Hitting a Wall
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radioactivelyradiant
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Hitting a Wall
I've reached about 60 pages into my book. It's post-apocalyptic, and features a selection of chosen representatives who were saved by the aliens who caused the apocalypse. I've just gotten past the exposition due to it being such a character-heavy novel. What sort of event could I have happen to add a sort of arc to the story, rather than just following around characters?
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KS Crooks
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Here are a few question to possible use as the basis for an event in your story: Why did the aliens come to earth and have the obtained their objective? Why are the aliens helping people? Do the humans trust them? Are they working toward the same goal? What are the authorities handling each group of resistance? Is there a person (alien or human) or object of value that either side seeks? What type of society do the aliens have? What type of society do humans have left? What needs to be done to defeat the aliens, is co-existence possible? Is there anything the aliens fear that humans can use against them?
For people it is often one small incident leads to others feeling empowered and willing to make bigger statements or take greater risks to further a common goal.
For people it is often one small incident leads to others feeling empowered and willing to make bigger statements or take greater risks to further a common goal.
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DustinPBrown
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I agree with KS Crooks. Ask questions about the aliens to get your story. Your story could be discovering the why of all of this.
Why did the aliens cause the apocalypse?
Why did the aliens save those people specifically?
Why now and not 100 years ago or 100 years from now?
Why earth?
I think you've already got your inciting incident and plenty of fodder to springboard from. These humans are with the aliens, I assume. Are they happy to be there or are they prisoners? Are they trying to escape? Are the aliens good? Whatever the aliens are, have them do something with the humans and have the humans react, either by trying to help or trying to stop them or trying to escape or whatever the humans need to do.
Why did the aliens cause the apocalypse?
Why did the aliens save those people specifically?
Why now and not 100 years ago or 100 years from now?
Why earth?
I think you've already got your inciting incident and plenty of fodder to springboard from. These humans are with the aliens, I assume. Are they happy to be there or are they prisoners? Are they trying to escape? Are the aliens good? Whatever the aliens are, have them do something with the humans and have the humans react, either by trying to help or trying to stop them or trying to escape or whatever the humans need to do.
Latest Review: It's Never Water Under the Bridge by Rianne Moss
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pink boy
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Toward the end of your book, your story will have to reach a climax. Think about what you want this climax to be. What is the main purpose of your story? What is the main theme or message that your story will convey?
I suggest keeping a notebook and writing down ALL ideas that come to your head, no matter how bad or insignificant they seem at first. Even if you don't like the idea, write it down. Pretty soon, you will have a selection of scenarios to choose from. You can expand upon these ideas, reject the ones that you don't like, combine ideas that will work well together, and think about how each character will be affected by the scenario.
I do advise you to avoid packing too much into your story. You don't want it to be confusing or overwhelming, but at the same time, it's good to have smaller arcs and objectives rather than just one huge storyline. It's all about finding that balance.
I suggest keeping a notebook and writing down ALL ideas that come to your head, no matter how bad or insignificant they seem at first. Even if you don't like the idea, write it down. Pretty soon, you will have a selection of scenarios to choose from. You can expand upon these ideas, reject the ones that you don't like, combine ideas that will work well together, and think about how each character will be affected by the scenario.
I do advise you to avoid packing too much into your story. You don't want it to be confusing or overwhelming, but at the same time, it's good to have smaller arcs and objectives rather than just one huge storyline. It's all about finding that balance.
