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ALOHA MY WRITERLY FRIENDZ! SO, as the title states, I have an idea for a new story and I’m excited about it, but I could use some help fleshing it out. This is usually my all time favorite part of the process but at the same time there’s that struggle with the initial “jumping in” when it comes to a new idea. And the “WHERE DO I START?!”
I’ve discovered a do lean a tad more toward the Pantser side of things, so keep that in mind with any advice but I do love the idea if outlining and am willing to try things. I also just rlly wanted to share my new idea and see what y’all thought about it…
I’m very character driven, so that’s usually the driving force behind my story ideas, along with the world and plot (I love all three but characters take the cake)
My story is about 3 brothers, each born with abilities (but they aren’t unlocked until later so the boys don’t know about them) that represent a different fantasy creature; a type of Lizard (cross between chameleon and iguana when it comes to abilities), Griffon or something like that, and a mouse-like creature.
The boys’ mother died when they were younger, leaving them to fend for themselves, but when they;’re abilities reveal themselves they begin to find out secrets about their family and lives, and others with similar abilities.
But these abilities make rifts between them as well (because a griffon who is a cross between a hawk/eagle and a lion, AKA a predator to a mouse would cause issues between each other ya know…) anyway that’s the idea rn… what do y’all think?
#IfMarcelDiesIRiot
#ProtectMarcel
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#IfMarcelDiesIRiot
#ProtectMarcel
#ProtectSebAlso, Im going to do approach the POV kinda like the wingfeather saga. All 3 siblings are POV characters. But there is one that is the real Protagonist of the entire story.
While honestly my favorite character is the youngest (it usually is) the protagonist I believe is the Middle boy. I believe he’s going to be the one whose voice will have the most impact being the main Protagonist, just as Janner was in the Wingfeather saga (although his siblings were also MCs, not side characters) because the middle boy will be the one who deals with the most inner conflict, and I really want his message to get through. He honestly reminds me of Kalmar except he’s older, more rebellious, and doesn’t realize his mistakes as Kalmar did in the wingfeather saga, instead he’s tough and is, in entirety, a bit rebellious.
he wishes to lead instead of his older brother, and there ends up being a lot of conflict between him and the younger (he is the Griffon character, and the youngest boy is the Mouse-like character, so that in itself gives tension, because the inner animal brings out the prey & predator drive)
So yea he’s the one who NEEDS to change the most throughout the events of the story.
#IfMarcelDiesIRiot
#ProtectMarcel
#ProtectSebYour story idea sounds great! I have one question before I begin making suggestions: what would be the “powers” the siblings have? Do they turn into those creatures? How does that work?
In the words of Jinto Queb, "Hurry, reading is fun!"
Wow. That sounds like some story idea!
I can’t say that I’m very great at planning out/development, even though it is one of my favorite parts. But…
I love your idea for the protagonist. What is his knee-jerk reaction to learning about his capabilities? Does he realize he is rebellious? Why does he want to lead? Is he actually insecure or afraid of something and that is what makes him act the way he does (like seeking affirmation from accomplishments?)?
And that might be a completely unconnected, but your story is intriguing, especially your characters.
How do these special abilities/characteristics work in? What are they like? (If that isn’t like a terrible spoiler or something.)
And characters are undoubtedly the best part. 😉
You have listened to fears, child. Come, let me breathe on you... Are you brave again? -Aslan
Thx so much!
As for the middle boy I haven’t figured out everything about him, so can’t quite answer all those questions but definitely some things to think on!!
The abilities aren’t much of a spoiler when it comes to how they work.
I’ll use the youngest as an example-
His creature is the mouse type one, so he ends up having excellent hearing and smell, to the point he’s able to hear the faintest of sounds (which can be both a blessing and a curse in some situations) and he also has a keen sense of smell) he’s also the smallest (being the youngest and because he’s smaller despite his age due to his ability)
however, he sometimes finds his eyes going blurry (mice have bad eyesight) which is a side affect to the good abilities he has, along with his obsession for Granux Butter. He’s also very quick, making him perfect for sneaking into the small places and listening in on conversations.
so yea those are kinda how the abilities work.
#IfMarcelDiesIRiot
#ProtectMarcel
#ProtectSebThey don’t turn into the animals, but…. I am thinking there is a way that they can slowly start becoming more and more “creature/monster like” instead of human, but it all depends on if you allow the Animal within you to take control.
And as you can guess, the Middle boy struggles the hardest with this….
thus, he ends up growing a pair of wings
WINGFEATHER SAGA SPOILER SORTA LOL
(makes me think of Artham from the Wingfeather saga XD)
yea this idea is influenced by a TON of things I’ve read and watched and such…..like…a ton….
#IfMarcelDiesIRiot
#ProtectMarcel
#ProtectSebI hoped they’d be good questions. 😉
That makes sense. I like how it’s the talents/characteristics of animals. The way you explained it sounds like there’s a moral hidden in it…. now I’m even more curious. 🙂
Good literature is great for inspiration, and in all honesty, Artham inspired the super protective Mountain Guardian Eagles in my book. I liked his wings and how they expounded on his personality of a guardian, so I ended up with some very animal eagles that are probably my favorite creatures from my WIPs.
Anyway, it sounds good, and seems to hold a lot of potential.
You have listened to fears, child. Come, let me breathe on you... Are you brave again? -Aslan
Very interesting! I’d read it. I like human/humanoid characters with animal abilities, but to be honest I usually end up making them humans with cat ears or dragon wings or whatever.
"When in doubt, eat cheese crackers."-me to my charries who don't even know about cheese crackers
I think that it’s a great, workable idea, and I encourage you to work on it while you are still really excited about it. I am a total panster, so I understand how that works.
I have some questions that may help you develop the story more. What happened to the dad (is he still alive)? Is the only driving theme the sibling conflict? While that can work, it might need outside forces to make it more realistic depending on what you make their relationship like before they discover their abilities. How do they find their abilities and why did they not discover them sooner? You’ll need a plausible explanation for how all of that plus the world works, but I know that as a panster, you’ll figure that out as you go along. 😉 I like your thoughts for POV and having a main Protagonist. You’ll just need to decide if you’re going to equally develop the brothers as siblings or make them enemies, sidekicks, etc.
Anyway, just some thoughts to hopefully make your brain juices flow.
Some people fail; others learn what not to try.
Ooh. . . sounds interesting! A few questions after reading through your idea so far. . .
- What happened to their dad? Is he playing a part in the story? And if he never really makes it into the scene, do the siblings have any kind of mentor characters?
- What causes these abilities to show themselves right then? Is there something in particular that triggers them?
- I’d love to see some hints of inner conflict, and how you can use the external conflict to play with those, too. So they have these new abilities that are beginning to show themselves – what does that mean to them, specifically? How do their own desires and fears play into this?
Hope that helped a bit, and feel free to bounce any follow-up questions at me! <3
wonder | beauty | truth | love
OOoooh your story idea sounds so cool!!! I love how you’re going to do the POVs! That’s super cool, especially with the middle brother being the main POV. That’s an awesome opportunity for some internal (and external conflict)! Love it!
Some questions…
1. Is there magic in your story, or are the boy’s powers more like superpowers? I totally get that you’re a pantser (I’m a pantser turned plotter), so I know that you usually figure these kinds of things out as you go, BUT I do recommend making some kind of system (no matter how brief) of just like things that their powers can and can’t do, that way you’re not contradicting yourself later.
If that makes sense. Up to you tho! 😉 Also, how do their powers get unlocked? Is there something they have to complete in order to get them (like a quest or something)? Or is it just a random discovery?2. I know a bunch of other people asked this already, but… what happened to the dad?? I’m curious to know.
3. Are you going to have a person(s)/animal(s) as the villain/antagonist? Or is the main villain/antagonist the main characters themselves (like their internal conflict is their worst enemy)?
4. What are some of the overarching themes you plan to weave in? Are you going to do a theme of brotherly love/ultimate sacrifice like in The Wingfeather Saga? Or are you going to do a theme of discovering who you truly are (that could tie in with their powers well ig)? Or both? Or something different?
Also LOVE the sibling conflict going on. I’ve always loved stories with sibling tropes.
ALSO feel free to ignore any of my suggestions. This is your story so…😉
That which is striking and beautiful is not always good, but that which is good is always beautiful.
Okay, that makes sense.
So, do you have any ideas for your antagonist? What are your characters’ goals (especially the MC)? How does your antagonist oppose those goals?
I also love how you’re using some ideas from the Wingfeather Saga!
And I’m also SUPER curious what happened to their dad…
In the words of Jinto Queb, "Hurry, reading is fun!"
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