z

Young Writers Society


Building Plot From Setting



User avatar
38 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 4853
Reviews: 38
Fri Jun 24, 2016 2:48 pm
StarGazer says...



I have a world that I have been developing. It's a post-apocalyptic Earth society set in a fantasy world. The problem is, I love this world, but I have no idea what plot to make from it. Does anyone have a suggestion on how to develop a plot for this world?
  





User avatar
86 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 10071
Reviews: 86
Fri Jun 24, 2016 2:55 pm
reikann says...



Well, to start with - describe your world! Where could things go wrong?
Here would be a good place, because then friendly YWSers can point you in one direction or another.
  





User avatar
494 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 0
Reviews: 494
Fri Jun 24, 2016 3:04 pm
Holysocks says...



Basically what Rei said: figure out where a problem could occur. What brought about the apocalypse in the first place? Is it dealt with? Are there more problems that may occur from the initial apocalypse?

For instance, on earth, if for some reason everyone's electricity failed at once, mass panic would be a huge concern- people can act WAY out of character when they're afraid, and don't know what to do-- this might not occur right away though, it really depends.
100% autistic
  





User avatar
38 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 4853
Reviews: 38
Fri Jun 24, 2016 3:10 pm
StarGazer says...



I hope this description works!

Sometime a few hundred years ago, the storms came. They covered the land, transforming it into a wasteland of magic and death. The storms stole nearly all natural magic and warped the landscape beyond recognition, stretching mountains miles into the air and cutting canyons just as deep. Animals mutated into creatures that live to hunt, spending their lives killing. Society collapsed and the human race fractured. In the present, the world is covered with small tribes. They travel the world looking for supplies and food, trying to stay alive. Very few people can survive in the storms.

I haven't yet decided if they'll be other species than humans, but if so, they'd be closer to mutated humans than actual other species. In addition, the "humans" aren't actually humans, but a species mutated from them to adapt to the storms.

This isn't a complete description, but a bit of an outline for this world. I have more developed, but as it takes up six pages, I think this short piece is better.
  





User avatar
38 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 4853
Reviews: 38
Fri Jun 24, 2016 4:47 pm
StarGazer says...



I wrote a quick opening scene in about half an hour. It's rough, but I like where it went.

The old convenience store was filled with the forgotten relics of a civilization long dead. The racks had been emptied, but the few machines had been left to rust. On the far wall, faded signs advertised in a language no one could read. Above the door hung a sign in cracked red plastic, the casing split to reveal the frayed wires. The floor tiles were fractured but smooth, welded to the ground too permanently to be removed. In the corner, a door opened to a smaller room. It had a basin on the wall below a shattered mirror, barely a shard left in the frame. On the floor was a second, larger basin which had once been filled with water but no longer worked. The only light came from the windows. The only remnants of what had once lit the building were the plastic panels falling from the ceiling. The building was dirty and broken, the outside scoured by the strong winds until it was barely a shell.

“This is a disgrace.”

The voice was metallic and sharp, like coins poured into a bucket, with an undertone of the shuffling of papers. A snap ended the words, followed by a loud beeping.

“So disappointing.”

A frenzy of clicking punctuated the statement, bouncing off the metal shelves and hitting the dead lighting panels.

“Honestly, I had expected better.”

The cash register opened its drawer again before letting the flurry of numbers spread over its display. As it had no face, it could only express its displeasure through the multitude of noises its metal body could produce. It slammed its keys and released more coins.

“This is the end of the world, Register. What do you want from it?”

The voice was quiet but forceful, matching the girl it belonged to. She had dark hair and skin, as everyone did, and she wore robes that wrapped around her form like blankets draped over a chair. Goggles covered her eyes and she had fingerless gloves made of a thick material. She huddled under the front counter, knees pulled up to her chest and hands fiddling with her new shoes. She had found them in the front and they were slightly too small, but they were in too good of a shape to abandon.

“Is a bit of respect too much to ask?” Register flipped a stack of bills onto the girl’s feet and she brushed them off.

“Obviously.” The girl stood up, stretching her spine, and looked out the window. “I think it’s gone.”

“It’s been gone for ten minutes now. I just didn’t want to tell you.”

“You don’t want me to leave.”

“So you are leaving?” Register’s voice was soft now, almost pleading. The girl rubbed her face, pulling the goggles up, and sighed.

“Don’t tell me you've grown attached.”

“Of course not. My previous job killed all emotion I had.”

“Liar.” The girl picked up the bag next to her, wrapped in the same cloth that made up her robe. Her tent was strapped to the top, and she slung it over her shoulders in a familiar motion. “Sorry, Register, but I can’t stay here. You know that.”

“Why are we arguing this?”

“Because you’re a sap.”

Register made a grumbling noise filled with hundreds of keystrokes. The girl only laughed, patting his display as she heaved herself over the counter. “Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”

“I’m not worried.”

“Springs wound a bit too tight?” The bell above the door rang softly as the girl opened it. “Come on, Register. You knew this was coming. I’ve stayed here for a week already.”

Register didn’t answer.

“Besides, there’s a tribe nearby. I can tell.”

“They won’t welcome you.”

“They don’t have to. I could be a scout, if they pay me. But I’m pretty sure that’s not necessary.”

Register snorted. “Humans. I’ll never understand you.” He paused. “Are you sure there’ll be others?”

“Yes.” The girl turned back one last time. “Goodbye, Register. And good luck.” She let the door fall closed and left.

“Keep your luck,” Register mumbled to the empty air. “I think you need it more than me.” With a whirring of paper and gears, he shut down.
  





User avatar
1272 Reviews



Gender: Other
Points: 89625
Reviews: 1272
Fri Jun 24, 2016 8:49 pm
View Likes
Rosendorn says...



Looking at your description and at your opening, I feel like you're missing one thing.

An understanding of the actual people and their society(/societies).

You haven't outlined how people themselves use this world. I don't get a sense for how humans fit, how magic fits, and how machines (which are apparently animated, as per your snippet) fit. How they play off each other and support each other.

Fractured groups and harsh environments often produce more collaboration, not less. Humans are social pack animals who have only survived primarily because we worked together. I'm reminded of the Dobe Ju/'hoansi who had multiple collaboration systems in place to both ease tension and form more social bonds. It also means that different types of labour are valued and supported in the group— somebody who cannot go hunt and gather from disability, injury, or age, for example, is valued as a babysitter who can stay to guard camp and the kids within it. They can also be valued as storytellers, knowledge keepers, artists, or any other role that brings aid or happiness.

You're going to have to approach how this environment has shaped society (any group of people can be called a society) and also think about what would be the system that brings about the highest survival rate. People, in general, don't really like dying. They also, often, don't like to watch others die (especially if the person is "like them" in some regards). As a result, isolationism (which is very prominent in the Western world, America especially) is an absolute detriment in a harsh environment. Collaboration and large social groups where everyone takes care of the other are far, far, far more common globally, and that rate only goes up when you factor in the harshness of the environment.

As a result, your lack of collaboration and assumed hostility rings false for me. Single humans can't really survive on their own, not for long periods of time. We need others to take the burden of gathering/processing resources, and we need others to do tasks we just don't have the time/energy to do. Plus, humans just need a large variety of people around us. There's a reason solitary confinement is so harsh a punishment in prison— it makes us rather literally go insane if we are in the environment too long.

Figure out the people, both how they interact with each other and the world, and you'll be well on your way to a plot.
A writer is a world trapped in a person— Victor Hugo

Ink is blood. Paper is bandages. The wounded press books to their heart to know they're not alone.
  





User avatar
38 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 4853
Reviews: 38
Fri Jun 24, 2016 11:35 pm
StarGazer says...



Thank you for the input. It makes a lot of sense. I was planning to have large groups traveling together, up to several hundred people. The problems with a larger group is often resources. Life is harsh, and food and water are very scarce. In addition, while large groups provide protection, making them too large can lead to difficulties traveling, attraction of predators, or dissent within the group. Some groups might split into smaller groups that have surviving communications, but mostly they prefer to look out for their own over others.

There are larger communities, however. Some larger cities contain massive groups of people that are interconnected through proximity. Some groups set up permanent or semi-permanent camps in areas rich with resources, and these often serve as hubs for all sorts of people. In other areas, a large space of land is controlled by one or a small group of people, almost like a country. Almost no one will ever go out alone, and even these few people enjoy groups and will often rejoin a community.

Each group is like a community on their own. The people of this place are not openly hostile, and the groups are more like closely knit families than anything else. Your dynamic of serving the community is true, in the same way kids support their parents in old age. The conflicting groups mostly only exist when they are fighting over a resource, and even then, only if it's extremely scarce. Two separate families will distrust each other, in the way you can't know for sure if the other person means well, but they will share resources and information, and will come to the other's aid if needed. However, they don't often run into each other, as the world is large and has been deformed. The population has been greatly reduced as well, and while I do not have an exact number, groups can be separated by miles.

I wasn't trying to imply that the people did not have group dynamics. If it was implied by the short passage and the girl not being trusted, that was because she is a lone, fairly young girl, and while they will not leave her to die, they will not welcome her instantly. If she proves trustworthy, they will accept her, but at least in the beginning they have suspicions. Almost no one goes out alone, so she is either crazy, a scout, or lost whoever she was traveling with. Not everyone is as nice as they seem, and she could be a scout for people with less than altruistic intentions.

In conclusion, this is not a society where no one trusts. It is actually very close knit, leading to distrust between groups of individuals. However, almost no one outright kills others, and most are willing to lend a helping hand if needed. They are more like small, moving communities than a destroyed society. Thank you for helping me develop this!
  





User avatar
1272 Reviews



Gender: Other
Points: 89625
Reviews: 1272
Sat Jun 25, 2016 12:31 am
Rosendorn says...



So my next question is: why is she alone, and how can she survive?
A writer is a world trapped in a person— Victor Hugo

Ink is blood. Paper is bandages. The wounded press books to their heart to know they're not alone.
  





User avatar
560 Reviews



Gender: None specified
Points: 30438
Reviews: 560
Sun Jul 03, 2016 5:35 pm
Tenyo says...



Question! Do you know what kind of scope you're looking at with this novel?

It would depend on what kind of fiction you like to write (and read), but you could have the world as a backdrop for a very personal story between a few characters, or you can have the characters as devices for the exploration of this world.

The latter might require you to build much more into the sociology and politics of these surviving tribes, but give you much more room to play with the full impact of this apocalypse. The former takes this pressure off and means you don't need to be as painstakingly rational about the society you build, but also means you can only really view the world you've built through the narrow scope of your MC's perspectives.

It doesn't neccesarily have to be one or the other, but the scope of your novel will give you an idea of what kind of characters you need to achieve their purpose.
We were born to be amazing.
  





User avatar
38 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 4853
Reviews: 38
Mon Jul 04, 2016 2:24 am
StarGazer says...



Tenyo:
Thank you for the input! I was definitely thinking of the larger scale idea. I feel like this would be a one book deal, not a series, unless it told the same story over several books, but I would like to explore the world a bit. I do have a lot of development but no real specific locations. I'm planning to develop an entire new world, pretty much, and I'd hate to make it and not show any of it. I'm planning to have characters from different areas, but it's all very unformed now. Based on this, I'd like to have a plot that makes the characters travel, but that can be worked into pretty much anything.

Rosendorn:
Sorry I didn't see your response earlier! She was alone because of an outdated magic concept, but now I feel it doesn't fit as well. I only put the magic in because it explains the storms and I like magic worlds, but I feel that's not good enough to have it exist. If I can't figure out a different reason for the storms to exist, I'll put it back, but I'm hoping to wrangle it with suspension of disbelief and this society not knowing how they exist. The only reason I can think of that she'd be alone is that her family was killed, but that feel's too clique. I'd probably change her to be a scout from a larger group that was sent out to search the store or a girl wandering away from her group to explore. The piece was mostly a quick thing to get a better feel for the world and less an actual character, though she may become one if I can work more on this.
  





User avatar
1272 Reviews



Gender: Other
Points: 89625
Reviews: 1272
Mon Jul 04, 2016 3:55 am
Rosendorn says...



I would caution you on putting the setting first. I have seen many a speculative fiction story (including my own) that has utterly fallen apart because the author spent the story... not telling a story, and focusing on showing off the setting.

There's nothing wrong with building a plot to show as much of the setting as possible, but do try to remember you're telling a story first, displaying your world second. Nothing's stopping you from writing multiple books in the same setting, and that's one way you can show a wide variety of components (see the Diskworld universe for this used to great effect; it's a collection of mostly stand alone novels that are set in the same universe with only a rough chronological order to them along multiple clusters, depending on the characters you're following).

Worldbuilding is fun, but unless you're telling a story (and focusing on the people who inhabit the world), readers won't be able to connect, and you won't be able to showcase it.
A writer is a world trapped in a person— Victor Hugo

Ink is blood. Paper is bandages. The wounded press books to their heart to know they're not alone.
  





User avatar
560 Reviews



Gender: None specified
Points: 30438
Reviews: 560
Tue Jul 05, 2016 8:26 am
Tenyo says...



So, it sounds like a questy novel would fit best. Now for the characters. Good characters tend to make their own plots.

Quests can take different forms and employ different casts of characters. These are the first few that come to mind.

Specially selected characters: a group from different backgrounds who have been chosen by some higher guru for the purpose of completing a task. These could be anything from prophesied brats to mercenaries. Usually they have a very broad skillset between them, but all unite for a common goal of 'cos that's what we were told to do.' This one is pretty easy to manage as far as plot goes, and hopefully it will keep the characters all on track.

Survival characters: a group who have all been affected by the same tragedy and travel together just because there is safety in numbers. Their goal is usually a series of challenges to simply stay alive- whether that's finding basics like food, or staying in constant flight of a particular enemy.

Cross road characters: this is is a group who all have very different backgrounds and goals within the story, but who happen to be travelling the same road at the same time and team up for what can appear to be a short duration. It sometimes means they have to bend their wills a little to accommodate for the other characters, but in the end they get where they want to go on their own individual quests.

Personally, I'd recommend cross road characters. If you mix up something like... a scholar trying to document modern times, a cartographer searching for landmarks, a pilgrim looking for their deity, and the likes, then you have plenty of reason for detours and exploration.

Another thing I'd suggest is having parallel plots playing out in the background. It's something I've seen more in video games, but it pretty much involves being able to witness another plot unfolding through a window without interacting with it. Like leaving traces of evidence at the sites they visit, or overhearing several pieces of gossip at different intervals. It can be used to further explore the world beyond your characters vision, and also bring some kind of history and animation to things that would otherwise seem like still background images. It also wouldn't complicate your plot or tie your characters up in the same place for too long (as they sometimes do of their own accord when they get their heads stuck on something.)
We were born to be amazing.
  








#longlivebigbrother
— alliyah