Plot Bunny Help Thread - come on in!

[ZaiaFantasy]

That sounds like fun! The original book had poems and little songs in it, too.

[The WoIfie Among Us]

Thats what I loved about Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass
Though I think this poem will be written by the Mad Hatter
Which will allow me some room to suck and make it really crazy XD
About half-way through, the rhyming will stop and it'll just be crazy instead

[Kiua_theforgotten]

So I changed my idea to a love story. I used to write small, short story ones when I was in high school. I figured I would keep with the genre that I enjoy writing. smile I'm starting to answer the questions now as we speak.

EDIT: Alright this is where I'm at a roadblock. I have no idea what I want the two characters to do before they meet each other without being such a common idea. Please quote me or PM me. Would love the help.

[ZaiaFantasy]

Crazy poetry has the potential for awesome!

[The WoIfie Among Us]

Especially when written by the Mad hatter XD

[ZaiaFantasy]

I'm a fan of mad hatters in general

[Kiua_theforgotten]

Imagine your story, your world. It's ok if you don't know everything that happens yet. Just picture a scene or a beginning.
1. Who do you see?
The two main characters which are a male and a female.

2. What do you see?
I see a young female standing at about “5’4 with long dark black hair with light blue eyes, and an average build. I see a young male with short brown hair, standing at “5’7, who has hazel eyes.

3. What is your character(s) doing?
The two characters are living completely separate lives, but are still connected because of a past they once shared together back in school.

4. Why are they here?
Because of the rocky past they had in school, they went completely separate paths, but male character still cares for the other one deeply and shows that in their own way.

5. Describe the world.
The world is present day Earth set in the US, which the two characters live in New York.

6. What time period is it?
Present day.

7. What sort of world is this? (I.e. Does magic exist? Is it modern? Is it another planet entirely? etc etc)
Present day or possibly in the 1990s. Magic doesn’t exist.

8. Does your character have a friend or companion? Maybe 2?
The main character has a female best friend, and a cat. The male has a fellow male roommate.

9. Does your character have an enemy? Maybe a situation they're stuck in?
The characters have a common situation that deals with unresolved feelings that they still have each other. The female receives letters and other forms of contacts from someone, but they remain anonymous until the end.

10. What does your character wear?
The female character wears denim blue jeans, tan boots and a short sleeve cotton t-shirt usually. The male wears dark colored jeans, short sleeve cotton t-shirt and sneakers.

[Kiua_theforgotten]

We have the who and the where now, don't we? All we need is the what. Which is kind of tricky (PM me if you have trouble with this). All plots consist of three basic things - the problem (beginning), the circumstance (the middle), and the solution (the end). Figure out the problem and the solution and the circumstance generally falls into place. Remember your answers from the first questionnaire? Good. You'll need them. Remember - if you're telling the point of view of the villain your problem will likely revolve around the hero.

1. Remember that character you pictured originally? Are they the hero or the villain?

Hero

2. Do you want the hero or the villain to win?

Hero

3. From whose point of view are you telling the story? (Who is your main focus?)

I will be working with both characters to tell each of their points of view, but it will start with the female at first.

4. Ok. Now that you know that...where did this all start? How was the problem created?

Because of past feelings and actions that have happened with the two characters, there were feelings that were still left unsaid. One still cares deeply for the other, and tries to show their feelings are still there.

5. How did your character get mixed up in the problem?

The female character receives mysterious anonymous letters, and other forms of contact to show their true feelings for her.

6. Why does he care about the problem?

The main character doesn’t have a clue who the contacts are from, and tries to figure it out. The one person she has a hunch that it could be is someone she still cares for as well, but had thought that because of the past they have moved on.

7. How does the problem affect those around him?

The people around the female are being supportive, and helping out as well. The male’s friend is being encouraging.

8. Does anyone else care about this problem?

Not really.

9. Has anyone else tried to find a solution? If so, what happened?

The other people got nowhere with the search, and the female can only really look into these contacts.

10. What prompts him to finally go into action?

After receiving the first type of contact, the female main character gets into action to find out who’s sending the contacts.

Ready for a middle? Good! See the next post!

[Kiua_theforgotten]

Sound good so far? I'm stuck on question 4 in section 3 of your questions I believe. "Where does the solution lie? How do you get there?" I think how I want the two characters together in my plot is by giving them something they both had in the past that connected them, and to where they could go back to if they ever wanted to meet up again or something like that. As for the question after that "What is the major complication leading to this solution?" and what I was thinking for that one was that the possible rumon that the FMC character heard about the MMC moving on by seeing another person with them at the spot instead or something like that.

[Kiua_theforgotten]

Now, no one likes reading a boring story where a character finds an easy solution, right? nahhh...that's no fun. Now we need the circumstances. What happens now that your character is off and trying to save the day? (or ruin it...you know...)

1. Does your character have a family? If not, what happened to them?
The main character has moved away from her family after going to college.

2. Does your character have a love interest? Where are they right now?
The female main character had a small love interest, but it didn’t work out. There was someone else in the past back when she was in school, but due to their type of break-up (lost contact after moving away, heard that the other person was dating someone else.) She doesn’t know whether that person still cares about her or not. She hasn’t been in contact with them for years.

3. Remember those companions your character has from section 1? Why are they along for the ride? (they could be minions...)
The other companions or friends mention in section 1 are there for the moral support of the two main characters.

4. Where does the solution lie? How do you get there?
In one of the last forms of communication the female main character receives, she is told that there is a place they both share in their hearts if they ever need each other. Her memory begins to come together, and she realizes her answers she has been looking for all along.

5. What is the major complication leading to this solution?
The major complication is that the female main character sees the male main character with another person that makes her believe that he has moved on with another person.

6. What are some minor complications along the way?
Contacting other people from school to figure out if it’s the person sending the letters. The female main character goes on some dates with fellow classmates and she grills them.

7. Is the villain a bad guy or just misunderstood? (villains: is your hero a goody two shoes or just a rival?)
There is no villain in my story.

8. What's at stake if your character doesn't solve the problem?
Not being able to find out who’s sending the letters, and being able to find out who cares deeply cares for her.

9. What's to gain if he does?
Her true love.

10. How long do you think it'll take to go from problem to solution?
A few months to a year in the timeframe in the story.

So...now that we've got that sorted out. An ending anyone? Very good...on to the next section.
So...we're arriving at the solution. Hooray!!

[Kiua_theforgotten]

By now you should have a pretty good idea of what's going on but let's bring it on home!

1. So...what is the solution to your problem again?

In one of the last forms of communication the female main character receives, she is told that there is a place they both share in their hearts if they ever need each other. Her memory begins to come together, and she realizes her answers she has been looking for all along.



2. How is that going to happen?

After seeing the wrong thing she wanted to see at the spot, she receives another letter to come back and she finds the solution there.

3. Does your protagonist or antagonist win?

Both of the main characters win.

4. What's the last major hurdle they have to get over to reach the solution?

Getting past the big misunderstanding that was last seen before, and finally getting together.

5. How does this affect your character? (Short and long term)

Short term: thinking that they have moved on. Long term: Being sad, almost wanting to give up on finding this mystery person before they’re reunited.

6. How does this affect their companions? (Short and long term)

Companions stay by the main characters no matter what.

7. How does this affect the love interest? (Short and long term)

Short term: The miscommunication in their heads is resolved. Long term: They become happy to finally be with one another.

8. How does this affect the antagonist? What happens to them?

There is no antagonist as mentioned before.

9. How does this affect the world? (Short and long term)

This doesn’t really affect the world, since no one else but the main characters and the other companions listed as well.

10. Picture your world now. Describe it.

The world for the two characters is brighter now as they begin to talk about their future and their lives together now that they’re back together again. The two main characters move in together and start their life together in New York.

[illuminati was here]

1. Who do you see?
A young woman, either late teens or early twenties (I've yet to name her)
2. What is s/he wearing?
A hospital gown.
3. What is the character doing?
Laying on an operating table, eyes closed, while she waits to be put under.
4. What time period is it?
A few years into the future
5. What sort of world is it?
Modern, more or less. Our world swept with a devastating pandemic.
6. Describe the world.
Our world. But more desperate. People are dying, governments are collapsing. Think a modern black plague on a global scale. But there is hope. A cure may have been created.
7. Describe the scene you see your character in.
She's laying on an operating table. The anesthesiologist is preparing to put her under as one of the first receivers of the new cure.
8. Why are they there?
She has the disease (also unnamed, as of now) in one eye (where it takes root, and then moves on to the brain to kill) and would like to be cured.
9. Are they alone, or with a friend / companion?
The anesthesiologist is there with her, but they're not communicating with one another. She feels alone.
10. Do they have any enemies to worry about?
Not yet.

[illuminati was here]

1. Remember that character you pictured originally? Are they the hero or the villain?
She's the hero, from her perspective anyway.
2. Do you want the hero or the villain to win?
I think she's going to 'win'. But winning will create plenty of it's own problems.
3. From whose point of view are you telling the story? (who is your main focus?)
Probably third person focusing on the young woman. Changed my mind. First person. I tried starting in third and it was not working. At all.
4. Ok. Now that you know that...where did this all start? How was the problem created?
It started when the un-named pandemic began, the first cases developing in the united states and rapidly spreading against north america and then the world. A private company (once again, no name yet. I'm bad with names) creates a cure and begins operating, the people unknowing the procedure that cures the disease also puts their thought process under the company's control.
5. How did you character get mixed up in the problem?
She gets the operation. However, she only gets it in one eye and therefore only has one eye operated on. The cure had just been invented at this point, so the company is unsure of the effects of this. It turns out it allows her to experience and understand the thought process the mind-controlled people are experiencing, while still being capable of free, independent thought.
6. Why does she care about the problem?
It's effecting everyone, including her. And having two separate thought processes happening at once is annoying.
7. How does the problem affect those around her?
Well, those who've had the operation are helpless under mind control, and those who haven't are thought crazy by those who've had and are forced into exile.
8. Does anyone else care about this problem?
Yes. It effects everyone. Though most aren't capable of free thought, so they don't know it. Those who are aware of the problem are searching for a non-mind controlling cure as well as trying to stop the company's rapidly growing control of the world.
9. Has anyone else tried to find a solution? If so, what happened?
The problem in relatively new, so there haven't been many attempts. There's also not many with the operation only in one eye. There may be another group (possibly within the company) trying to create more people like the young woman in order to destroy the company.
10. What prompts him to finally go into action?
Originally, she just wants to free herself from the thoughts implanted by the company. But as she begins to understand the full scale of what's happening, she knows she could never live with herself if she didn't try.

[illuminati was here]

1. Does your character have a family? If not, what happened to them?
She has a family, but isn't living at home and isn't terribly close with them. They're probably either dead or under mind control.
2. Does your character have a love interest? Where are they right now?
I don't have one planned for her at the moment, seeing as there's not many people she feels she can relate to on any level, but there might be someone at some point.
3. Remember those companions your character has from section 1? Why are they along for the ride?
He was never terribly important, just there for the scene. There might be other companions though.
4. Where does the solution lie? How do you get there?
In all honesty, I don't have a clue.
5. What is the major complication leading to this solution?
Oh I don't know, once the company figures out the truth about her and others in her situation (if there are any) they'll be sending out people to kill her. I figure the implanted thoughts will start to get more domineering as she approaches the headquarters and begins to loose focus of what's hers and what isn't.
6. What are some minor complications along the way?
Um, some of the stuff listed above? There'll be other stuff, too. Other unplanned stuff.
7. Is the villain a bad guy or just misunderstood?
I wouldn't call them misunderstood, but the villains do beleive that keeping everyone thinking together will be best for the world in the end. I don't have individual villains characterized yet. But I picture a redheaded woman in a suit with a smirk on her face.
8. What's at stake if your character doesn't solve the problem?
She'll be killed or exiled, the majority of the world will be forced under mind control and those who aren't will be killed by the disease.
9. What's to gain if she does?
She's free from the other thoughts, the world is free from mind control (but not from that pesky pandemic)
10. How long do you think it'll take to go from problem to solution?
Hm. Not sure. It'll probably take some time.

[ZaiaFantasy]

Ohhh...yours sounds interesting!