Hello, I have not been back here in a while. Tried working on that bullied-girl-meets-internet-serial-killer thing for a while but it was starting to sound too reminiscent of Stephen King's Carrie so I decided to put it on the back burner for a while. In the meantime, this was another idea I was considering. "Ronny", a handsome, arrogant rock star, is driving home from a studio session and accidentally hits and seriously injures a young woman, paralyzing her for life. Now guilt-ridden, Ronny goes into an emotional tailspin. Unable to write, sing or perform, he becomes convinced that the only way to find peace is to be forgiven by the accident victim, "Susan". Unfortunately, that's as far as I've gotten. Any thoughts? Thanks.
Well.... It sounds like it could branch out into different arcs. How exactly was it an accident? Was he drunk? Maybe it could be COMPLETELY his fault that he hit her. Adding more of a reason as to why he feels so guilty. Maybe he quits his job as a rockstar because it changed him as a person? Maybe after reflecting on the accident he realizes that, in order to find peace, he needs to change his entire life around? Idk lol. There was very little to go off of...
I'll never understand why people ask for a third party's help on a plot. For mechanics I understand, and asking if an idea is bad, this I get as well. But it's your plot. Just sit on it for a while and let your mind wander, brainstorm. It'll come to you when you aren't even thinking that hard. As for the plot at this stage, it pretty much sounds like your run of the mill drama. I'm pretty sure I've heard the exact same thing before, minus the names and vocation. I can barely come up with any new material for it because it would require an uprooting on all of the before-standing content. Perhaps the injured girl could be a small part of the big picture, and the story be more about his arrogance and it's effects on those around him, the story revolving around his attitude and how it's really doing change to his life, but even then you would have to pull it off well to not make it a cliche.
This is a good premise. However, what you're asking is for us to come up with your story for you. This often happens here - new members have a premise and ask everyone to complete it for them. The first thing you have to do (after the original premise) is to build your story. That's the joy of writing, the adrenaline rush of creativity. Asking others to do this for you is costing you what you should be taking pride in doing yourself. I hate to come across as negative, but this is the way your question seems.
That could turn out many different types of stories. My mind immediately went into a love story between the rock star and injured girl. I could also see it becoming a horror story.
Everyone's brain works differently. Sometimes I'll just run an idea past someone to see if it clicks with them. If it does, great, that meanst every tenth person out of a population of six billion people is bound to get it and all I have to do is write it down. Everyone's brain works differently.
That isn't what he's asking at all, though. He's asking for people to help him develop the plot, and this I don't understand. Running an idea by is fine, but this isn't his intention. He wants us to help make it for him.
Perhaps I wasn't being clear in my original question. What I meant to say was, does the setup seem derivative? I always have this fear that every time I come up with a new premise it's not actually an original idea but based on something I saw before that's been lurking around in my subconscious. Thanks for asking. PS. I'm a "she".
I don't think you need to worry about that. Rest assured that pretty much every story has already been told a thousand times. All we can do now is to do something new and fresh with a story that's been done before by someone else. Anything can work as long as it's done well. Good luck.
It is better he goes to Susan and request her to marry him so that he gets calmness. But Susan quarrels him and tell him, "You made me disabled and now I have to live on a wheelchair the rest of my lifetime. This happened because of your arrogance and selfishness. Now, you want marry me while I hate you? Do you think I will marry you because you are a rock star? Oh you are in mistake. Nothing can return my health. get away from my home before I take my gun and shoot to your feet and make you a disabled person like myself. " Ronny, begins crying and replies." do you think I am comfortable? Don't you know my days have become as night dark and dim? Don't you know the regret is torturing me every moment? Don't you know sleeping is escaping from my eyes ever night? Don't you know you are in front of my eyes every second ? What will save me from this hell,Susan? ...hahaha ( the sound of sobbing). When the Ronny's cry continue and he is not able to say anything, and Susan understands, he is very regretful, she feels pity to him and her hatred changes into the mercy. She goes and bring him a Paper handkerchiefs and tells him, " Stop crying, please clean your tears... just let me to think about the marriage. I will respond to you in a few days... Have a coffee drink,now?" Ronny stop crying and says happily" Oh, what a good offer...Yes drink but please with milk and a little sugar"
Maybe Susan needs something done, and can'tdo it on her own, now that she's disabled. Her disability might mean that she can't work anymore, and if she's a single mother, noone can take care of her child/ren or mother. So Ronny, feeling guilty, decides to take care of them financialy and gets attached to them Maybe Susan was an athlete, and the accident ruint her future. Roony knowing she will never forgive him because of that, offers to help her find another talent, and a meaning for life. Because he can't perform anymore that could be his jurney as well to find something meaningful with their lives. I think you should take some time with yourself and think of the most far fetched and wierd places you could take your story. Go crazy, and eventually you'll find a plot direction you want to go. One that will make your story unique. And don't worry about the story being told already. Every story is influenced by another, even the most original. What you do with it makes it your own.
Hence why I like using languages that have neutral forms. Yes, I have heard of the story before. People say that all plots are overdone; I find that this only truly happens in plot fiction, and even then, I do not wholly believe it. Even if it has been done before, that does not mean you cannot do it better, it just takes a creative spin for that.
Maybe Ronny tries to apologise but Susan rejects the apology, Ronny feels so guilty that he kills himself to get away from the pain, Susan blames herself for his death and she kills herself. They meet at the gates of heaven where God is trying to decide if he should let them in, after all, suicide is a sin and so the pair of them should be on their way down to the firey furnace. So the pair of them beg and plead for a chance to redeem themselves and gain entry through the pearly gates. So God comes up with a plan. Ronny and Susan have to return to Earth as Angels and they have to work together to save the lives of six different people. Once the task is complete, they will gain entry into heaven.
Not sure where to take it from there, but maybe Ronny was sleeping around make him at least double Susan's age. This led to a woman getting pregnant and having a child she ended up getting ill later in life. So her daughter Susan is heading home to help her mother out when Ronny hits her. Susan's mother has cancer. Ronny then after his guilt trip of an ordeal goes back, finds Susan offer to help her recover (he was trained home helper before he got famous). Susan's mother ends up getting rushed into hospital Ronny goes to the hospital with Susan and see the fling that he had. On her mothers death bed Ronny promises to make everything better for Susan and helps her into fame and fortune.
Or Susan is an emotional basket case and the two of them get entangled in a mutually dysfunctional codependent relationship (messy). Or Susan is a sociopath and manipulates Ronny into committing some horrible act (farfetched). Or Susan dies and Ronny gives up the rockstar life and becomes a monk (I don't think so!).
I would like to point out that the messy option is good. It plays on drama and the audience's heartstrings. However, that's character development, not necessarily plot.
It's a great start. Now all you need to do is create an obstacle to this goal. For instance, Susan is in a coma. OR, she has moved and your MC needs to track her down. OR, she is unforgiving and he needs to go on a spiritual journey to get her forgiveness. OR, he falls in love with her. You can take this so many ways. Right now, your "plot" is just a goal for the story, which is to be forgiven to move on. Now you need to create obstacles that stand in the way of this goal - a conflict of sorts that will be the catalyst to your story. Along the way I'm sure you will come up with other ideas as well.
I had the exact same worry, but then I heard this advice: make sure that your story is better than the other similar story. The exact quote is similar to that. Basically, even if you go with the idea that was done before -- and I've heard many times that the original story/idea doesn't exist, everything has been done before and similar -- the thing is, your point of view, your writing style, your "voice" will be different than the other writer's. All in all, don't worry about originality worry about everything else.
