.html)

Muse wanted. Experience not needed. Inquire below.

[mcwriter.livejournal.com]

My general idea for a setting was a world in which the Houston oil refineries have been taken out of business by Another Natural Disaster™ and Saudi Arabia has been hit by Another Terrorist Attack™, leaving the US to scramble for its resources. (I live in LA and this is what happens when you get stuck in traffic too long, you start to wonder what we'd all do, if we had to get around without cars.) I don't, however, have any kind of plot beyond that I'd want it to deal with the plight of Everyman rather than the political machinations as such. I don't even have characters, but I'd rather have a father struggling to support his kids as my protagonist than the lone, strong hero who nukes China and secures their oil supply for The Good Guys™.

Normally, I have no problem coming up with crazy plots, but I've gotten it into my head that I want to write something for my wife. Like a daily 1666.67 word surprise. My dayjob keeps me very busy, so I figured if I knew why I'm writing, or rather for whom (because I'm horribly in love with my wife. Well, not 'horribly'... more like with exuberant enthusiasm and you have no interest in how wonderful I find her, so I should get back on the topic that) then I'd stay on track with the word count, even if I'm crazy-busy with RL responsibilities. For obvious reasons, I'd like the story to appeal to a female audience, one that leans more toward literary and mainstream fiction than fantasy with zombies and vampires.

Help me? Or, just pelt me with random plot ideas, that works too.

Re: Muse wanted. Experience not needed. Inquire below.

[suibhne-geilt.livejournal.com]

How about this. Your MC is a single father with a couple of kids who was barely keeping things afloat. He did manage to scrape together enough money and time to head off for a decent, seriously roughing-it vacation - two weeks away from internet, cell phones, TV, and all that. While they're incommunicado, the big collapse happens. They drive out of the really remote area they were camping in, expecting to hit up a gas station to fuel up the car and get some honest junk food in their systems when they find out about it. They can't get gas for the car, because they don't have ration coupons. There was a run on the banks and rapid inflation, so they have only the cash on hand and no chance of using a credit card or an ATM.

Now, MC may have just been roughing it with the kids as a vacation, but he knows he doesn't have the skills to actually live that way. He has to decide whether they're going to find some way to get back to the city and see what's left for them there, or try and establish a new life for themselves in the little town they're now stranded in.

Got some basic ideas....but....

[nwc-orca.livejournal.com]

I'm trying not to stress to much over all this. So I'm just looking for some help fleshing things out a bit. Here's a super basic version of my plot:

Setting: fantastical version of our world (similar to how Philip Pullman describes Lyra's version of Earth in "The Golden Compass.)

A child (maybe two kids) lives with their father alone. The child comes of an age (5, 7, 10? dunno yet) where they begin to wonder about where their mother is. Somehow they uncover a series of secrets being: father used to be a pirate (of sorts) and mother is alive, just missing. Using father's resources, they travel on a long journey to find mom.

SOMEHOW they find her (fuzzy on the details here.) Along the way, things become more pronounced, specifically the fact that the weather is acting increasingly crazy, and around the whole world strange phenomena is occuring (ie plagues, storms, that sort of thing.)

Finally they find mom, who has been kidnapped and shapechanged by a monstrous being (still working him out, but I have some ideas.) Mom is sort of a mermaid-y type creature now, but regardless, it's still mom. During the discovery, turns out dad knew about this all along. In fact, he was a part of the plot to imprison her.

Beings (either called elementals or architects) slated mom has being a replacement soul for Mother Earth. When mom was to die, her soul would become part of the earth. Dad didn't like the idea and so found a way to imprison her in an immortal body (monster guy did it.) Mom was all for it, but dad went against her wishes and in order to keep her alive for his selfish self he had her kidnapped, etc.

Kid (or kids) convince dad to let her go, but she is weak, so they must get her to the Beings (I'm thinking immortals can die, but they lose their souls or something, so there's a timeframe for them.)

I'm not sure how to specifically end things, but I have a feeling it'll come to me.

I'm still looking for: names, filling in the gaps, place names, etc.

Thanks for reading/commenting/whatever :)

Re: Got some basic ideas....but....

[alison-sky.livejournal.com]

Any specific ethnicy for the kids?

Death Ideas

[age.livejournal.com]

I find myself curiously relating to Karen Eiffel, from the movie Stranger Than Fiction. I need to kill off a character and have absolutely no idea how to do it and not be hokey.

Then again, this is a fan fic piece, so anything I do could be construed as hokey, but still.

If anyone familiar with The Legend of Zelda could give me a hand, it would be greatly appreciated.

The premise: In a direct continuation of Twilight Princess, Ganon is vanquished, Hyrule lies in peace and not pieces, and Link is happy with Ilia in Ordon, his home village. Ilia dies, Link mourns deeply, and wanders around.

I have more, but the important thing is that Ilia needs to die in order for my plot to work. I plan on skipping that part for the time being, just so I don't hang myself, but it's going to need to be written, eventually, and I don't want to wait for inspiration or events in the story to unfold before I find out.

So....any ideas?

Re: Death Ideas

[alison-sky.livejournal.com]

A nice big SWORD through the chest would kill her. Maybe Link did it in his sleep, doesn't realize it was him until later that Ganon is controlling his in his dreams from another dimension or something.

*evil grin* YOU KNOW I WAS GOING TO COMMENT! IT'S ZELDA FOR GOD SAKE!

Last Minute Help!!

[zekuromu.livejournal.com]

I need suggestions for the last name of my MMC, whose first name is Riordan, he's half-Italian, one quarter Irish, but has lived between Britain and America for most of his life. He's a musician, and loves the quiet outdoors. He dresses semi-casual, favors button down shirts and really dark blue jeans and dress shoes or boots.

As far as physical appearance, he's about 6'1", medium-build, very muscular. He's got a sort of quiet strength about him.

He looks a lot like that, but his hair is past his shoulders, and he isn't quite that muscular or that tan.

So... any suggestions? I'd prefer no "O'blablah" names, since he really doesn't look Irish. Also, I'm having last minute thoughts about his name in general, so throw out some full names too, if you can.

Re: Last Minute Help!!

[alison-sky.livejournal.com]

... well, there's Yabarra. That's sicilian (my cousin's last name). Riordan Yabarra sounds interesting.

If you're looking Irish, maybe Crowley?

[thepheenixeyri.livejournal.com]

OK people, back again.

Thanks to a couple of lovely commenters, I have enough to at least get me started on New Yourk and Bucking ham Fountin )which might show up later in this one, too, I dunno yet) and I even have enough in his bio to start the story with, But here's my next hurtle.

I'm going for the Urban fantasy thing, because I'm noticing that's where my stories always seem to end up (they turn in to fantasies; not all of them end up being urban, though) But I don't want C starting out in the urban fantasy setting, but in the real live honest-to-goodness "what you see is what you get" NY.

Somehow he manages to sort of- arrive in a mirror world where the fantasy creatures (gryphons, elves, the like) ar. His idea was to fall through a dumpster, and while I like that, it just doesn't have the right feel to it. I'm thinking of maybe having a world where there are no "humans" so he's sort of odd looking in the first place, or maybe a world where the police are zombies, but I don't know yet. I've even been toying with the idea that when C gets there he changes *because* there are no purely human people, and whatever "Force/deity/whatever" saw C going there decided he didn't need that to contend with as well as the issues inherent in realizing that he isn't where he thinks he is anymore.

So throw things at me. How do I get my street-living, smart-ass C into a mirror world without being hurt too terribly badly? Yes, I know that was horrid, sorry.

the Phoenix

[alison-sky.livejournal.com]

ok, your best plot device for something to happen in NYC? Central Park. They have almost any kind of festival happen there that you can think of.

Here's a device I used in a fanfic once upon a time... there's a black rock, shiney smooth on one side, natural rock for the rest. Anyone who touches it is instantly switched spots with their mirror image on the other side.

You can alter it however you want, but cool artifacts like mirrors and crystals and such make it fun, plus you have to figure out how he's going to have to get back eventually, and that will need to work in relation to how he got there.

[mosaic.livejournal.com]

Dunno if anyone is still posting and commenting here, but:

A couple weeks ago, the opening sentence "Scarlett was not her real name" came to me. But that's all I have. No plot, no characters except Scarlett. I just officially signed up today (the 31st), so... help?

[jupiterlullaby.livejournal.com]

I don't know if you've gotten anywhere with this yet or not, but here are my suggestions/questions =)

What is her real name? Why does she go by Scarlett instead? Did someone who meant a lot to her give her that name (in secret, maybe), and she fell in love with it? Perhaps the person is no longer around, and she kept the name/persona as a representation of that person?

What kind of woman is she? Where is she from? What does she do? Does she have any sort of powers (if you want to write a sci-fi or fantasy novel)?

Does she have any internal conflicts? Is she searching for something (or someone, possibly whoever named her Scarlett)? Is she hunting anything? Being hunted? If she's being hunted, what is she running from? People? Creatures? The cops?

Good luck!