1. bux

    bux New Member

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    Prison for the free

    Discussion in 'Plot Development' started by bux, Jan 3, 2010.

    (Man Vs Nature/ Man Vs Man/ Man Vs law)

    No title arranged yet.

    This story follows a man, who has escaped from a prison in Alaska. Along with his own escape I want to add another 12 charecters, all within their own battle to survive the escape in harsh landscapes and to avoid the law.

    I'm struggling to find an decade where a prison break might be attempted with TNT, resulting in an entire column being blown up and causing an entire block to collapse just enough for these 13 men to escape.

    The point is, I want to take my main charecter into the harsh landscapes of Alaska and portray the prison within nature, to weigh up the best prison situation and to give all 13 charecters insight into how good they actually had it in prison.

    My MC is innocent of the crime he was imprisoned for and thus feels justified in escaping the prison only to be trapped on the banks of the Yukon river where he is under-prepared as Winter approaches.

    The decade will need to convey the survival technology and encapsulate the essence of the book as the other prisoners roam the Alaskan Countryside and get into all sorts of trouble.

    I would like to make more than one main charecter, I'd like to have three central charecters that lead the story three ways, until, they all meet up and it merges back into one story where the gruesome ending discontinues the story.

    Charecters I'd like to use:

    MC - Alexander Paton - has served 2 years of a 34 year stint for double homicide, he's only 26 years old, and is a shy and retiring man who develops as the story goes on into the man we recognize as the hero.

    Tom Mc Lenan - Is the reason a prison break has been organised and is the overlord of the prison gangs. he escapes and is immediately paired up with 3 other escapees who forfeit freedom to serve Tom as they had done inside.

    Andrew Traub - The prison warden who is given a three week break while the prison is being refurbished, he decides to hunt the escaped prisoners and is crucial to the ending.

    On some levels I feel shades of the Shawshank redemption here but without the insightful living in prison life. This is my my first attempt at a book so any form of critique or help is welcome.
     
  2. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

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    the third basic premise is 'man vs self'...

    man vs law = man vs man, since men make the law...

    i'm sure cog will be along any minute now, with his fine explanation of why posting story ideas is an exercise in futility... so i'll leave it to him... and, btw, this has been done many times before, as you should know... so, i hope you have some good new twists to give a cliched plot...

    love and hugs, maia
     
  3. Cogito

    Cogito Former Mod, Retired Supporter Contributor

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    As Maia warned you: :)

    A story concept means nothing. I can tell you now, it has been done before. What matters is how you write it, the characterization, the flow, the imagery, all of it.

    There's no benefit in asking what other people think of the concept! They'll either say,"Sounds great," or, "it sounds like a ripoff of..."

    If the idea stirs you, write it. Then ask people what they think of the final story. After they tell you what they don't like about it, revise it, usually several times, until you're happy with it or until you throw up your hands and say the hell with it.

    Please read this thread about What is Plot Creation and Development?
     
  4. bux

    bux New Member

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    Rofl I did read that before I came in here but I obviously didn't quite grasp it's meaning. Sorry.
     
  5. writewizard

    writewizard New Member

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    I think that would be a very interesting book to see done. :) Just make sure you do some research on Stalkholm (is that how you spell it?) syndrome before you start.
     
  6. Cogito

    Cogito Former Mod, Retired Supporter Contributor

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    I think you mean Stockholm Syndrome. Long term captivity builds a relationship with the abductor, in essence turning the abducted to the abductor's camp. Start your research with the Patty Hurst story.
     
  7. writewizard

    writewizard New Member

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    Thanks, exactly what I meant.
    -Writewizard :)
     
  8. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

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    uh, it's 'hearst' cog... as in william randolph, the real life version of welles' pitiful villain, 'citizen kane'... she's his granddaughter and was a more or less neighbor of mine in westport, ct, after having her prison sentence commuted and marrying her former bodyguard chauffer...
     
  9. Cogito

    Cogito Former Mod, Retired Supporter Contributor

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    You're right, Maia. I suffered a brain flatulance.
     

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