Dilemma.

Right. I have a... minor problem. The thing is, I've basically ended up agreeing to write a novel in exchange for a qualification. The teacher involved would really, really like me to have a sizeable chunk of it written by September.

Well, I have the ideas, right? That's where the problem comes. Due to my tendency towards roleplaying, I have lots of character ideas but my own laziness in making such things mean that I have no plots in mind. Additionally, apart from three characters, all of them are female*

, and there's a relative abundance of White-Haired Pretty Girl types.

The only idea I have is from... January last year? Pre and post-apocalyptic Science Fiction*

involving Hollywood Cyborg twins, incest, terrorism, and then either aliens or the terrorists actually setting a device off. Or something. I'm not terribly certain that the teacher, or any examining boards, would appreciate that sort of thing.

So, I'm stuck with this choice: try and come up with something less likely to make people question my sanity.

There's two fantasy settings in my head but I have no plots. I'll describe 'em if asked.

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Let's hear those settings, then. If you have a setting and character concepts, that's a very good start.

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One of them has been hanging around about as long as the sci-fi idea and I think was indirectly the reason for it. In this case, an angel had completely misunderstood his instructions and blown up the world. Another angel had managed to prevent the world entirely being destroyed, at the cost of his own life and replacing the planet's core and mantle with a creepy purple void that drains magic to sustain itself. Part of his countermeasures involved latching the various plates together with massive chains/bridges*

. Did I mention that the population was vastly decreased, the sun consumed, and slavery legalised because of the second actions? Magic was needed as fuel. Oh, and this place has about as much water as Gunsmoke.

The second world isn't much better in outlook. It basically boils down to vampires*

against mages*

^{X-linked dominant, it's hereditary. Two genes = more power, even if real genetics doesn't work that way, and the mages are pretty much matriarchal.}

with humans as either food or cannon fodder. There's exactly one neutral settlement and that only exists because mages and vampires refuse to go near the thing. Why?

Well, up until about ten years before the setting as it is, one mage—one who's literally nameless—of awe-inspiring power*

, few morals, and with an army of magically-powered automata had lived there, staying neutral. His experiments eventually led to his creating a self-aware automaton, imaginatively labelled Alpha*

^{Well, not really, but Translation Convention is in effect}

. He... didn't treat her*

^{Well, she looks female. One of those White-Haired Pretty Girl characters I mentioned, too.}

particularly well and eventually caused her to snap when he had the leader of both factions visiting to see if any truce could be arrived at.

Pretty much the whole existing settlement was wiped out and most of the people there killed. It's no wonder everyone except those with nothing to lose avoid the place.

Also have another character from that setting—the mage's non-magical niece, who saw everything but managed to survive by making an agreement with a captive demon. End result, she's still around later on as well, complete with the world's most dangerous butterfly.

edited 16th Jul '11 10:20:34 AM by RainehDaze

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Absurdity is my middle name! Well, not really (but I wish it were); the point is, I can't help but wonder if writing something that'll earn you some strange looks is really a problem. In fact, I'm under the impression that if people THINK it's weird, they're having a reaction to it; they're intrigued by it, and getting a response out of the audience is always better than nothing, right? Why, just last semester I turned in a story about characters largely akin to Child Soldiers escaping from Guantanamo Bay to return to their Teenage Wasteland and raise an army to fight back before the bad guys bombed their island from the safety of a gigantic battleship. And from what I could gather, the teacher liked it — if anything, she wanted me to take it further.

But I digress; your story, your preferences.

Now, back to your question. I think the best thing that you can use to your advantage is your characters; if you've got roleplaying experience, then use what you've learned to enhance your writing. Also, think about your characters in relation to the story.

Namely...

• What are they capable of?
• What's the world around them like?
• What can they do to affect (or be affected by) their surroundings?
• What sort of issues can they face? (Overcoming a weakness, dealing with the scars of the past, facing off against a deadly foe?)
• What sets them apart from other people — and going off of that, what do other people think of them?
• What's your character's goal, and why is it important? (Maybe it'll prevent — breathless gasp! — the end of the world?!)
• What would happen if the characters did nothing? That is, what are the stakes in the story? And if they weren't around, would someone else be able to handle the job?

Those, I think, are a few things that might be able to get you started on forming a plot. Whatever the case, I hope you manage to turn out one hell of a project, my Troper comrade.

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If I just focus on characters, this would have similar problems to Bleach, with the addition of its being a Pink Bishōjo Ghetto.

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You don't have to only focus on characters, but a lot of times developing them will help out with the plot ideas.

One thing you could do is to tell a smaller plot within your larger idea. Focus on a smaller group of characters (or two!) as the bigger events of the story are happening, allowing you to still do what you seem to have in mind, without it being way too complex. You could turn this huge cast into a bunch of separate smaller ones, and perhaps make a series out of this if you really want.

Also, Voltech's points are very good to go by. And if you want something to get you writing, 750words is a great place.

Good luck!

edited 16th Jul '11 11:23:38 AM by Five_X

I write pretty good fanfiction, sometimes.

My problem is currently working out such basic things as 'genre' and 'setting'. I don't think I'm going to get anywhere with plot or characters before I know where they're going.

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Bleach takes the quantity-over-quality approach to characters. Focus on developing the characters you have and you won't fall into the same trap.

Genre fiction is generally frowned upon by literature teachers. If you're not sure what genre you want to write, don't worry about it. Focus on the characters, setting, plot and themes instead.

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It's not actually a literature teacher, it's the G&T*

coordinator. Well, and starting September an English teacher who reads a vast amount of comic books is actually going to be helping with it. This is probably the first time anything I've written is actually going to get probably edited.

And... well, that still leaves me with no setting.

edited 16th Jul '11 11:36:36 AM by RainehDaze

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Try creating a fictional town (realistic or fantasical) and use that for most of your story.

Maybe, I dunno. I always tend to go overboard with settings...

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If you're worried about going overboard with settings, maybe you should take it piece-by-piece. Think of it this way: if someone were to ask you a question about your story — character, world, or otherwise — then you, as the creator, should have at least a handle on it. If you think of your story-weaving as a way of answering those questions, then you might be able to use the answers as layers for the final product.

Let's say someone asks you "Where does the story take place?" Simple enough; if it were me, I'd say "New Rock City, a fictional town on the west coast" and supply details as needed. Someone else might ask "Okay, but when does it take place?" And I'd say "Present day, more or less." Keeping it simple might be as easy as anticipating those questions, and answering as needed.

That's not to say you can't add flourishes to the setting/world. I reckon that if readers can associate one poignant image with your story, it's a success. When people think of The Wind Waker, for example, they think of the ocean — and then, everything in relation to it. Or the ornate machinery and gears in the stages of BlazBlue. Or in the case of my writing, floating numbers and equations.

Well, those are just a few suggestions, and YMMV on whether they're useful or not. Still, like I said earlier, I hope it all goes well on your end.

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