Young Writers Society

Name: Emilio "Milo" Reed
Age: 18
Sex: male
Eye Color: blue
Hair Color: brown
Skin Color: white - pale but not exactly albino
Height: 6'2"
Weight:
Memorable Features:
Race: Caucasian
Ethnicity: tricky - have to figure out exactly what kind of world this takes place in
Faults: many... will organize them later
Talents: hunting, hand to hand combat, born leadership (I guess this can be considered a talent)
Family: Milo is the son of Lucille and Nykel, the king and queen of Esterwynn. Just ten years after Milo was born, Nykel was killed during battle. Lucille went looking for another husband in order to keep the throne. She found Vex who is now Milo's stepfather.
Childhood: Lived a pampered life at the castle. Got everything he wanted and never wanted for anything. Despite being royalty, he had many friends outside of the castle and often spent more time in the village than the royal town. He attended regular school and refused the tutor that his mother offered. She believed that it wasn't right for him to be with the commoners learning about their history when he could be with royalty learning about their history.

His relationship with his mother was always shaky. She loved him and he loved her. They always seemed to be butting heads over everything. Much like refusing tutoring, Milo refused to wear the fancy outfits that his mother had hand sewn for him. He felt much more comfortable in a loose shirt and tight pants, like those that the commoners wore. Of course, he could never get away with wearing a wrinkled or dirty shirt.

His father was always the one he looked up to. Nykel was an honorable man who always saw the good in people. Much unlike his wife Lucille, he encouraged Milo to be among the commoners, stating that if he was to rule them some day, he must understand the people that they are.

Everything changed the day his father died. (will figure out the rest of the backstory later)
Source of Income: None; doesn't need any. Lives off of the land and relies on certain commoners who are still faithful to him and his father to help out. Any other supplies he may need he steals from the town.
Hobbies:
Patience Breaking Point:
Status in Society: His official title of Prince was stripped from him at age 16 when he chose to side with the commoners instead of join his stepfather Vex in creating a "new" kingdom. Vex and Lucille disowned him and quickly began to try for a new child. Now he is simply a commoner.
Biography:

What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Escaping Esterwynn. Yeah, yeah, I know that it's not all that impressive, but it is to me. I know Vex. I lived with him for six years. He's a vicious monster who doesn't give a damn about anyone but himself. He went through every kid and every family that he had to in order to get the point across; no more kids. Of course the little bastard was harboring his own child in the castle, but that's beside the point. I was among only a dozen kids who were able to escape the killings. The fact that Vex had me all along and still wasn't able to kill me is what's so impressive about it.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Being with Kyra. Uh -- I mean... having control of the kingdom. Yeah. The kingdom's happiness is my happiness. I'm their prince after all. Why would I not want my kingdom to be happy? It's being ruined by Vex and I can't stand to watch it be destroyed.

What is your current state of mind?
Pissed.

What is your favorite occupation?
I've never really had a real job before. Taking care of this band of misfits doesn't really count. I like seeing a seed burst and create a wonderful plant or vegetable. So I guess you could say farming is my favorite.

What is your most treasured possession?
There's this map of the stars. It was given to me by an enchantress that I met in the woods one night when I was eight. She told me that if I held onto it for ten years and never let anyone else lay eyes on it, I'd be able to read it and it would help lead me to what I most desired.

It's been ten years already, but I'm not about to give it up. It'll work eventually, I'm sure of it.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?
I don't have time to fall in love with anyone.

When and where were you the happiest?
Sitting in the loft at the top of the barn. The birds sometimes get on my nerves, but it's the perfect place to just sit and think. And I can sit and watch the sun come up every morning. The castle is visible from that spot, which brings back memories of when I was a kid living there with my parents. My dad is always the first one I remember. It's almost like he's still there.

What is it that you most dislike?
Vex. There is nothing that I hate more than that guy.

What is your greatest fear?
That I will lose my kingdom.

What is your greatest extravagance?
Ha. That's a funny one. I don't think I even know what an extravagance is anymore.

Which living person do you most despise?
I already told you. Don't make me say his name again.

What is your greatest regret?
That I never truly treated Cara as a friend. We've been friends since we were kids, but I haven't been the best of friends. Now that I think back on it, I was a real douche. She always wanted to do this, but I always wanted to do that. So we always ended up doing that. She never really got a say in our relationship. It felt like she was just tagging along some times. And that's what I've been working at fixing.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
My stubbornness. It's hard for anyone to get me to change my mind. Once I have an idea set in there, good luck getting it out. I usually don't listen to advice when I'm stuck on one thing either. It could be the stupidest idea in the world and everyone is telling me off about it and I still wouldn't listen.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Lying. Nothing works unless there is trust.

What do you most value in your friends?
Loyalty and trust. We're in this together. If anyone disagrees with what we're doing, they need to simply shut their trap and help us. Or else they're not really our friend. Friends trust that each other is doing the right thing, even if it's the wrong thing. I trust my friends as much as they trust me. Maybe even more than they trust me.

Which living person do you most admire?
No one. The only person I ever admired is dead.

On what occasions do you lie?
When I need to. But I will never, ever lie to my friends. That's where I draw the line. They have to trust that I'll be honest with them and put them in the best situations.

How would you like to die?
If I'm going to die, it's going to be by the hands of Vex. He is my target. I am going to duel with him for the crown. If I die, then it will be in an honorable way doing the honorable and right thing.

What is your motto?
To rule is to be a coward. To understand is to lead an entire kingdom.

Name: Kyra Riese
Age: 17
Sex: female
Eye Color: blue, like the daytime sky; soft yellow, like the stars of the sky
Hair Color: black, like the night sky
Skin Color:
Height:
Weight:
Memorable Features: Her eyes. They change colors depending on her mood. Only when she is vulnerable and lets her guard down completely do her eyes change to the soft yellow color
Race:
Ethnicity:
Faults:
Talents:
Family:
Childhood:
Source of Income:
Hobbies:
Patience Breaking Point:
Status in Society: Is unknown. The only people in Esterwynn that even know of her existence are Milo and Ida, the "fortune teller"
Biography:

1: What is the quickest way to get from your starting point, to your ending point regardless of what you want to have happen, your characters, or your plot?
Hm. That's a tough one. I'll have to think that one over. (I'll probably never know the answer)

2: What is normal life like for your character?
What normal life used to be: Milo would spend most of his days outside playing with his friends from the village. He'd even attend school with them on some days. However, he couldn't go long without being recognized and worshiped like the prince he was. People would bring him food and presents and offer him things for free, which he thought was stupid because he didn't need any of that stuff.

When he spent time in the castle, he was usually with his father, reading old history books and learning how to plan a war. "You know, the boring part about ruling a kingdom" as Milo would say.

Spending time in the royal village was a much different experience. He didn't have very many friends in that part of the kingdom, but he did have one: Kyra Stewart. She was the daughter of one of the king's closest nobles. The two families spent much time together. Kyra was able to teach him things like hunting and cooking and survival, all things that a daughter of a noble should not know.

What normal life is now: surviving and planning ways to overthrow Vex.

3: When is normal life disrupted and how?
When a girl appears not far from the Myriad's hideout.

4: What causes the story to go back to normalcy?
No idea. That'll be at the end and I haven't figured out the end yet.

5: How would a different character solve the problem given to the main character?
Cara solves the star map because she's willing to think outside of the box. Milo is too focused on one aspect of the map to figure it out.

6: What are the tools at your character's disposal to discover information?
Over the years, the kids discovered clothing that was being piled up to be burned near the woods. They stole a few pieces of clothing at a time until they had enough to make outfits for each of them. When they want to know what's going on in the kingdom, they put on disguises and wander through the village, getting information from anyone that will talk to them.

7: What are the tools for your character to end conflict?
- the star map
- weapons
- the girl with the stars in her eyes

8: How would the plot change if your main character wasn't in the story?
If Milo wasn't in the story, there would be no story. Vex would take power, there would be no prophecies, there would be no Myriad. The kids might or might not live; I'm not sure about that one. So basically, the entire story happens because of Milo.

9: Is the plot driven by the character, or outside events in the story?
I guess the plot is driven by Milo, but there are also outside events that take place. A majority is from Milo though.

10: Looking at your story from the perspective of someone who believes that all people are good in some way, what rationality would you have for your plot points?
No idea... yet

11: Now, looking at your story from the perspective of someone who believes that all people are in essence greedy and bound to do bad things, what rationality would you have for your plot points?
No idea... yet

12: What is the main conflict in your story, Man vs. Man, Man vs. Self, Man vs. Machine, Man vs. Society, Man vs. Nature...?
Definitely Man vs. Man. There are bits of Man vs. Society and Man vs. Self, but it's mainly Man vs. Man, Milo vs. Vex.

13: What is the main point you want to say through the story?
Milo cares for Esterwynn much more than he cares for himself.

14: If you had to write the story in 1,000 words, what would the plot be?
o.o I don't think I'd be able to do that. But if I had to, it would be of the fight between Milo and Vex for the crown.

15: If you had to convey the story in a five minute speech, what would you focus on?
I'd focus on Milo and his drive to create the kingdom that his father always wanted Esterwynn to be.

16: Do you need all of your plot points to further the plot, or are some of them just for spectacle?
Some of them might end up being there just because. But for the most part, they will all help to move the plot forward.

17: Can your story start farther in without interrupting the plot or losing key details about any specific events?
Nope. Well, okay, maybe it could. But the events that happen in the beginning have to happen at some point in the novel. It's just best to have them happen first.

18: How would you summarize each of your chapters in 50 words or less?
o.o Again, not sure if I'd be able to do that.

19: Where does your character, and your reader, get a break?
Milo's breaks come in the beginning and about halfway through.

20: What is the time period of the story?
The time period isn't important. All we need to know is that it's during a time when there is no electricity and the world is much simpler than it is now.

21: What would the story look like if you wrote it from the point of view of your least-favorite character?
Well, it would be much more viscous to begin with. It would probably end up being a story about a crazed king, that the readers are convinced to like, trying to keep a tight hold on his kingdom.

22: If your last challenge came first, how would the rest of the story go?
It would be... pretty boring. I guess a whole other conflict would pop up eventually, but the whole story focuses on reaching and overcoming that last challenge.

23: What would happen if your conflicts all happened at the same time?
Milo would split everyone up to fix everything while he focused on Vex.

24: What sort of devices will you write into the story to get your characters out of situations where there is no solution, and how can they be used earlier to avoid getting into those situations?
I don't know. I'll have to really think about this one.

25: How do you justify the change, or lack of change, of your character at the end of the novel?
Well, Milo becomes a bit more viscous because he wants to outmatch Vex. He figures the only way to do that is to become more like Vex. I'll have to really think about the other characters.

Question 1: The main goal of this question is to get you thinking about the main conflict in your story. Your main conflict is that the leader is going to be overthrown by a kid, so he's killed a bunch of people who match the description of the prophecy.
What if he didn't believe the prophecy?
What if he had a way to narrow it down because the prophecy was more specific?
What if he couldn't get away from killing all the kids because the prophecy was so vague?
I think these will narrow down the different options you have for the plot because it will make it so the plot didn't happen the same way. I'm not saying there won't be a plot, but it might not be so character driven.

4: For this question, you're going to have to figure out what normal is. That's why it's paired up with describing the normal life for these people. I think you're spot on with the first part of normal life. Normal life then, is what normal life IS for him, not what normal life is now. Right now, you're jumping into the middle of the conflict between Vex and this prophecy.

5: For this, you have to have a clear definition of the different conflicts in your story, and you also have to say how each character would act differently if they were in those shoes.
Vex: The conflict for this character is that he's got this prophecy saying he's going to fall.
How would the children each answer this?
Milo: What are his internal problems and external problems? How would Vex and the others respond to those problems if they were their problems instead? How would Vex and Milo differ if they traded shoes? What would Vex do if he was going to overthrow Milo?

Hopefully with that way of thinking about the question it will be a bit more interesting to answer.

7: You forgot about what tools Vex has.

8: So let's alter the question. How would the story be different if there was a prophecy, but Milo wasn't the one it was about?
better yet
How would the story be different if Vex didn't believe in prophecy?
The goal of the question is to get at what would be different if one specific element was changed about the cause of the problem. For instance, is Milo the reason Vex will be overthrown whether there is a prophecy or not, or is it because of Vex's actions that Vex will be overthrown, whether there is a prophecy or not? Is Vex a bad ruler and he's bound to cause some sort of genocide, or is he scared and that's how genocide happens?

10: Looking at this story from a rationality of someone who believes everyone is good, what would they think of Vex? What would they think of Milo? Would they agree or disagree with Milo's actions? Would they agree or disagree with Vex's actions? What would they suggest Milo or Vex do differently?

11: Looking.... everyone is a jerk, what would they say about Vex? What would they say about Milo? Would they agree or disagree with Milo's actions? Would they agree or disagree with Vex's actions? What would they suggest Milo or Vex do differently?


13: Ok, caring for yourself less than something else is a fine point for a very surface explanation and examination, but I was looking for something a little deeper. What do you, Noelle, want to make the reader feel/see/understand about the 'human condition' with your book? If it was in a literature class, what would you want them to be saying about it in context of your plot?
This could be something like: Man, this is really a growing up story about how Milo had to fight just to exist and that can relate to us today because of all the wars and things that a lot of people are put through with civil wars, refugees, epidemics, and even just crappy parents.

14: I really like this answer because it gets down to the nitty gritty. What's the real conflict here, what's the main point? Well, the main point is a power struggle between a raising power and a falling power. The rest of it, ALL the rest of it, [why it's a power struggle, who is in the power struggle, how they're fighting the power struggle, where it is, what Vex did wrong] suddenly becomes irrelevant when it's just a thousand words. This is an action novel!

Compare that with how you answered 15, which, to be honest, is the same question reworded and in a different context with potentially more or less words.

How you answered 15 shows an adventure and growing up story. 15 suggest this story is about developing something new, and great, something unique! The adventure to create the perfect kingdom.
14, however, is an action story, the nitty gritty of a power struggle, all the slews, dirt, and bad manners that go with it, and all the blood and guts you can get.

What's this tell us about your story?
I wouldn't say that it tells us you don't know where you're going with it. It's just telling us that you're not sure completely about your plot. You know what you want, now how could you do that with only 1000 words? How could you build the perfect empire within 1000 words? [don't think about Vex or your plot, or even Milo, just think about the goal you stated in 15, and how you could include enough conflict to make it interesting, but not enough that it would go over 1000 words]

The goal of these two questions was to create a completely different plot from the original, more or less. They're retrospective before you write it, so when you get to writing it, you have another option if this first one doesn't work out so well.

18 is just to challenge you to think about doing this while you're writing so you have something to remind you what the chapters are supposed to be about, or what their goal is to further the plot.

20 isn't supposed to be time period as in era, but time period as in how long? Is this over 2 years? 5 months? 10 days?

21, I would love to see you empathize with this character a little more and really look through his motives then re-answer this question. Reason: right now you are talking about a propaganda story when in reality, if I look at this plot, I can empathize with Vex because he's been scared witless, and he's in a tragic situation of potentially losing EVERYTHING and even if he Didn't think straight about how to deal with that, who would? He's the classic Greek God.

Did you know that Cronus is Zeus' father? Cronus had to overthrow power from his father too because his father was as scared as HE IS of Zeus taking over so he too killed his babies?
so Zeus' grandfather was overthrown by Zeus' father for the same stuff that Zeus' father was overthrown for doing! Talk about a circle. Like father like son. I see this going right along with this story XD.

You could throw some humor into this story by having a rumor that Vex's family is cursed to overthrow their predecessor because of that freaking prophecy girl.
Here we go again!

24: Consider what other magics go along with prophecy. Is saying a prophecy setting it in stone or are they changeable? Are they so undefined because the players might change but the prophecy won't? This is going to help you potentially come up with something that could be a trump card.

For instance, maybe if Vex wasn't scared about the prophecy, it wouldn't happen. Maybe if Vex rewarded all the 18year olds for being 18, or sent them all to Spain for a while, maybe everything would be fine.

I know it makes for a boring story, but it can help create plot twists to realize something like: Oh, well, sure he killed all these kids, but like, he wouldn't have done that. What he would have done would be X, because he needs a population, and he has a cavalry, and scrying magic, so he could totally keep an eye on the 18 year olds and just throw them all in the army and always have the army like, half way across the world.