Use your own imagination, not ours. It doesn't sound like you really have anything here, and now you want others to finish it. I think you need to just sit down with a pad and paper and brainstorm, or just start writing the actual story. The missing pieces will fall into place, and if they don't, then you have a more serious problem than you think.
= you have NOT written the story... and you are asking all here to come up with the most major part of the book for you... it's your book... it's your job... but if you want the hard word done for you, are you prepared to pay the going rate for book doctoring or ghostwriting?...
The great thing about a draft, is that no one has to see it until It's ready but you. So you could be 30 or 50 or 300 pages in and decide maybe whale work better than shark or whatever and you can CHANGE IT. Books are made in editing, not in the first draft. I'm 10,000 words in (not much at all) and I realize the character my sto ry is told through has no business existing. I have the freedom to change it. And no one has to be the wiser. And It's going to happen. Even if you made this list and were in absolute love with it, the chances of it being the same in the novel's final version are not very high. So stop putting so much pressure on it. And in about five minutes I was able to complete most of that list using logic: fire is red, what gemstones are red? What minerals can help to start a fire? What animal woul surive a forest fire the best? It's not rocket design.
You say you have done actual writing but outlining a story without either a central idea or the list you want us to make you can't be more than a page or so. From what you have told us so far what you want to write is not a novel or a short story but something like a script for a kids' anime-style series. You don't have the core plot, you don't have the world setting, but you have something along the lines "it will have magic and fights and beads and weapons and it will be {number} main characters that beat the crap out of the bad guys". This is not called an outline. This is called a notion at best. You don't have any image of what it will look like in the end. And even if you think you can get by on scavenged ideas and poor creativity, you can only underestimate others' intellect so much. This is how advice works: You have an idea -> You work on your idea -> You reach a certain point -> You have a problem/question/hit a wall -> You ask for advice What you are doing right now is this You ask for advice -> Expect to be handed the idea -> Expect it to already be developed to a certain point -> Intend to practically only edit for the most part the stuff others give you It doesn't work that way...
Honestly, I could do better with my eyes shut...You have no plot, no structure, and by your own admission, no viable characters...Oh yeah, let's not forget the conflict. You have a shopping list. You have no meat or even bits of witty banter. Pick one or two combinations from that list and focus on them. Create two characters using your combinations and go from there. You focus too much on the abstract and the theory. Fantasy is about the story and the characters, abilities are secondary. Give your characters a face and a voice, not a list.
Before I start my response, I'd like to point out that the crux of my post is not reflection on Darkkin--in fact, I agree with him. However, his sentiment is pretty universal on this thread. So, let me step out of character here. I don't understand the thrust, the need or ultimate goal of anything in this thread. To me, the entry by the OP sounds like he/she is trying to craft a lost-in-time quasi-spiritual tale of a Plains Indian super soldier with an animal totem. Having said that, I think we should stop beating on him/her. Yeah, my mouth gets me into trouble and I'm as quick to condemn as praise. That's not the issue. We pounded on the member about as much as we have on anyone, and I'm still not sure his/our polar opinions were properly conveyed. No doubt, the OP could be a scam artist looking for us to write the perfect story. I don't think so. I just think he's a guy like most of us were, he wants to write a story that speaks to him as being important, and he's clueless. I don't know anything about animal-totem-weapons, but let's all admit we've been over our heads. Is there anything we can do to fix the story, offer an olive branch and end the hemorrhaging? (No, seriously, it's me The Tourist...)
I admit to being a stuffy, know-it-all, but I do know a thing or two about world building. I've been RPGing since I could read. Chronic illness also gives one plenty of free time to work on fantasy worlds. For me, it always began with my characters. That is what I'm trying to convey. @Isaiah. I'm saying take a step back from this all important list. Pick your favorite combination of those you do have. Write it down. If you can, give them a name. What does your character look like? What are his/her likes and dislikes, basic personality traits. What is his/her purpose? What is their back story? Look at it from a different perspective. Take a look at your story arc and pick a plot point. Start writing about that scene. Who is in that scene? Why are they in that scene? What are their reactions going to be? What is their emotional state? Are they with someone or alone? If they are with someone, is it friend or foe? Don't get bogged down in senseless detail that will bore your reader to tears. Develop a few of the basics, cornerstones, if you will. Find your conflict, let that become your lodestone. Once you have that everything else will be drawn toward it. Your list seems to be a procrastination tactic because you don't quiet know how to proceed. @Tourist. I'm a she, not a he...Otherwise, I agree with you.
LOL. Sorry about that. I do try to include the combo "he/she" if I'm thinking about it. I apologize for using the editorial generalized pronoun. And I do agree with you, also, despite the error. I'm amazed that the mods didn't step in and tell us to play nice with the OP. I've been known to "make you an offer you don't understand" myself. But there were times I re-read entries here five times and still didn't get the gist of the question(s). There are things I'll fight for, even lost causes that draw me a demerit--and I almost have the complete set in all of the popular colors. But this was not a heated argument, it was a cyber beating. I don't mind if it's me, in fact, that's fun. I get my juices up. I just think we went too far here, and after we vented our collective spleens we should have switched over to suggestions. Me? I'm still confused, and my suggestion would be a more clear-cut arc.
@Isaiah I'm still not entirely sure what you're after, but I'll try to offer some assistance. You want these combinations, because they're going to represent the characters in your tokusatsu? So, let's say your character is Pai Mei, he wields the Jade Fox of Air, a quarterstaff with the power to extend vast distances and summon a cloud on which he can ride. I think I can infer from what you've said about your plot, that your character is going to be traversing China on a mission to defeat the other 39 Elemental Animal Wizard Warriors so that he can gain their powers and be the ultimate Kung Fu monk, kill the Emperor and marry his blind daughter. If that's the case, as has been said before in this thread, just start writing it. I mean, actually writing it. To have a main character, you only need 1 of those combinations. To have a villain you only need 1 of those combinations. Write from there. Once you've written to the point where you need the next one, come up with it THEN. Finally, let's examine why you got 3 pages of snark here. You asked your question, in an extremely passive aggressive manner while having a whinge about you not getting the response you wanted from your original post. That was followed by a demand that we all fill out the entire list. You gave us VERY limited information, and when people asked what you were talking about you responded with quite a bit of snark yourself. When you finally got around to giving us some actual information you listed a bunch of conditions that showed us all you were really looking for was a bunch of labels. What you're telling us you need doesn't really have any bearing on a story. You could use placeholder names until you come up with better. For example: Mary Sue and the MacGuffin of Unobtainable Power. You tell us you've been stuck on this since December, OF LAST YEAR! Then go on to tell us that you've spent one night and come up with a lot of the stuff you wanted, and seemed to be acting like it was a favour to us. People have given you some really solid advice for solving the problem yourself. (Hint: Google) They've also offered the advice that you're fixating on something that, from the information we've been given, is actually not important. (Once again, a label isn't important.) So finally, I'm going to give you some advice. 1: A list of item/gem/power/animal/elements is not equal to conflict. 2: If this list really IS pivotal to your plot, then trust me, you do NOT want a community of forum goers contributing to it. 3: This list really is something that is EASY to populate. It's probably why people were so confused. (If you want to know some animals, just type "list of animals" into google) 4: If you ask a question on a forum of people who would be VOLUNTEERING their help, don't whinge when you don't get any help, or the help isn't good enough. 5: This is something that's probably going to be hard to let go of. Unless you're writing a book about writing, the people on this forum, are NOT your target audience. It's okay to tell us spoilers to the book you haven't written. In fact, if you're asking for advice, it's probably a good idea to tell us ALL the relevant information. 6: When you want to ask people's opinions on a list you've created, this forum will be a great help. If you want US to write the list for you, you'll probably just be told to do it yourself.
The OP asked a specific question that was never answered. Instead, someone gave alternate advice. Cool, that's always potentially useful. Then a dozen other people felt compelled to regurgitate that same advice, in slightly different words because, you know, we're all so damn creative around here. I for one am genuinely interested in the OP's concept, if only to massage my imagination. Coming up with ideas is not "hard work." It is the easiest thing in the world to do, and I would be happy to help the OP, if only I could understand what precisely it is he wants.
I think you hit it. Ya' know, it might be a good thing to exchange PMs with this writer, get to know him, and guide him on what you see, and what you don't. I will admit another problem I have. Even if he/she wrote the perfect animal-totem novel and it got terrific reviews and buzz here, it's not for me. And when I find this condition, I know that it's better to speak my mind, offer "something" but then leave the repairs to the guys who understand the genre. This plot might be one of those projects. Hey, if in the end it stinks, sobeit. It got a shot. But I think the public beatings should stop.
Joined this thread near the very beginning and quite honestly, I'm amazed it's still open. I feel a little bad and agree the poundings should cease... but I just can't bring myself to hand over ideas to be used by another. All the information needed for the OP to create his/her own shopping list has been given here if he/she will only do some legwork/research. Please, close this thread and end the suffering of us all
Understanding the genre isn't necessary (I certainly don't). This is a simple SAT problem. A shark is _____ to water like a lion is to light. Looking at the OP's example list of "elements", weapons, and animals, I fail to see any recognizable pattern.
For me it goes deeper. Using your analogy, then, sunbeams are to Tinker Bell like cerebellums are to zombies. The issue is that I don't care about fairies or zombies. "Resident Evil" could win a Pulitzer, and I'd still think it had been done to undeath. Granted, there is a eager and ready market for wizards, black magic, and Tolkien-esque gnomes on quests. Personally, I'd rather waste my time with some horrid Peter Fonda 'Wild Angels' movies. But I'll admit there probably is a author out there that can make a zombie story into a page-turning unlife. Just not for me. And I think this confused animal-totem guy might deserve a chance. Help him if you can.
Personally, I think that it's more productive to teach people how to find answers, than to answer questions for them; hence my response at the top of the previous page.
There's nothing wrong with that, and I agree. But the part of the familiar adage ends, "...but if you teach a man to fish..." And admittedly this is where I'm no help to him. For example, an acquaintance of mine in Canada writes YA. If the OP was attempting that genre, I could refer him to her. It sounds like 123456789 (we called him 'Digits' in another forum, LOL) is opening up that dialog with him. I think this thread is going to take a more positive turn.
