I have been working on two projects in my head for ages now and it's about time I actually started writing. I'd like to get ideas on if it's interesting for one. More importantly I'm having issues deciding what the underlying message or theme should be and how best to tell it. This story focuses on a researcher named Harper who's team winds up on a planet with the ruins of a civilization. Creatures live under the surface and kill the team and Harper sees something that no mind should, bleaching her hair(or just part, not sure visually). She winds up in another reality (possibly the planet just back in time now that I think about it). In this reality a few users can utilize psychic magic. Though it is feared by most as it slowly drives the user mad. Harper has some amnesia (but not enough to act as a major plot point) and with the help of a secretly insane mentor named Graham and a strange child, named Fish for now, she will seek out certain items which will unlock her own power in a Hear All Evil, See All Evil, Speak All Evil fashion. She might start out trying to get back to her crew or planet or home but really the plot sucks her in so that she may realize or forget wether it matters. Graham eventually betrays and Fish (who is actually Harper's sibling) self sacrifices. Each acting as examples for Harper. Lovecraft inspired but just for aesthetics and madness play really. The main themes I've been rolling with are Coping with the Complexity or Life, Intelligence over Humanity, What Truly Matters. I know I could weave all of it in but I also don't want to make it exceedingly convoluted. Also I would like to hear what everyone thinks about the story concept in general.
Try letting the theme evolve organically. As you write, you may find that certain notions become more and more important, and you can figure out from there how to incorporate that into more of the character arcs and plot points. This is a smaller point, but please don't bleach hair from shock. It's kind of a cliche, and it doesn't make physical sense for hair that's already grown out to spontaneously change color. Just an opinion. If anything, it could start growing white at the root, but you're still dealing with a tired trope. It sounds like a neat story. You should start immediately. Don't worry about whether or not you have every detail nailed down. You know the story at least. You'll see the following advice all over this forum as well as in professional writing manuals: Just write! In other words, start and don't stop. You can fix things in the editing phase. Good Luck!
Agree with @Rzero. Start writing and don't look back until you have completed your draft. You will find any help you need available here and welcome to the forum.
Thanks a bunch! Yeah I wasn't too attached to the hair thing anyhow. Starting to write it is definitely the biggest thing.
Also thank you. It's good to be here and getting such solid advice right off the bat. Most people I talk story with aren't into it so this feels really refreshing.
Hi @SwearingFairy. I think you’ll be permitted to share your story in about two weeks in the workshop. That’s if you wanted to share it, of course. And you have to critique two other stories before you’re allowed to do that. I kinda like your avatar. I’m glad you got one already. It’s quite colourful.
Well I haven't actually started writing it yet. It'd be much further than two weeks from now but I'll be doing that for sure. This is my first time on a forum like this so thanks for telling me about that.
First of all, I love your name. Not experienced, but just from a reader's standpoint, I like it! I'm kind of a sucker for that Lovecraftian aesthetic myself. Can't wait to hear more on it! I know people said this before, but don't worry about focusing on a theme of any kind. As you work more on your story, I'm sure it will naturally come to you. Good luck on your story!
Much thanks. Like knowing it sounds appealing from a reader point. Yeah I use the name for many a thing. I actually draw a bit too and post my better stuff on tumblr.
As a start I think it's pretty good. You are giving yourself alot to work with and leeway on how it will develop. Something I have started doing recently is taking both the short story and flash fiction prompts and using them to write short stories based in the universe I am developing. I have found this really helps me get an idea of the characters and how they interact by putting them in different situation. It also helps me get a feel for the world so even if the stories don't involve the main characters, it fleshes out other details.
Looked you up on tumblr! Dig the style. This wasn't directed at me but holy cow I never thought of doing that. I'm going to give that a try!
It's ok to have a theme in mind and sometimes that works but sometimes the themes just don't match the story and then you start forcing the story around the theme. Theme is the exploration of something. So if your theme is "romance" you need to explore all the elements of it with your main character in the middle. You explore failed romances with the consequences of ending up alone or in an unhappy marriage. Ones that work and ones that are a bit odd. The theme needs to run right through. So far the themes aren't being backed up enough in what you've offered as a plotline. It doesn't interest me but asking a question like that is a little pointless because it could interest a hundred other people.
I don't know if you've actually started actually writing it yet, but if you haven't, you might want to get a flavour going by writing the 'best' scene you've already envisioned. It doesn't have to be the start of the story. Any scene at all, that you feel quite excited about. Don't worry about it not being the first, etc. This is to get you going. Just jump in and write the scene as if you've already written the bits that go before. (In other words, don't explain things the reader will already know, once the story is finished.) See how this works. You may well find, after you've finished the scene, that you know what comes next, as well as what you need to do to set the scene up (what comes before.) Writing a scene makes a character come alive for you. The rest is easier after that. This is how I wrote my novel. The scene I wrote first comes in the middle of the novel. It's not even a terribly important scene, plot-wise. But it involved an important interaction between my two main characters, and it set the tone. I was so keen to get going after that!