Here are three plots of mine I need help with, each of which has an aspect that gives them something in common: Plot 1: a good, decent guy who has nevertheless had a rough time with life thanks to his abusive father devestating his mother emotionally. Vowing to save a woman from such a fate, he winds up falling for a girl who likes him but has an abusive boyfriend. Story ends with guy wins girl and puts now ex-boyfriend in his place. Plot 2: another man decent at heart who has his own share of personal demons nevertheless thanks to his abusive upbringing frees himself of them just in time to save a girl he likes from her own demons (she hates herself so much, she cuts her arm with knives.) They wind up lovers in the end. And plot 3: at a family gathering at home the night before the funeral of his grandmother, a son confronts the family about the flippant tone set at the funeral of his grandpa four years earlier. This in turn infuriates his controlling, selfish, cruel father to the point not so dear old dad reveals his true colors to one and all. It ends with his infuriated son bopping him in the kisser. Plots one and three are in first draft, plot two just a gleam in my eye at present. Constructive input welcome.
To me I think plot 2 might be more difficult to write well. The first plot has a physical antagonist, the boyfriend, but plot two is only dealing with inner emotions. I think that would be more boring to read.
who or what is the antagonist in the first two ones? is the third one a short story? because it sounds like there wouldn't be enough plot to cover an entire novel.
This is kind of meant to be a sort of short story version of Sergio Leone's "Dollars Trilogy" (I.e. stories with common themes but different plots.) Number two sees a young girl always cutting herself with a knife because of inner unhappiness. The hero of the story (who has "cut" himself out of self-destructive behavior over inner unhappiness) sees this trait and does his utmost to help her save herself from her inner demons. It ends with the two in a mutual infatuation (but not true love like the first story would be.)
Hi unluckyguardsman. You wrote about plot 3: "Where is the plot in here? A nice enough beginning idea, but it needs abetter character arc to fully work. Is he hunted down? Does the father disown him? What happens next?" In essance, the mean father is "hunted down" indeed: getting a good wallop from his enraged eldest at the end after the father tries to stop his son from speaking the truth and expressing his true feelings. It might end with more than just one punch, but that might be overkill. In essance, it is meant to be a story where the tension rises, and rises, and rises, until it breaks with fisticuffs.
