I'm working on an idea where a group of people appear to be in comas but are in fact existing together sharing an inner 'void' within their minds. they don't talk or share thoughts as a collective, but more like an inner heaven they are aware of one another but do not have any form of intelligent communication. (I'm really trying to avoid the 'we are one' single mind frame scenario.) My questions are. How can I portray this idea and have it seem perfectly normal? and How far can I take this? Thankyou to anyone who takes the time to post.
You don't need to brainstorm. You have your concept. You need to sit down and develop it yourself. The best way is to start writing it and see where it takes you. A writer's most valuable tool is his or her own imagination. And the best way to hone that imagination is to rely on it completely, without using others to bolster it. And be relying on solely your own imagination, you will also strengthen your self-confidence. Worth considering both as a writer and in the context of your story: What is truly more powerful, a single potent imagination backed by the willpower of a strong individual, or a collective mind (whether loosely or tightly coupled)?
ellsbeth... i can only ditto cog's wise words... he's right... if you want to be a fiction writer, you need to develop your own story ideas, not rely on others to do it for you... meanwhile, welcome aboard! love and hugs, maia
Time for my bridge analogy. In New York City, there are two bridges almost side by side spanning the East River and linking Manhattan and Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Bridge was designed by John Augustus Roebling and is one of the most recognized, iconic landmarks in the world. Just north of it is the Manhattan Bridge, which was designed by committee. It is a solid but unremarkable structure, unheralded by anyone. Like bridges, stories should not be designed by committee. Go for the gusto.
What Cogito said. All we can do for you is critique what you write and help you with any technical writing issues you may have.
Oh yes I agree! I think i may have worded that wrong? the concept and ideas i want to keep my own completely, i am unsure how exactly is the best way to convey what is happening to my reader. should i just out right say,.... 'they did not have a collective intelligence',... or can anyone think of something that will help my reader automatically come to the same conclusion. Im only asking because i want to let the reader know that when something happens eg 'the power went out in the hospital' it isn't shared amongst the people it is just known by all like they all experience it individually,..... im starting to confuse myself now ahhhhhhh! perhaps i should not have said brainstorm in the title, if i can change it i will.... how?. haha thanks guys
exactly something i am trying to avoid. these people are also able to move but can not decide that for themselves, they are controlled like puppets that are totally aware of what their bodies are doing and the environment outside their minds but can do nothing to resist or regain control. but at the same time they have this inner void which is basically the reason they cant control their bodies if you think of the void as a prison where they share this bond with others like them,..... ohhh really hard to explain.
Just wanted to say thankyou to everyone for not making it easy,.. I sat down and thought it out and i have developed an entire backstory to this idea along with developing 'the void' further. It is quite rewarding thank you
It does not matter if it is similar to another concept or not. Every idea in existence has been used. Can you imagine a new color using no existing colors? No. Your voice as a writer, your take on it, will be what makes it unique. Just go for it.
I'm not sure exactly what you are writing but your descriptions reminds me some of the Matrix movies. In "The Matrix" the "real" human bodies are stuck in something looking like a coma and robots suck energy from those bodies. The robots has created a virtual world for the humans to share known as "the matrix". Even if this is similar to The Matrix or maybe Inception I still think you can go ahead and write it. Its really hard/impossible to write something that don't share anything with something.
Not true. No writer ever wrote a story about two pink elephants and their adventures on the side of Barrack Obama against the evil alien toaster ovens.
Try reading Ubik by Philip K Dick if you want a literary example. But yeah, that concept has been done before, so people will probably 'get it' with no trouble.
