I'm going to ask the same thing, but in different terms. I need them for a book I'm writing, you see and I need some stuff to represent them. I'm going to have 8 elements and each need to have the following which could represent them, and not one these items can be missing. They're very crucial: Animal, Weapon, Superhuman Ability (besides being able to control/manipulate the element), and gemstones could represent the following elements each: Fire: Water: Earth: Lightning: Wood: Winds: Ice: Light: Dark: P.S: Don't forget a single one of the items which I want to symbolize the above elements. And when you put the animal, really compare the animals personalities to the animal they are representing please. Thanks!
Before, I made a totally different thread on the same topic with the insufficient qualities that I really wanted in it ( https://www.writingforums.org/showthread.php?t=59883). That's why I'm rephrasing in
I still don't understand what he wants us to do. He says 8 elements, but lists 9. It's all very confusing. I need a flow chart or a Venn diagram. I totally want the power of wood. Wood-man!
@OP. Why should we provide the work for you? Seriously, anyone who reads fantasy or does RPGs could do this with their eyes closed. If you can't figure this out then why are you even writing about it?
How about because I want to? And second, I would do the work for myself (believe me, I would) but I don't even know where to start. I already have everything in the plot figured out except the conflict (it's reason for happening), etc. I want to revolve the whole thing around it, a power structure if you will.
I saw your earlier post and have the same thought as I do to this one -- why are you asking us? This is your job as the writer. If you can't do it or don't want to, don't write that story.
More or less because I don't even know where to start. And I'm still trying to figure this part of the story out (since December 2012) and no luck.
Well, I could use some suggestions/ideas/inspiration. In fact now that I think about it, I've been asking for inspiration/ideas this whole time.
...If you don't know where to start and you won't look for the beginning how will you ever find your way to the end?
Which basically translates in to you don't have any plot structure. The conflict is the sun around which the plot structure and characters revolve. The best advice I can give you is read the genre. Take a look at what the successful authors do, see what works and what doesn't. What you've posted borders on gibberish. No reader will take it seriously. With fantasy the worlds and characters need to be vibrant and larger than life. It is the whole reason for the genre to escape reality. You have no corner stone. How can you expect to build a world with no understanding of your own story's foundations?
I've been looking for an idea to base the conflict around for almost 4 months. Why would I continue to futility look for the answer when there are capable writers on he net.
Multiposting the same post is discouraged. Also, writers come up with their own ideas. They don't ask others to come up with them. What you are asking is clearly central to your story. Use your imagination, or it will never grow strong.
Which makes it sound like you are trying to scavenge ideas from other writers, again, having others do the work for you. You have said yourself, you have no idea of what that conflict should be. It seems like you're trying to do this backward, starting at the top and working your way down. Try starting with a single character, follow that character around for a while, see where that leads. Don't rely on ambiguous posts to find the answers. Writing is a competitive market, those who have good ideas aren't going to hand them over with a smile...Read, do your research and read some more. Look into the hero's journey. Read up on various mythologies. Get to know the genre, the authors and their styles.
Because you are the one who wants to write the story. If this is the case, I think this is not the story that's in you. Try another one.
Isaiah, I'm confused. What do you need help with? You want us to imagine a person that can turn into an animal that represents a certain element, uses a weapon that represents that certain element, and possesses a power that uses that certain element?
I must agree with everyone here. You are asking for other writers to give you a very integral part of the story you are trying to write. It's pretty bad form IMO... Now, if you had some of the ideas already formed, then asked something like, "Does x symbol adequately represent x element, or does it not seem to fit well," then you might get better feedback. Sit down, think, and do some of your own leg work.
Isaiah, you're very new here, and I hope you aren't getting the impression that we're a bunch of smug sourpusses who don't want to help. We actually are a nice bunch and most of us are eager to help newbies become the best writers they can be. What we generally don't like to see, though, is someone asking for basic ideas. Ideas are YOUR job. If you don't have ideas of your own, then the story you're trying to write isn't your own. If you're relying on ideas from others, your story isn't your own. Most writers take great pride in coming up with their own ideas, their own solutions to problems their stories challenge them with. That's part of what motivates most of us to write in the first place. It seems somewhat weird to us to see someone who wants to write but who can't, or won't, come up with their own ideas. You say you don't know where to start. What, exactly, is the problem? None of us know where to start either, but we all start anyway. There's no instruction manual on how to fill out the list you have here. Just think some stuff up and get going. That's all we ever do. Maybe you're making this harder for yourself than it really is. In a way, you're reminding me of those guys in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy trilogy who set up a committee to invent the wheel. One of the main characters wonders why they need a whole committee to do something so simple, and they say "All right, smartass, you tell us what color it should be!" You might start by asking yourself why you need that list filled out in the first place. Is it really necessary? Do you really need all of those elements?
Sorry for reiterating what everyone else has said but honestly, this is the fun stuff! Getting the thing written will be a hell of a lot harder than coming up with this list, so just knuckle down and get the thing done Have some confidence in yourself - you do know where to start (you have this list to work from) and you are as capable as any of us of coming up with ideas. Best of luck!
Yes we are... If you don't have the setting, don't have the conflict and don't have the dominant characteristics either and you still say you have almost everything ready, then you are trying to write some sort of Japanese manga-like story or you are looking for people with actual ideas to scavenge from other writers as darkkin already said. The conflict in a story is the FIRST thing you must have in order to begin thinking about the setting and plot. Since your plot seems to revolve around those items of magic you are looking for i will guess that those would be the second thing you should have decided on. If you have a vague idea along the lines of "i will write a story about elves and magic and weapons and baddies getting the sh1t kicked out of them" of what you want to write, then you should rethink your decision to write that story or think about what you actually want to write in the first place. Writing a story using the ideas of another writer is called either fan-fiction or plagiarism.
Hey! will you guys all get to gether, write a chapter each till the book is complete and put my name on the cover? COOOOOL! Seriously dude - you're asking a lot here and someone already said it - the bit you are struggling on is the fun part, sonnecting elements with weapons species or whatever. Mr Google and Mr Wiki are among your greatest friends on this - research research research - connect the dots, when you find a dash throw it out and look for the connecting dot - go do it or pack it in
Well, I'm glad I'm not the only one confused. I came away from the OP like it was some word association game. For example: Fire: Cheap chili Water: Mixed drinks at a lowbrow saloon. Earth: The one place Gary Busey has never been. Frankly, I think my game is funnier.
I need some inspiration. This is only a base of the conflict so once I get it down, then the rest is easy. The list could be something like: Fire: Animal, Weapon Water: Animal, Weapon Earth: Animal, Weapon Lightning: Animal, Weapon Air: Animal, Weapon Ice: Animal, Weapon Light: Animal, Weapon Dark: Animal, Weapon
