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 A month-long novel-planning challenge. Looking for a NaNoWriMo alternative? Start here! |
| I've been thinking about possible plots for considerably more that 15 minutes, on and off for a few weeks now I have been turning ideas over. I've done the 'What If?' assignment and written some of the ideas down, but all in all it's unsatisfactory at the moment. I know what I don't want it to be, but as to what it is, no clear idea has emerged just yet. |
| Sorry, I'm not laughing at your plight so much as your ironic use of the assignment to lament your plight. Do you want to share your ideas, or at least what you don't want it to be? Cheers, Michelle Battywyn |
I love this. But you can do it. Light Strikes |
| I initially had the idea of a stage magician and a flapper girl investigating strange occurrences together, a sort of X files in the 1920s - except that I have not actually ever watched the X-files and only know it by reputation. Then I had the idea that the flapper girl might be like Hermine from Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse. I wrote an intro for them for last month's What A Character. "The Indelible Maurice"  . I don't want to rewrite Steppenwolf. I would like to combine something of the alienation and confusion of Alice in Wonderland, and 'The Prisoner' (1960's version with Patrick McGoohan).I then had the idea of getting some Jungian Archetypes involved. At this point it started feeling that I was putting too much in it, and still no actual plot. |
| Maybe you could try focusing more on the strange occurrences for now, and let the characters reveal themselves over time. What kind of strange occurrences? Can you use the What If exercise to brainstorm the sorts of things they would encounter? Cheers, Michelle Battywyn |
| Try looking at my October prep folder, it's open for all to see and review |
| I would, but somehow I fell down the rabbit hole of dredging up Projects Past... It's very deep. I might be lost. Send a map. Light Strikes |
| I'm lost in here with you... follow the sound of my voice... Cheers, Michelle Battywyn |
That's a bit like a  leading an echo...  Light Strikes |
| Perhaps if you linked the folder # we could take a peek. NJ Preferred Author |
I know it might sound crazy, Adherennium   , but try meshing all those plot bunnies ... yeah, I know that a literary Frankenstein monster might come out of it... but maybe it cuts the knot.  And what about your worry of rewriting certain other existing works... you're not copying but holding on to a buoy in the sea of plotlessness. You can use an existing work (Steppenwolf) as a start to your What If... only for the exercise, though. (Otherwise it's really stealing.) I, for example, have two parallel stories this year - a romance part & a crime investigation - and didn't know how to write my What Ifs at first. As you can see by the plural, I wrote two separate ones, focusing on either part... but it read off. It wasn't realistic to separate both story lines as they hugely interfere with each other. After I interwove them for the exercise, it reads more coherent and like something to base a Prep on. Even more this exercise doesn't have to be set in stone... as the Prep evolves, also your plot will come out of the murkiness and evolve along with the following exercises... and finally reveal itself. Therefore you could also continue with one of the other exercises. A flash of an idea that fits with day 23 or 7? Go for it! It'll definitely influence your What Ifs... and you can work on it by going back and forth between inspiring exercises and puzzle their outcomes into first your outlines and so eventually your What If. Retrocausation is an interesting concept, isn't it? You will do it eventually, young man, you know that, eh?  |
| May I quote you in a testimonial? Specifically, I love how you said this: "...as the Prep evolves, also your plot will come out of the murkiness and evolve along with the (following) exercises... and finally reveal itself." Cheers, Michelle Battywyn |
Yes, Ma'am! (You can quote me, Brandiwynš¶Prep starts 10/1!  . ) |
| Being lost has benefits. My first thought while reading this thread was to use everything in some way. Weaving and twisting is one approach. Never mind the what-if for now. Have you considered the audience you want to write for? What do you know--this is a very good way to start considering what to write? Do you have a favorite genre? If so use this as your main starting point and let everything else follow. Getting found: Where are you? Determine this in order to figure out in which direction you should go. When you have multiple plot ideas, consider which ones fit into which stories. You can have two stories in one woven together to make a complete story. What are you passionate about? If you were reading a story that you couldn't put down what would this story be? Where is your heart/writer taking you and why? Are you willing and able to let the characters and parts of the story show you the way? I've found that writing for the sake of writing is beneficial in finding the gems I need for my creativity. If I don't know what to write about, I don't care. I start writing words and eventually, a plot develops. Viv (dogpack) & Bella (service dog) https://www.youngliving.com/vo/#/signup/new-start?sponsorid=18522449&enrollerid=... "disABILITY WRITERS GROUP" Everyone is welcome to join our family."ONE SIZE FITS ALL RAFFLE IS OPEN!" Give a no hassle gift for any occasion."disABILITY WRITERS MOUNTAIN LOG CABIN" Join our gab cabin activities. |
 1,000 GPs were sent to Olivia got quilled  with this post.   Here are some GPs to hopefully help spawn some ideas within you as well.  And be sure to check out my challenge
and my contest
Talent Can't Be Caged Signature | |||||||
1,000 GPs were sent to dogpack saving 4premium+  with this post.And be sure to check out my challenge
and my contest
Talent Can't Be Caged Signature | |||||||
| Thank you, Ma'am! |
| I'll do what I can and what I leave undone, someone else will be able to add more information and we can keep sharing. Viv (dogpack) & Bella (service dog) https://www.youngliving.com/vo/#/signup/new-start?sponsorid=18522449&enrollerid=... "disABILITY WRITERS GROUP" Everyone is welcome to join our family."ONE SIZE FITS ALL RAFFLE IS OPEN!" Give a no hassle gift for any occasion."disABILITY WRITERS MOUNTAIN LOG CABIN" Join our gab cabin activities. |
| I just had a thought. Throw everything up on the ceiling and see what sticks. Well, now that I write that, perhaps not. What about, tear up your thoughts into tiny bits and read them in your tea, like the witches do when they read tea leaves. Now that sounds stupid also. Not to make light of your concern, you will figure out a plot. It may come to you in a dream, as in prophets of old. Perhaps you'll see the writing on the wall, like in old King Belshazzar's feast from the Old Testament. And when it does come to you, we will all yell, "Huzzah! He's a wonder!" NJ CHEERING QUEEN Image #2273457 over display limit. -?- Preferred Author |
| 1,000 GPs were sent to Adherennium with this post. Good luck!  And be sure to check out my challenge
and my contest
Talent Can't Be Caged Signature | |||||||
| Go to lost and found. You might discover there are several books or stories competing for the spotlight. Viv (dogpack) & Bella (service dog) https://www.youngliving.com/vo/#/signup/new-start?sponsorid=18522449&enrollerid=... "disABILITY WRITERS GROUP" Everyone is welcome to join our family."ONE SIZE FITS ALL RAFFLE IS OPEN!" Give a no hassle gift for any occasion."disABILITY WRITERS MOUNTAIN LOG CABIN" Join our gab cabin activities. |
| Is Lost and Found a page on here or on the NaNo site, dogpack saving 4premium+? I don't think I'm familiar with it. Where can we find it? And be sure to check out my challenge
and my contest
Talent Can't Be Caged Signature | |||||||
| It's somewhere. That's why it's Lost & Found. LOL Viv (dogpack) & Bella (service dog) https://www.youngliving.com/vo/#/signup/new-start?sponsorid=18522449&enrollerid=... "disABILITY WRITERS GROUP" Everyone is welcome to join our family."ONE SIZE FITS ALL RAFFLE IS OPEN!" Give a no hassle gift for any occasion."disABILITY WRITERS MOUNTAIN LOG CABIN" Join our gab cabin activities. |
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