I am sorry for the long wait for the next segment of "The Scroll." To be honest, I've been thinking about the story a lot, but not writing.
I have been brainstorming.
One very essential part of writing is brainstorming. This allows the writer to make sure the story works correctly and that there are little to no holes in his or her work. As for me, I do a lot of the brainstorming in my brain, keeping it there for future reference. I do sometimes write down outlines and character profiles to help me keep things straight, but often I just keep it in my head. Which could prove to be a problem if I ever get Alzheimers or a brain injury affecting my memory.
Here are some things I have been brainstorming over the past several days (no details):
The rules of magic. Yes, this is a fantasy. No, this is not sci-fi (though some parts of the rules of magic may seem like science fiction, and science versus magic will play a part in the series (yes, series)).
Character development. Will Savannah always say random references to fantasy and science fiction novels, or will she be more of a walking encyclopedia on the subject? I'm leaning more towards encyclopedia. Which means I've got some reading to do.
Logical plot development. I have now put Gray in the hospital. What about insurance? What about Child Services (he's still a teenager)? There are certain things that authors can do to bend or twist the rules of life, but they all have to be within the realm of believability. The reader has to be able to "suspend disbelief," and too many logical fallacies will ruin this suspension.
Order of revelation. This is going to be a bit of a mystery, a bit of a quest, and a bit of "running for your life." In what order do I want to reveal things, when do I want to reveal them, and when I reveal them do I want to let the reader know everything?
Villain development. Who is the villain(s)? What is their agenda? Why do they act the way they do? (You have not yet run into any villains) Will all of the villains come from one side of the path? (remember my pathway reference at the beginning?) Just thinking about this helped me get rid of one logical fallacy and develop a whole backstory for a specific character.
Order of events/what events will or will not happen. I want this to be a four-part series with each story interconnecting with the other. This is going to be an epic voyage for Leslie and Gray (and Savannah, though in a different way). I can't let everything happen in the first story, but I can't leave important information out.
So, though I have not written much, I have been thinking a lot. Here's to posting the next segment of "The Scroll" in the next couple of days!
Ooh, so many good thoughts to think on!
ReplyDeleteOne of the biggest challenges of writers is that the character cannot know or imagine anything the writer doesn't. Sometimes that means the character teaches the author something so it can be written. Having a character teach you is quite unlike anything else, and a little unnerving and a lot exhilarating for me personally.
Fantasy is fun to write in that you can have a world as close or as distant to the current one as desired. For example, the hospital issue. Maybe it's a near-Earth, where such concerns are part of a public welfare. Either way it goes, such details are for progressing the story or challenging the characters. As long as the rules don't contradict themselves without good reason, I believe they can be whatever works best for the writer.
Revelation is tricky. Keeping the reader interested without maiming them from stuffing the plot full of hooks.
Your talk of villains reminded me that for a story doesn't have to be a personified 'bad guy'. It can also be man vs nature, man vs himself, man vs technology, etc. Though it sounds like you've already discovered your story's antagonist just fine.
Thank you for sharing your brainstorming! It help me think of things for a few of my own, too.