Weekly Plot Help - Week of November 10th

[alison-sky.livejournal.com]

Got a problem in your NaNo? Who doesn't?! But we've got a way to help!

Post here with your plot problems, and all through the week members of the community will scan through and see if they can help.

AKA - The best way to procrastinate is to help others!

So post your problem. Then take a moment to look at everyone else's and see if you can help them.

People helping people. That's what makes this community great :)

So have at it!

Comments

[moritzpascal.livejournal.com]

Alright, I'm basically just lost with everything.

My plot summary that I put on the NaNoWriMo site is: "Five years ago, Brian, Lea, Susan, Vanessa, Neil, and Seth got to New York, ready to make their dreams come true. Brian, wanting to become a novelist, Lea, a painter, Susan, an actress, Vanessa, a clothing designer, Neil, a game show host, and Seth, a dancer. Four years later, Brian still hasn't gotten past the first line, the only place Lea's paintings are any worth are in her apartment, Vanessa dropped out of design school, Neil never made it to the television, and Seth is still dancing on street corners.

Now, Vanessa's in the hospital for a suicide attempt, Lea and Susan are stuck in their own ruts, Brian's been fired, and Neil and Seth are struggling to try and convince their parents to suck up their homophobic ways and come to their upcoming wedding.

Things are changing faster then any of them had planned. But maybe that's not such a bad thing."

It's all from my MC, Brian's, point of view. And it starts off with them all in the waiting room of the hospital for my other character, Vanessa. I have the first part done, where Brian walks out of the hospital without telling anyone where he's going and goes to the bar to drink his problems and thoughts away.

But where do I go after this? I need reasons that Brian's been fired, (he works at an office. Think Dunder Mifflin from the Office type) and I need more PLOT. If anyone's willing to read what I have, and totally BE MY SAVIOR and give me a hand and a few tips and plot ideas, I will be your best friend and give you lots of virtual hugs.

...help? Please?

[renjiluvah.livejournal.com]

Hi there,

I read your summary, and I think maybe the conflict you're facing is that you don't have a clear goal for each character. It seems like each of your characters are facing different dilemmas in their lives, so I'm assuming that the end goal of this story is how each character moves past these obstacles and finds happiness?

I'd say the best thing is to write a character outline - with their personalities, who they connect to, what their initial problem is and the goal you want them to reach by the end of the story. Then you can work on the details of how they each either reach the solution or don't reach it at all depending on their reactions to these obstacles. Another thing, is each character has their own idea of happiness and can handle these life problems differently, so maybe a car might make one of your characters happy but not another, ya know? Looking up character types can help, too or personalities- that way you can better handle how your character acts with that type/personality as a "template" of some sort.

Ok. I ramble. Sorry lol. :D As for why Brian's been fired- he doesn't really need a reason actually. If this is a story about New York (which I unfortunately happen to live in, damn city), then it could simply be the bad economy if this is a modern day story. Just today I read the newspaper about them raising metro card prices again- to 3 bucks and gas money and under staffing places like fire stations, and so many companies like Circuit City closing down stores or companies letting large amounts of employees go, especially after the stock market crisis we've been having here lately on wall street. A character doesn't always need a direct reason for something to happen because sh*t happens lol, and sometimes it can't be controlled.

Does this help? O_o I hope. :D