Weekly Plot Help - Week of October 27th

[alison-sky.livejournal.com]

Wow, by Saturday NaNo will have begun and we will be heading into the craziness. Are you ready?

... come on, that was weak. ARE YOU READY?!

*grins* Ok, that was better.

Anyway, here's your plot help post for the week. Simple as always.


Add a comment with the help you need. Don't be shy. We're all writers here, and you never know, someone might give you a new plot bunny to add to your NaNo.

Reply to others and help them. You might be the one holding that bunny.


And just be awesome :)

Comments

Any 'only children' out there?

[debc.livejournal.com]

I'm writing about twins who were separated at birth and adopted to different families. So I have questions for any 'only children' out there, if you don't mind answering.

1) Growing up, did you ever wish you did have a brother or sister?

2) If yes, did you ever make one up in your head?

3) If you were to discover that you did have a missing sibling 'out there somewhere' and you found them, and contacted them, what are some of things you'd want to do with them? (Like, spending time getting to know, type things)

4) Anyone out there who really had this happen to them? Do you mind telling me about your experiences?

[debc.livejournal.com]

I was going to suggest 'her love was at home' too, but if you think it's too cliche, how about this, instead...

Her love is at home because he, too, had gone to the lake and was told to follow his quest to her home town? So they're both looking for each other and crossed paths without knowing it?

Re: Overused name or reference?

[agdhani.livejournal.com]

Actual mention of them doesn't come up often (at least it hasn't in the previous 2 books) and when it has, it's been a more reverant sort of context. I've also considered using the Befores...or maybe sticking with the Elyri term (or an abbreviation of it) since the Teren/Teran wouldn't have had a term for them when the moved into the region...and could easily have adopted the indigionous Elyri's name. Just not sure which way I'm leaning yet, or how important they have yet to be to the overall story arc!

Re: Any 'only children' out there?

[kitsu.livejournal.com]

1. Sometimes. But only because I wanted someone to share the blame when something broke.

2. Nope!

3. Talk and share experiences. Especially if they were a twin I'd want to know how similar are experiences were.

[twirly.livejournal.com]

buddies!? :)

Re: Any 'only children' out there?

[irishkitten441.livejournal.com]

1. Yes! It was nice as a child not having to share things and knowing that all the presents under the Christmas tree are just for you, but I've always been sad that I don't have a sibling.

2. Nope.

3. I'd love to spend as much time as possible getting to know them and making up for the x amount of years that we weren't able to spend together.

Re: Overused name or reference?

[feigned-living.livejournal.com]

I don't think cliche is bad, exactly. Vague terms like that have always been used and in a lot of instances they work the best.

[iyanaari.livejournal.com]

Thanks, that's a good concept. Yes, her brother started the thieving, so that makes since. Thanks again.

Re: Overused name or reference?

[agdhani.livejournal.com]

True...it is pretty vague, and I imagine some form of that turns up in all sorts of mythos...when one group of people simply doesn't have a name for some group of people they encounter they become 'other'. And not changing it now as I enter the third book is probably the easiest way to go!

[jt-dominguez.livejournal.com]

So...I just decided to do this Friday, and only came up with a plot I am happy about Sunday. I'm going to be writing about the Overbury Murder, which happened in the Jacobean era, from the point of view of a fictional character. This character is merely a apothecary/fortune-teller in the court, and thus is privy to all of the dark secrets of most of the historical figures. I have her being the mistress of another fictional character who is high in the court, which is how she gets involved in everything.

I guess what I'm worried about is that this will not give me enough words. Any ideas on sub-plots that fit with this plot?

[ahavah]

I'd love a buddy! I have 'writing buddies' on the forums, but they seem to pay no real attention to me.

What's your novel about? Mine is the story of the first generation ship. That's really all I've got so far.

[crazy-onna.livejournal.com]

If the MC were of a different race/origin or had political ideals that didn't go well with those of the alliances, or maybe the alliances didn't get along in the first place and the MC is just the hair that broke the camel's back. Maybe the alliance is using him as a scrape goat or setting him up because he's the new guy. Or it's really a diversion so no one will be paying attention to what they're doing on the sidelines.

[claudia6913.livejournal.com]

I think you should have enough to do. Keep in mind, there are always tons of things going on behind prying eyes that need covered up and swept under the rug. Scandals, or possible scandals, are always fun. =)

[certitudes.livejournal.com]

1) Never. I liked having my parents all to myself. ;;

2) No.

3) I'd go to a pizza place or an ice cream parlor with them and just talk. You know how when you meet someone new who shares an interest or two with you, and after a few minutes you realize that you'll never run out of things to talk about? I think it'd be like that, but more intense.

[hookavah.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I hadn't thought of that last one. I can now progress through the chapter. :D

Re: Overused name or reference?

[hookavah.livejournal.com]

What you really have to think about is would people think of calling them 'Others'? In this case, yes, but for future topics, you really wouldn't have these 'Others' with a complicated name and expect everyone else in the story to refer to them exactly. Anyways, I would think that the Others do fit. I have seen it used in many stories, but it hasn't really achieved 'cliche'.

[standgale.livejournal.com]

I've tried to find out this information before, but it is hard, especially to get something that has a bit more background than someone made it up 5 minutes ago.
Do insects count?
This is what I found a while back when looking up dragon flies...
"In Japan, however, the dragonfly is symbolic of success, victory,
happiness, strength and courage"
However, in Europe they have a bad mythology (which I wasn't interested in so didn't record it).

[standgale.livejournal.com]

V1, knowing that V2 is stronger, is actually afraid to try and kill him, either because he fears V2 might somehow escape/harm him in the process (maybe he has assured V2's safety to help keep him well-behaved, but fears what would happen would V2 gets desperate) or because he is ... too insecure to kill someone he sees as better than himself, he might even think he is so inferior he can't even kill a drugged up V2. You could have some interesting patho-psychology going on, with all sorts of issues dredged up from the past, influencing V1's actions. He doesn't have to be nuts, just plagued with doubts or insecurities.

[standgale.livejournal.com]

a stalker that is testing it's abilities by trying to stay hidden, or who is playing with her.
someone whom she doesn't remember who has a fondness for her and is keeping her safe. eg. she's an orphan and this is a friend of her father/mother, or a distant relative, or someone who has a quest of their own or made a pledge they must keep

[standgale.livejournal.com]

an almost sentient animal that WAS going to eat her, but some intelligence in it's brain has stirred, making it want to watch her or learn from her. Of course, at some point, it might get bored/hungry, and decide to try and eat her anyway :D

[standgale.livejournal.com]

Fantasy setting. So this person self-imposed an amnesia and exile on themselves that they felt they deserved because they were a bad person. Unfortunately, their subconscious is starting to unravel this, and they start doing things like taking up an apprenticeship with a wizard to learn magic (they used to do magic) and they are gradually drifting back to the scene of their "crime" and picking up their old traits, habits, etc. One of these things is their desire for power (conflicting with their desire to be "good").
What sorts of exciting things could happen at the magic apprenticeship as part of their desire for power?
I guess it's kind of the intersection between their old self resurfacing and their new apprentice life.

Re: Overused name or reference?

[standgale.livejournal.com]

in many languages, particularly where there has not been much contact with different peoples until recently, people call themselves "the people" and everyone else "the others" or something along those lines. It just sounds cool when they do it because it's in a foreign language to us. Like, the Teren could just call them "those that came before" just like the Elyri do, but because that's in our own language, we don't think it sounds as cool as phae k'kaira.
So, I think it has cultural and linguistic precedence, but it can sound a bit weird because of the way "we" think. (I'm not sure who "we" are - Western culture? English speakers? just me?)

[loki-scribe.livejournal.com]

Any number of interesting disasters can happen as a result of overconfidence. And if he used to do magic, then he should be able to to pick things up a lot faster than an ordinary apprentice. Add to that the desire to grow more powerful, and it would be fairly easy for him to start something he hasn't completely regained control over.

Is that helpful at all?

Cheers!

Re: Overused name or reference?

[agdhani.livejournal.com]

Good points :D I imagine the Teren don't speak 'English' so they probably have a word for 'Others' too...but since the story obviously has to be written in what I know, I suppose I can use the Others and get away with it :D

Re: Overused name or reference?

[agdhani.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I'm a bit under-read lately, so I'm not really sure how often it shows up elsewhere, only that I've seen it at least once in fiction and another time in a mythology class years and years ago.