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What do you want in a storybook's plot?



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Fri Aug 16, 2019 8:43 pm
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Mageheart says...



Like the title says, what do you want in a storybook's plot?

Basically, what kind of things do you look for when you're trying to decide if you want to join a new storybook? I'm trying to craft a new one, but I need some ideas on what people are currently into on the site - as of right now, I just have the vague beginnings of a storybook or two. Knowing people's interests would really help me figure out what I want the storybook to be like.

Personally, I love being in storybooks where characters are transported from one world to another. I also love storybooks with magic, though I usually stick with magic in more Earth-like settings. I like adventures, but maybe not in the traveling across a mysterious land sense - more like an adventure set in a relatively small location, like the town the characters live in.
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Fri Aug 16, 2019 9:13 pm
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Lib says...



Well, I'm not sure this'd help much, but here goes nothing anyways.

Humor - as in stuff like weirdo clowns, funny birds, class clowns, sneezy dragons...

Adventure - as in going into the forest, being transported to the past/future...

Thrills - you could talk to the king of the world by telepathy, shape-shifting monsters (not quite thrilling, but my head's hurting so I can't really think straight. >_<)

And obviously...

Fantasy (so that I can go wild with moi imagintion) - as in mythical creatures, crazy kingdoms, oompa loompas, magic...

Sure hope these lame ideas this helped! Can't wait to see what you come up with this time. ^^
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Fri Aug 16, 2019 9:55 pm
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Mageheart says...



Thanks for the response, @Liberty! It definitely helped.
mage

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roleplaying is my platonic love language.

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Fri Aug 16, 2019 9:56 pm
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Lib says...



Sure thing! :^)
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Mon Aug 19, 2019 5:45 am
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AvantCoffee says...



i don't choose storybooks, they choose me against my better judgement

(Whoops this might have ended up becoming a storybook analysis as well as personal interest lol)

Generally speaking, a storybook appeals to me when a) there is a sense that the plot has enough going for it to direct the story somewhere, b) the setting is just damn cool or interesting or different to other settings I'm used to writing [setting is actually a big factor for me], and c) the storybook has enough detail to seperate itself from other storybooks, but is loose enough to give multiple other writers creative breathing room. ^^

@Omnom's Aether's Heart is a good example of a storybook I really wanted to join, because it had an intriguing setting and a mystery that seemed would lead the story in a promising direction. Storybooks that incorporate the Adventure genre generally do well, I think, because they generally have a story that drives characters towards an eventual goal. Mystery storybooks are the same for the same reason; the goal is to uncover the mystery. A lot of storybookers on YWS seem to like the Fantasy genre, but the Supernatural genre can be popular in its own right, and I tend to prefer that~

Bluebell's Spring was an interesting case because it is character-driven rather than plot-driven, and because I'd quickly thought of a character for it (and I love the Slice of Life genre) it seemed like something unique to be part of. :3 I'm still adamant about writing Sam's post for it, although I think character-driven stories present a challenge that is more conscious. There seems to be less conscious effort to interact with characters and progress a story when an external plot is pulling everyone along. I feel like character-driven storybooks can be appealing to me, but are different to approach.

What can be interesting to me sometimes is different narrative structures. The most common for storybooks is linear, but there are fractured narratives where the events of the story aren't chronological (idk if this has been done before as a SB??), or framed narratives (I think I tried to do something like that for Le Cirque d'Avalon in the prologue lol), or epistolary storybooks written entirely in letters. Those can be appealing to join to experiment/explore different ways of writing storybooks with others, and can sorta spice things up, but they aren't really enough on their own unless the story itself is also interesting.

Characters being transported to another world is often a solid way to go for a storybook because there will be heaps to discover, and I've really enjoyed some of the SBs you've made like that, Mage! c: There can be a risk of losing momentum if there is no collective goal to drive the characters forward once they arrive in the new world, like some threat or quest. However they generally have a strong appeal for me~

So yeah, for me I think the most important aspect I look for is a plot that has a sense of an eventual goal (even if that goal isn't fully formed yet), and bonus points if the setting is interesting or refreshing to work with (I'm thinkin' @Wolfical's Sea of Seven as an example of a cool setting) d:

As for what I'm currently into:
- deserts, apparently
- i guess you could say more worldly adventures, but Aether's Heart has that one pretty much covered
- been wanting to write something more psychological or dark lately
- like maybe dark folklore? i'm thinking of that one anime Fairy Gone even though i haven't watched it and don't really know what it's about, but that kind of aesthetic/theme?
- mystery, mystery, mystery
- not so much modern action (like no spies or heists or assassins or superheroes for me at the moment)
- if you tempt me with a cool setting i will probably cave
  





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Sat Dec 14, 2019 3:33 am
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keystrings says...



I honestly meant to answer this question earlier, but I never got around to it, whoops. E:

Basically for me, I like pretty much anything in a storybook plot. Whether it be supernatural stuff or fantasy stuff or the fact that these characters are in the middle of nowhere for no reason and someone's dragging a literal human body while appearing as a skeleton.

My personal favorites include:
-random bonding between characters
-illogical events happening because maGIC
-illogical events happening because plOT mUSt HaPPeN
-coming up with characters that were friends in the past and waiting for the event to happen like twenty posts into the storybook

So, uh, this is a mess, but in a storybook plot, I like having some kind of structure. Whether there are hints at an eventual bad guy that brings in everyone or that there is a location everyone needs to reach. A neat setting is always appealing, but I like trying out any idea that has promise.
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pronouns: she/her/hers and they/them/theirs


novel: the clocktower (camp nano apr 24)
poetry: the beauty of the untold (napo 2024)
  








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