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Question: Brainstorm with me for a few moments!?
I've written about 97,000 words of my manuscript!. This is a fantasy, in a fictional medieval setting, and there is magic involved (isn't there always!?)!. The first few chapters have the two main characters (let's say Bob and Sue) traveling together, but Bob is captured by "dark forces"!. The rest of the book so far follows Sue as she travels on sort of a quest and falls in love!. The ending in the story, for her, is not climactic at all; she ends up sneaking off into the night to do something she must do (in the next book)!.

Here's the problem: I now need Bob to provide the climactic ending, sans Sue!.He's going to escape his captors after a week or so, and will be accompanied by two fellow prisoners!. He's nowhere near Sue, geographically, and while it's a fantasy there are no handy ways to teleport or what have you!.

I'm trying to come up with his journey now, but for some reason I'm absolutely constipated, LOL!

I don't want you to write the story or "give" me your plot ideas!. Rather, it's a brainstorming session: Just toss out whatever comes to you, in regards to (a) what Bob can be doing for the next two months, and (b) what sorts of climaxes I could consider!.

I find I do my best work when I just start jotting garbage down at random, but no go this time, so I'd appreciate anything you want to throw out there, no matter how absurd or trite; something will eventually spark an idea in my brain!Www@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
Do not force the story between the two of them!. If you felt it was important to separate Sue and Bob to progress the character development of Sue, then it's important!. Growth comes from stress, change, and time!. Let Sue and Bob change apart from each other, which makes an eventual reunion much more satisfying!.

Here's the difficult part!. You've an entirely separate story to write, and to be really satisfying and allow for Bob to grow and change, it's going to need to take place almost entirely absent from the story of Sue!. I think you're aware of this!.

Here's the suggestions that come to mind!. Unless you want Bob's story to deliberately parallel Sue's, make his activites very different!. No heroic quests in the Arthurian meme!.

Perhaps instead he can live a desperate existants, hunted and on the run from moment to moment!?

Perhaps Bob struggles against a world much darker than he’s used, but not darker in a cliché, “evil walks amonst us” fashion!. Simply a world where Bob must steal to eat, fight to survive, and lie to get ahead!. This counts as basic daily existance for a surprising portion of our own population, and a writer always gets more from reality than from most fantasy!.

You need a climax, but first you need a story!. We can brainstorm about stories, but the climax is the energetic build of the story!.

Perhaps Bob must break back into the prison!? Inversion of earlier events provides a narative continuity to stories, and helps return readers to familiar places that are now different!.

Always remember the golden rule with Fantasy and Magic!. There’s nothing that ruins your careful ploting more effortlessly than handwaving magic!. The difference between a telepathic link and a cell phone is that the cell phone is less useful!. After all, it needs charging!. If Sue can speak into Bobs mind, but he can’t respond, what does that mean!?Www@QuestionHome@Com

First let me say - Wow! That's scary how you've written so many words and yet have no ending!. Is that the way you usually work!? Or is this an exception!?

You say that Bob and Sue are 'nowhere near geographically' :could a telepathic link be set up somehow!?

Could an object or person connect them!?
Could something that has happened previously be used!?
Could a new, albeit late, twist be added!?
Could Bob's new companions reveal something, have a secret etc!?

I would write out all my locations, objects, characters and plot turns and consider what extra each could offer me!.

And then there's always the good old 'What if' technique!.

also, you mention generally, 'Dark Forces'!. Must be a few possibilities to be utilized there!.

Very best of luck!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

he escapes and is come upon a a horse frawn caravan in a clearing
the other prisoners dont like it
an older woman beautiful but a lot older calls him by name
the rpisoners walk in with him but urging him to go, getting very insistant
untill they woman says to them you dont want to go do you
the prisoner does a 180 and says no
i want to stay here
every one appears to want to do exactly what she wans except bobWww@QuestionHome@Com

He and the prisoners make it to the kingdom of somethingorother and raise a grassroots resistance organization - the guyswhofightagainstevil (from the Welsh for 'lawnmower')!. Meanwhile, the king of somethingorother is pressed by Evil Lord Teddy of aforementioned "dark forces" into subduing the guyswhofightagainstevil, as he fears ELT's aggression!.

Okay, it's kinda cliche, and the names are ridiculous, and it probably won't fit into your overall storyline, but maybe it'll help those creative juices get flowing!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

First of all, I think that your ending for Sue is really good!. I think it is enough for the readers to want for more!. But it is better if you put something climatic before her departure, a fight for instance!.

Next: is your book divided into several parts, like part 1, part 2 and so on;!? If yes, then you can put the story in this way:
Prologue
Part 1 - Bob & Sue
Part 2 - Sue
Part 3 - Bob
Epilogue - Sue
In that way, you could have the climatic scene I recommend for you to have before the epilogue!. In part 3, maybe you could have there the sneaking of Ben!. That part should provide the action you need before the clifffhanger ending!.Www@QuestionHome@Com