I'm writing a fantasy story, but I'm not sure where to go with it or how to improve it; any ideas?

Question

I guess I'm not looking for ideas, exactly. But does anyone know a website where I could find samples on how to improve prose style or develop a plot? How about tips on creating and developing more believable characters?

Most people say my story's good so far, but I know it needs something. I have many ideas, but I don't know how to add that extra punch to the story, to make it more than just a main character and her wanderings and her problems.

In short, how do I get the plot off the ground?!

Answer 1

You can generally improve your writing and style by researching grammar online and in writing help books. I found this wonderful website last year that covers just about everything. http://users.wirefire.com/tritt/home.html
As for inspiration, and feeling, I'd just wait until your inspired to write. Usually if you write as the idea comes or when you find the most feeling, your writing comes out better.

Answer 2

I can give you a source that many writers of books and movies have used successfully to create characters and plots that keep people reading books and watching movies. Go and find a book by Joseph Campbell called “The Hero With a Thousand Faces.”

WARNING: This is a book written by a scholar for scholars to understand why so many myths, religions, and legends from around the world have the same archetypes. It is full of $10 words (that is to say: more than 2 syllables.) It is not a light read, but it is worth the time that you take to read and digest what Campbell says.

Answer 3

I'd suggest checking out Holly Lisle's website and resources-- she has some fantastic articles for writers on just about every subject you can think of.

http://www.hollylisle.com/fm/

The index is on the left-hand side, and you might want to check out "Creating Conflict" in the Workshop section to begin with. There are also a couple of articles on creating and developing characters that you might find helpful.

Good luck!

Answer 4

Write the tale first then fear approximately this later. If you need to ask on Yahoo Answers, the dilemma is unimportant and can also be scrapped absolutely out of your tale. In Harry Potter there used to be an overly well motive that Potter got here from yet another global than the leisure of the characters. LOTR did not have the sort of motive and so not one of the characters got here from the truly global. The tale is the only that are meant to come to a decision this query, now not men and women on Yahoo Answers and, honestly, now not even you.

Answer 5

I like the book "Writer's Block". Its a block-shaped book filled with inspiring statements, photos, etc. Sometimes it just gives me an idea. I also like to concentrate on characters - create playlists of music that reminds me of them, make collages of visual representations of them (not necessarily what they look like).

Answer 6

Go to sffworld.com . There are tons of fantasy & fiction writers there and you can post bits of your work to get feedback. I find tons of my resources for writing there. Good luck.

Answer 7

I agree, http://www.hollylisle.com/ is great. Tutorials on http://www.storyentertainment.com are too.

I think you might be having problems because although you've found a premise, you have nothing to say. As you said your character is simply wandering around and doing things. The root of your problem can be answered by asking "what does my story mean?" I'll try to explain how you can fix this by describing two things:

1) Controlling Idea (another word for theme)
2) Premise

I think understanding these two things will help you

The controlling idea is the meaning of your story. The premise is what happens.

For example, when you ask someone who just watched or read "Lord of the Rings" what it's about, they'll probably say something like, "it's an epic story about a hobbit who is given a huge responsibility to take a magical ring into a mountain to destroy it and save the world and elves and men unite to....etc..". Okay, that's simple. But that's simply the premise and the author certainly didn't write about this. What he wrote is what the story is *really* about: "we are truly free when we risk and sacrifice ourselves." That is the controlling idea of the story. Of course, we can debate if that is the true controlling idea but I'm only giving you my interpretation and illustrating the difference between what a story is really about and what happens in a story.

Now you can apply this understanding to your own idea. I'll show you how it works with a sample premise but understand you know how to find a premise but only to show how the meaning fits with it.

I made up the following premise through research and asking myself "what if" for any situation.

For example, I randomly selected a news article on Yahoo News:
Survivors recall horror of flu pandemic

As I'm reading through each line, I'm thinking about story ideas and asking "what if". For example, I read this line:

>> The flu swept through the nation's capital, which had attracted thousands of soldiers and war workers.

Now I'm asking myself, 'what if someone built a virus and orchestrated a large event so they could infect everyone in it to inflict the most damage?'

That's a start, but sounds a bit cliche, but that's okay. Now I'm asking "what if" upon "what if". What if the person accidently released the virus and kept silent while everyone around them died? What if the event was organized by a force where people are called to gather in one location but everyone made excuses for going there without realizing they were being forced -- only a supernatural force could do that -- and the reason is the supernatural force wanted to end the human race? hehe...this gets into some horror or science-fiction if that's your bag.

I chose the supernatural 'what if' as the premise in this example. Now we're getting to the meaning: the controlling idea. This is what is the heart of your story -- the story you need to tell. Fine stories have deep meaning and make people think.

The controlling idea is found within the story. It's not a single word; it's not going to be about "viruses" nor "aliens". A controlling idea generates itself from the story. As you try to discover your controlling idea, you will also begin to understand the story that you want to tell, that says, "life is like this!"

The controlling idea will be a sentence that tells us how and why life changes from one condition of existence to another. This change will show up in the climax of the last act of your story.

So, how do you know your controlling idea before you've even written your entire story?

This is where you want to think about what happens in your story and then work up to the last climax -- plotting! It's going to be rough, but if it's satisfying, you can work with it and develop around it.

Now let's plot it to find the controlling idea. Using the premise that people are being supernaturally led to gather in one location, we need to come up with a protagonist. I'm going to use a "what if" and ask 'what if the protagonist is also under this supernatural spell?' That will make it more interesting because it will provide deeper conflict. Not only will he have to try to save the world but also get out the spell himself perhaps.

Some more questions: What is this spell? What is so attractive to force these people to gather without them even knowing they're being forced? Now this is starting to get rich. We know a lot of people do things they don't want because they're manipulated. Cults are famous for doing this. Charismatic leaders and propaganda are also effective. People are manipulated in many ways that many fail to see they're being manipulated. And those who best manipulate do it without you knowing. Life is like that! Now I'm starting to find my controlling idea.

So, how can my protagonist fit into this? My controlling idea is a sentence, it's not simply "manipulation". So, I start with something -- it's better than nothing: "Evil prevails when we fail to examine our conscious and instead follow others" or "Compassion prevails in humans only when we follow our conscious". Whichever we choose, it must be clear in the last-climax of the last act of your story.

As you build your story, you work to that last act. Many writers paste that controlling idea onto the computer monitor and filter everything they write through it. Your characters may go in different directions, but this controlling idea is your guide.

Concerning the setting, I think you already know yours, but whether this story is in a different dimension, a different time, or on a different planet, the controlling idea remains the same -- the controlling idea and that is where the power of your story exists.

Now that I have the idea I need to plot to flesh it out and make it into a novel so I don't get discouraged and stop in the middle and I'm still trying to solidify the meaning of the story (that is the controlling idea).

For the setting let's place this premise 50 years into the future on Earth. All stories are made up of beginnings, middles, and endings. Each scene is also made up of begginings, middles, and endings. Each scene provides conflict and change, and moves the story forward.

Almost every single story is based on a quest where your protagonist chases a desire. So, we need to think about the character's object of desire. In the premise that I've created, the supernatural force is manipulating people to gather in one location so it can infect them with a virus. Because I think this force is intelligent and sly, it's not going to be identical for every peson and it's going to feed on the weakness of every individual. I think the best object of desire for my protagonist is going to be his pursuit of power within his sphere of influence. So, let's say he's an oceanographer (I pulled that out of nowhere). He would become famous and influential if he made an important discovery -- perhaps a discovery that can save lives such as tsumani detection technology (but in 50 years in the future we could make a more futuristic device). This is what he wants -- power. The force provides him the opportunity to seek this object and eventually he's going to have to go to this one location where the force intends to infect him. Now we have a lot more 'what ifs' to ask. As you can see, we're starting a great outline of the story and fleshing it out.

Now I can go back to the controlling idea.

I like up-endings so I want him to become redeemed in the end. I think his pride is too great and his pursuit of power is evil. His idea of saving lives is a great idea, but his reasoning is not -- he's doing it to gain influence, not to help people -- this makes him conflicted and provides excellent dimension to his character. This force is going to manipulate his desire. But I am also going to add a subconscious desire to this. I want it so that he really doesn't want power...he simply doesn't recognize that the work he does already helps to save lives by adding to the research of others who are trying to find effective tsunami detection devices. He'll end up realizing this in the end. And this matches my controlling idea if he fails to realize this: "Evil prevails when we fail to examine our conscious and instead follow others." His pursuit of power only leads him into trouble as he follows others in trying to please them. But we still have to deal with this supernatural force that is manipulating everyone and I have more what ifs. Do we make our protagonist one who defeats the force, or do we make him lose by it. Either way, we must know the controlling idea clearly at the end no matter what he does.

Although I went off in a science-fiction direction, the controlling idea I discovered can exist in any genre and any setting. So, do lots of "what ifs" and reflect upon your controlling idea and outline your story to flesh it out. I hope my illustration can help.

Many writers do this outlining in their mind because they subconsciously understand the structure of Story after reading so much. Even Stephen King says reading is the most important method to learn how to tell a story because you'll subconsciously learn the structure of writing. But I think that explicitly learning the structure in addition to reading will help you to find how to plot your story with meaning so you actually have something to say and your character doesn't merely race from scene to scene wandering.

Good luck!