z

Young Writers Society


Don't know what to do with them



User avatar
121 Reviews



Gender: Male
Points: 1779
Reviews: 121
Wed Jun 17, 2009 3:37 am
PhoenixBishop says...



Ok so I came up with two character a long time ago, and yet I don't know what to do with them. I came up with multiple ideas but all of them failed.

First idea- Jenica was a water nymph and Kyle a fire nymph. Their families tried to use them to destroy the other clan. I decided it was too Romeo and Juliet

Second idea- Kyle was the clone Jenica's deceased boyfriend and was used by a secret organization to overthrow the government. I decided it was too childish and too generic of a sci-fi

Third idea- Kyle was a witch hunter and Jenica was a witch that discovered she was the actual phoenix. (this one connected to my phoenix saga series) Didn't fit the rest of the series.

Fourth idea- Kyle part of an experiment called Olympus in which the government used the phoenix star to give people god like powers( again would have been connected to phoenix saga series)

Fifth idea Jenica survives car accident and goes crazy. Kyle dies within the first chapter and is only mentioned in memories.

Sixth idea- A well researched sci-fi about clones. I did months of research on human cloning, genetics, and other sciences to make a complicated clone story about clones use by the government to take on dangerous jobs. I couldn't get past the first page.


So my question is have any of you ever had a character before the story and you just didn't know what to do with them.?

Also which idea do you think has the most potential. Don't worry about my write offs I need to know which idea is most appealing.

How can I place these character, and get over my writers block.
Last edited by PhoenixBishop on Tue Apr 27, 2010 2:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.
This is one little planet in one tiny solar system in a galaxy that’s barely out of its diapers. I’m old, Dean. Very old. So I invite you to contemplate how insignificant I find you.

Death~
  





User avatar
1162 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 32055
Reviews: 1162
Wed Jun 17, 2009 3:17 pm
Carlito says...



I almost always up with characters before the plot. What I do is kind of strange. I have my set of characters and as I go through my day and life and whatnot, I think about what they're doing at that time. I pretend I'm them sometimes and have conversations with them in my head. This gets me really close to my characters and the plot begins to form. I've had sets of characters for a couple of years before I actually begin to write their story down.
Usually when I come up with a set of characters a basic plot comes pretty quickly after but I have several characters that don't really fit into any of my stories but I really like them so I don't want to just get rid of them but they're not cool/interesting/I don't like them enough for them to have their own story. :)
Personally, I like the 5th idea the best. I think all of them have potential though and any would make good stories.
I think you should just take a break and let the characters sit for a little while. Don't force the words or ideas, let them come to you. One day you'll wake up, something will click and you'll be ready to start the story, but until then, be patient and don't force it :)

-Carly
It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.

Ask a Therapist!
I want to beta read your novel!


Ask me anything. Talk to me about anything. Seriously. My PM box is always open <3
  





Random avatar


Gender: Female
Points: 890
Reviews: 15
Wed Jun 17, 2009 3:27 pm
Horserider says...



Only once have I ever come up with the character before the story. Actually that's not true, I still don't have the character, I had the setting. Which isn't exactly the best example because I'm still waiting for something to hit me over the head.

I like the third idea. Kyle could find out she's a witch and be torn over his duty as a witch hunter and killing her and then he falls in love with her... *brain runs off* Sorry, it's your story.

I think you should just take a break and let the characters sit for a little while. Don't force the words or ideas, let them come to you. One day you'll wake up, something will click and you'll be ready to start the story, but until then, be patient and don't force it


When I get writers block that seems like it's never going to end, I usually try to force it. Or in the case of last night I watched a movie that suddenly made me want to work on a story I hadn't touched in a week.

If you're anything like me, ideas will hit you at completely random moments when you're least expecting them. So you could just wait. :)

Or you could ask your characters. (I'm not crazy. Swear. I'm just a writer)
  





User avatar
94 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 5588
Reviews: 94
Fri Jun 19, 2009 3:36 am
Eliza:) says...



I often think of characters before the plot. Thinking of characters is just easier then thinking of a good plot that you like that other people would like too.

Personally, I think the best thing you could do is just forget about the characters for a while. Often you think of plots when you least expect it. If you're thinking about the characters, you will probably have less of a chance to realize the perfect plot.

I like the fifth idea the best. Many of the others are cliched, but the fifth idea would be very unique.
There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.
-Ernest Hemingway
  





User avatar
36 Reviews



Gender: None specified
Points: 1190
Reviews: 36
Sun Jun 21, 2009 9:23 pm
ankhirke says...



I don't know how developed your characters are, but I think the thing you're going to want to think about now is setting; no character grows up in a vacuum.

What I mean is this: Each of your story ideas up there has a unique setting, and depending on which one it is, your characters will be slightly different. They'll still be the same basic people, obviously, but they'll have slightly different affects/memories/friends/hobbies/etc. And if your characters are going to be the heart of the piece, you're going to want to know all these things first. So try on different settings, determine how they affect your characters, choose the one that makes you love your characters the most, and let THAT determine in which direction you look for a plot.

~Annie
  








I'm effortlessly ironic.
— Link Neal