1. Leaka

    Leaka Creative Mettle

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    Stone House of the Butterflies

    Discussion in 'Plot Development' started by Leaka, Jun 8, 2009.

    An idea, trying to expand it:

    A house lay restlessly sleeping on a hill. The hill and the house haven't being manned in over 1,000 years.
    The house lays in crippled ruins. And yet anyone in the area living near the home sees the hill blooming with flowers, the miniature structure of a house that resembles a castle standing tall, and the sun always stays high in the sky.
    Any visitor coming sees the ruins, but staying long brain washes them through the social miasma of delusion.
    The house isn't supernatural that we know of.
    The house isn't ghostly nor haunted, that we know of.
    And everyone seems to be deluded with the idea that the hill still stands
     
    1 person likes this.
  2. Cogito

    Cogito Former Mod, Retired Supporter Contributor

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    First, the usual response. I can't believe you haven't seen this yet:
    You really need to develop the characters and the storyline/plots yourself. It's one thing if you have a plot point you're stuck on, to brainstorm for ideas. But to try to get other people to build the story for you? Who wants a story designed by committee?

    Make it yours. Play with the idea, start writing, and see where it takes you. You don't need a consensus or approval.
     
  3. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

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    added to that, you seem to be trying so hard to write 'fancy' that you don't pay enough attention to making it make any sense...

    my best advice is to focus on writing clearly, and give up trying to make this sound 'literary' or whatever you thought that fancy verbiage might do, as most of it makes little to no sense... you may have a good idea for a story in your mind, though none comes through here, but if you can't write it in a way that people can understand what's going on, it won't be marketable...

    love and hugs, maia
     
  4. Leaka

    Leaka Creative Mettle

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    Cogito, I wasn't asking what people thought about the idea nor was I asking them to write anything.
    I like talking about plots so I can write them.
    It's just the way I work.
    It's my process

    Mamma, This was a really rough outline.
    My process is to talk about it to make sense.
     
  5. arron89

    arron89 Banned

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    So why post it here, if not for a sense of public validation? Surely you could do just as well writing in a notebook or typing it up for yourself...
     
  6. Leaka

    Leaka Creative Mettle

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    Because I like talking to people about it. To make it less confusing even for me. And I like expanding through conversation.
     
  7. arron89

    arron89 Banned

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    So you are asking for people's opinions and for them to write something...
     
  8. Leaka

    Leaka Creative Mettle

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    No.
    I want people to ask me questions.
    I don't need opinions.
    Just more questions and conversation about the plot.
    Not what they think about it.
     
  9. diamonds overun

    diamonds overun New Member

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    How can a non super natural, non haunted house cause a social miasma of delusion.

    And more to the point what is a social miasma of delusion.

    Do you mean they get delusioned with society?

    How can people be deluded about the idea of a hill standing?

    Unless there are serious erosion problems, or rivers or earthworks a hill is a hill, it wont go away.

    Are these the type of questions you wanted?
     
  10. Leaka

    Leaka Creative Mettle

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    Yes these are the questions I wanted.

    They have the delusion that the hill has life, but the wildlife and the hill's plant life are all dead.
    The house on top is falling apart as well.
    But they see the hill with life, the meadows are still green, the house is still standing.
    I think I'm going for that phenomenon, you know how someone would hold a pendulum and people aren't aware of their own hand moving the pendant so they think it's moving.
    Something along those lines.
    People say the house is still standing, people say the hill still has life and at first it may seem like nothing is happening, but then you start to believe too.
     
  11. diamonds overun

    diamonds overun New Member

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    Perhaps you could do the whole if you build it they will come thing.

    Or even it becomes alive due to the belief that it is, the whole self fulfilling prophecy thing.

    it sounds as if somethig lives there that needs the belief to live or is hiding so it convinces people things are ok so no one can see the life sucked out of the area.

    You could tie in an old native legend or local legend, maybe even an urban legend.

    A hill suggests something burried

    if you want to avoid supernatural ghosts and things there could be a secret government bunker or conspiracy theory.

    Hope that helps
     
  12. dagda24

    dagda24 New Member

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    I'm not sure if this would be too supernatural, but perhaps these people are seeing the hill and the house as it once used to be. Perhaps something happened at the hill that was never meant to be forgotten, but now that people are forgetting the house, by some kind of magic, is trying to remind everyone.

    Makes me think that it could be a metaphor for society breaking down because people aren't learning from the past. If that makes sense.
     
  13. Leaka

    Leaka Creative Mettle

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    Thank you Diamonds and thank you Dagda.
     
  14. Tom111

    Tom111 New Member

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    HI

    i don't understand the thing about the miasma.....i thought a miasma was a bad smell?

    Is it just the people who live near by that see it as a place that is lived in or is it everyone? People could be under enchantment.
     
  15. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

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    not entirely... it can also refer to a dangerous, or foreboding 'atmosphere'...
     

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