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Possible Idea Advice?



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Fri Jul 04, 2014 8:32 am
JayBlu says...



I'm writing something sort of played out, but I feel like I can really do something with it if I do it with my own technique and flavor. Any ideas how to makes sure this idea is awesome?

Here's the idea.

Think Sword Art Online combined with the idea of multiple planes of existence labeled and listed in this link:

http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/W ... ner_Planes

Also, to summarize it better. 350,000 individuals get trapped in game called World Planes Online, and well as it goes, the game is based in multiple planes and yada yada yada...

I suppose only answer this if you know what Sword Art Online is. And just because it's a similar idea, as long as it has different storyline, characters and whatever else I come to think of...it is NOT a fanfic...if so then the anime similiar to Sword Art Online named Log Horizon would be a fanfic and since Log Horizon is not a fanfic....my point is thus proved...Thanks for any responses
  





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Fri Jul 04, 2014 12:26 pm
birk says...



Well, while I haven't read or watched Sword Art Online, I do know what it is.

However, I have read 'Ready Player One', which is one of my absolute favorites and it has a lot of aspects in common with Sword Art Online. To that point, I love stories like this, seeing as their science fiction and have such endless potential.

You say you think you're writing something that feels played out, but at this point, I'd consider almost everything played out. As you said, it's all about adding something new to it.

For example if you die in Ready Player One, you just sort of have to start all over. Meanwhile, in Sword Art Online, if you die, you die in real life. Which is essentially 'A Nightmare on Elm Street'. So much has been done, it's all about coming up with some new cool ideas.

I feel like I can really do something with it if I do it with my own technique and flavor. Any ideas how to makes sure this idea is awesome?


The idea is already awesome, just go for it. ;)

Do you have any thoughts about where to take it?
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Fri Jul 04, 2014 12:42 pm
Apricity says...



So I have some insight on SAO because I read the light novel and watched a bit of the anime back awhile ago. I know the plot line and I really liked the idea of it. I think that this is a really great idea, mainly because there hasn't been much exploration in these genres or ideas. Combining with the wikia you showed us, I think you can come up with something pretty brilliant.

The question you need to think about now is how you want to go about this? SAO had a lot of arcs, are you basing it off the general plot as in the general landscape and ideas or what? Because these type of stories can often have multiple characters and settings, you first want to establish your world, your characters and a rough plot sketch as to where you want to go.


This sounds like a very exciting idea overall, I just have a question. Is this playing out as a novel or a novella? So the players are trapped, but what exactly is going to happen? Is it going to be like SAO where you have to clear the game, or is it something else?

General impression: Go with it, it sounds great. I will read it if you ever publish it on YWS and if you ever need someone to plot with and even discuss it with, shoot me a PM.
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Fri Jul 04, 2014 2:25 pm
JayBlu says...



Was making it into a novel...multiple if it proceeds well. In all honesty, I'm more or less headed in the direction og Log Horizon with the idea of where it goes. Yes if you die then you die in real life. But with Log Horizon, they never found out why they were trapped, at least not yet, and Non-player characters became life like and interacted like any other human player would making it seem as if the world had become real now. Though at some points Non-player characters sought to establish war with the human player characters...it was like that. I figured I could do something with that.
  





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Mon Jul 07, 2014 9:31 am
Tenyo says...



Every story has already been told, what matters is how you tell it, so you've got the right idea in adding your own style to it.

Add contrasting ideas

Something I always do before I embark on a story for the first time is to watch a series of documentaries or listen to music that's completely contrary to what I'm watching.

For example, if in my head I have a war story, I'll go and watch a few romcoms or nature programs. That way I have a load of ideas to add that would bring contrast and enhance the plot beyond its stereotype.

If you're doing something about a bunch of characters who get stuck in a game world then looking into religion might be a good one because people generally don't associate the two, so it would set your story apart from others. I mean, how would a believer in god react if suddenly they were trapped in a world where their god wasn't actually in control?

Flip the stereotype

This one is easy enough. Take a dominant idea in this kind of fiction and flip it upside down. In the matrix, it's a bunch of people living inside a computer, so what if it became a computer living inside people? Like... an AI that needed human imagination in order to grow?

Explore psychology

Characters are the heart of every story- the most interesting thing is going to be seeing how your characters react in this setting. That's the people inside the game, and the people outside too (if you're including them in the story.) Some people will embrace the idea while others will collapse. There's issues like whether they'll miss their real world families while they're in there, or if they even start to doubt whether the real world exists.

The psychology will be completely unique to each character, so that will greatly set your story apart from others.

Hope this helps!
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