I'm in the process of writing the intro for my first OCT (Original Character Tournament) which also happens to be my first story and comic, so I'm kind of lost. At the moment I'm trying to figure out how my characters got to the site of this tournament (Which is less "tournament" and more "get to the McGuffin first"). What I have right now is as far as I'm willing to go without having a set in stone plot. (And It's written like a screenplay because I like the format) FADE IN: INT. FATHER’S THRONE ROOM - ??? An elderly man sits on his throne made of old and unrecognizable material. He’s angry, evident by the way his teeth grind against one another and how his breath comes in quick puffs of steam. He opens his mouth quickly and furiously, slurring his words in the process. FATHER WHAT DO YOU MEAN, NO?! At the far end of the room stands two equally imposing figures, and though one is significantly taller than the other, the shorter of the two seems to be more in control. He talks slowly, as if bored with the current situation and any other situation that may or may not happen afterwards. His hair is alive with all the malicious shades of the sun, and his nose points out directly in-front of him, as if to ward off any who dare to oppose him. He shares the same expression of anger as FATHER, though it suits his face much better, and his mouth emits the same steam as FATHER as well, but his seems stronger, and more filled with life and resilience. PEACH [He makes a remark about how him and the man next to him always retrieve items for FATHER, but never get anything in return] The GREEN MAN next to PEACH makes a gesture not many would notice. A small nod of agreement, stern and calculated. Not many would in fact notice this nod, but FATHER has known GREEN MAN all his life, and has seen that nod many times throughout the years. FATHER’s brow creases more than one would think a brow could crease, he hadn’t expected GREEN MAN to turn on him as well. I have 3 ways that I think my story can go right now: The main characters lose and go to the tournament's location to get the McGuffin and beat FATHER with it, The main characters win and go to the site to further increase their power (power hungry after beating FATHER), or the characters don't try to fight him at all and instead go and get this device for him (they'd basically be there with the idea of "We were contracted to get this"). But which one of those is leaves me the most room to make an interesting plot afterwards? Which reason is (or could be) the most compelling? And what makes this even harder for me is that these characters are supposed to be villains so I can't think of any plots that could have a reader rally behind them (When they're going around being rude and killing people and all). If something hasn't been explained well then make sure to tell me.
How about this : FATHER fakes his defeat, leaving the other characters with a single mcguffin. Only one person is able to wield its power at a time, and the characters eventually become mad in the pursuit of power. It is then revealed that FATHER is the creator of the mcguffin and can create as many copies as he can. You might also want to elaborate on the mcguffin. It's feeling a bit nondescript right now.
It's basically just a floating city full of advanced technology. And on the thought of him faking his defeat, I actually was thinking about another way the plot could go where FATHER faked his defeat and as the main guys were on their way to the site FATHER took control of one of them to get the city/machines for himself (he doesn't kill the other, non controlled person because he knows he needs him to fight whoever else may appear). I've also been told that the devices(s) doesn't need to be the central focus of the story (You don't have to win once your characters get the machines, their victory could be somewhere else), it just needs to be centered around the city itself.
WARNING: This may seem harsh... My suggestion is, learn more about your craft. Read Dwight V. Swain's Techniques of the Selling Writer, read Blake Snyder's Save the Cat! series, read... well, you get the idea. There are hundreds of books, good and bad, on the craft of writing. Knowing your craft will help you make creative decisions. I've seen a fair number of questions posted on this forum where the writer is looking for ideas to shape a story, or is asking which of his/her ideas are best instead of seeking feedback on written work or help with technical issues. Frankly, I don't understand it. If I can't find my own story ideas, or can't decide which one works best, I don't feel like I'm engaged in telling my story. Maybe I'm alone in feeling that way. I know, I know, you're talking about which is the best idea. You decide. That's a big part of your job as a writer. And the more you know about your craft, the better decisions you'll make. You can also read other people's work to find out what decisions they made, then go back and reread the story, pick it apart, and work out why they made those decisions. The more you know about craft, the easier this will be. Bottom line: You're the author. You come up with the ideas, figure out which best support the work you're doing ATM, then write, rewrite and rewrite until you have something that you feel conveys your theme(s) and you feel good about. The more people you involve in your creative decisionmaking, the less pride you'll be able to take in the finished product.
That answer wasn't harsh at all, actually really helpful. I've just been running around asking people which path seems best because I'm unfamiliar with storytelling and didn't want to mess up my first time with it. But I'll give confidence a try. Thanks!
