I really really really want to write a Superhero Fiction piece, something sort of a little epic with twists, themes, and story arcs, but I need some inspiration. Does anyone know of any books? Plus, I need something new. It seems like every thing has been taken. I wanted something along the lines of a ordinary sci-fi people with extraordinary powers. I want something in the near future, though no lab accidents or mutants; freshly alter genetic superpower-bearing humans. Can't do Civil War, courtsy of Marvel. Can't do some school thing, courtsy of X-Men. Seems like everyone's beat me to it. I do plan to call these superpowered people Differents, because I can't do Others. It'll seem to much like Night Watch. Any ideas, inspiration, comments? Anything?
You're looking for a core concept for your story, and that is something that really should come from you. The best advice I can offer is to read as many superhero stories as you can get your hands on, and see if inspirationn strikes. But keep in mind. there are a relatively small number of storylines in all of literature. Instead of cracking you skull open trying to think of something that's never been done, put your effort into putting your own perspective on a good solid storyline, no matter how many others have tried that storyline before you.
If your going to work in the superhero genre, I'd read some of the "definitive" superhero works. Most of these would be graphic novels (like Batman: Year One and the Killing Joke, ect.), but you can still learn about the genre. This will help you get a better idea of what ideas are good or bad. I'd just start with the origins of the charactes and work up from there.
Well, I have recently read SuperPowers by David J. Schwartz. I thought it was a good read. It's about five teenagers who wake up with superpowers, and how they try to use them. It might be the sort of thing you're looking for.
Good that you realize this. Everything has been done before, one way or another, it has been done. Now that you know this, the pressure is off. Write what makes you feel comfortable. If you feel you have something new, got for, explore it, and see what comes from it. I love it! Make this happen! You have many choices, and just because someone else did the idea in a "popular format" does not mean they are the first to do the idea. Everything ever done has been built off something else. Night Breed was mutants living in a community complex. But no one took them for being X-Men.
Haha, this is really funny. A coincidence, really. In the last few days, me and some other members in this site started talking about super-hero novels. I think the idea of humans with special abilities appeal us all.
Maybe Alfred Bester's The Stars My Destination (also published as Tiger! Tiger!) may provide some inspiration. Why not a school? An ordinary high school/college with a small number of superpowered people who have to hide their abilities, would be very different from the school in X-Men.
I agree - right now our society is hungry for superheroes - I believe largely because we want someone to rescue us, but we can't see who it would be, and we don't want to do it ourselves! So take advantage of that interest - who cares what been done and said? It's all been done - look at the romance section of any book store! But people still love a good romance. What do YOU want to right about? You must have an idea, or the thought wouldn't be bothering you. Throw it out there, write about it, and see if it works - if it doesn't, keep trying.
I've got several ideas. In fact, I'm nuts for writing Superhero Fiction. I just need time to think, and books to read. Thanks for the comments so far! I want to write about a future society, plaqued by superhumans called Differents, on the brink of a civil war. I want conspiracies, battles, romances, and everything galore! Breathe in. Breathe out. I should probably start by writing a simple short story.
I'm guessing you've watched the TV-series Heroes, exploring ordinary people with extraordinary powers? The most important thing you need to establish is the responsibility of a hero and his/her power, and like any story - what their motivations are. The obvious question to ask is what drives someone into becoming a hero - what drives someone towards being a villian? Take reason films examples: Batman does it because he wants to rebuilt his home city, persuing his father's dreams. Also it's an internal conflict of not being able to take action when his parents were killed. Then you have the responsibility of his actions explored very well in Nolan's Dark Knight. It really showcases how hard it is to battle for "good", and how easy it is to create chaos. Modern cultural has blurred the lines of "good" and "evil", misguided justice is an increasing form of "villian" motivation. This in my opinion is a good step forward towards villian creation because it creates more convincing villians in a way. Old school villians used to do it for power and money, which they always seems to have had to start with; villians who're villians purely because they're evil don't tend to do too much to the audience; misguided justice on the other hand can convince people why a villian will battle time after time against the hero, and usually such villian can portray a whole "perspective" of the world the story is set in. Which leads me to the point about balance - Superheroes need their counterparts. Be it villians in the case of Spiderman; natural disasters in the case of Superman - you need an opposing force that challenges the superhero's power to create a compelling story. What's excited about the journey of a superhero who has no obstacles?
idea for a super hero-esque Here is an idea relating superheroes to a commoner: A person is commonly saddened from not understanding/comprehending the meaning behind what people are talking about. She lapses into depression and becomes manic. She then makes sense of her weakness and becomes engrossed in learning how to understand people. She learns to recognize people's facial expressions, voice variations, breathing speed, etc. until she can predict exact what someone was going to say/infer (her "superpower"). She is hired by the government doing negotiations, meetings, etc--she is used. But, she does a lot of great things for the world. The plot talks about her gaining the power, social and psychological struggle with it, and at the end... does not overcome it (sad ending) or fits into society again (cheesy but happy). Titles: Almost Natural, The Depressor, I Understand, SuperClarity, Everclear
