Hello everyone. I'm writing a story about a boy who acquires a special object which changes his life forever. The object's origin is a mystery but he has to acquire it somehow. Initially I just wrote he tripped over it, but he should come across it in a more exciting way. What if it fell out of the sky, like a flaming meteor or something? I think that seems rather cliché. There must be countless ways a boy could happen upon a special object...I'm just not seeing them. What are some potential exciting alternatives to it falling out of the sky?
Some more clichés: found it in a basement among old, forgotten things. Received a package by post from an unknown person. Received from a stranger in return for a favour.
He could be a boy interested in old artifacts, or buildings that belong to old civilizations and he come across it while exploring? You can even come up with interesting history for this civilization and who built this/created it and why.
It would depend on the boy's culture, geography, and living conditions. If he's wealthy, living in a city, rural, living on a farm, small village. The possibilities are endless, give us some more info on where he lives.
Hi, Depending on how old he is and where he lives etc, he could find it anywhere. In the sandpit at the park where he was playing. The bottom of a river where he was swimming and it sparkled in the sun. Pet dog found it while out walking and fetched him to it. Inside the stomach of a fish he caught. Take your pick. Cheers, Greg.
Thanks for the replies! Sometimes I think my way into a corner, but you've helped me find my way out.
Maybe it could help to make up a backstory for this object. Not that you ever have to reveal anything about it's origins to the reader, but it might make it easier to give the object to the protagonist when you yourself know a plausible way for the object to come to B after having left A.
. When I was a kid, two films stuck out as quite magical. One was known as The Magic Marble (One Wish Too Many - 1956), and the other was French - The Red Balloon (also 1956). I can't remember how the kids got the marble, but in The Red Balloon, the balloon was described as 'sentient', and it just started following the kid. So, you could have your character out somewhere, and this mystery object, like a bit of tumbleweed, just rolls up to him and stays with him. Your imagination can run riot after that.
That's a wonderful story, SwampDog! I appreciate everyone's thoughts, but the details of the object are not shared with the reader, so I don't want to give you anything which may restrict your creativity. With that in mind...here are some prompts: What if the object is a cursed runestone from a civilization which disappeared thousands of years ago? What if the object is a dead battery for an alien teenagers cosmic MP3 player? What if the object is a haunted toaster oven previously owned by a bearded firefighter?
I didn't intend to raise the question of the the object was. What I meant to convey was, "I will appreciate all answers, no matter what." Maybe it was something to be found inside the belly of a fish, or maybe it seemed to follow the boy around as if it were sentient, or maybe...anything. The answers provided in this topic have inspired me adequately. So THANK YOU everyone!
It's a MacGuffin. Your character bought a lump of plaster from eBay that resembles Jim Morrison. But when it arrives, it had broken during shipping. But there is something sticking out of one of the fragments... Your character is checking out storm damage in an old forest near home. One large old oak was broken off near the base, and revealed in the hollow stump../ Your character's dog has left a muddy trail across the kitchen. The character hopes he hasn't been digging up the neighbor's prize rose garden again. The dog is in the corner, giving his best "I'm so ashamed" look. Next to him, on the floor... The beach is littered with seaweed, driftwood, pieces of broken lumber from damaged houses, and miscellaneous junk after a coastal storm. Your character is picking through the debris, when something catches his or her eye... Unleash your imagination!
