i have just written about 6000 words of my new(and first) novel. the main plot is that in a post apocalyptic society where the world has been destroyed by nuclear war(neutron bombs so there is no fallout) 10 new cities(sanctuaries)have been formed. the main setting for this book is a domed sanctuary with a warrior culture based on the one in aincient Sparta(with a sprinkling of roman culture). the plot is based around a 16 year old boy called cassius and his journey of application, acceptance and training for the agogi, the brutal warrior society. later in the series he is separated from his unit and wounded he is taken in by a wilderness tribe which he had always been told were mutants. leartning about the wilderness and other 9 cities in the region he learns the truth about his society and the emporer that his culture worship(based on north korea) cassius and his friends have all progressd through the combat phase of the selection process and now i need 2 more selection phases, i am thinking archery/shooting but that would be boring to write, or possibley some sort of race. any ideas on how to expand this plot? thanks.
Sounds like you have the general gist of your plot. What you need to do now is begin to outline the chapters. All I do is start a new blank word document, and literally start coming up with specific chapter content. List in bullet points the major things you want to happen in the chapters. Depending on your word count, I typically like to aim for around 25 chapters. But the amount of chapters don't really matter to be honest, that's just to give you an idea. You need to think about how you're going to introduce the world to the reader, and where the MC starts in terms of the story. From maybe some random shanty town where he's just your average kid surviving in this war torn land, maybe he see's a convoy driving through his village and becomes a stow away that eventually lands him in some army base where he is recruited. I'm just throw shit out there. You need to start getting into those types of specifics, and thinking about how to introduce the influential characters. Honestly, it's such a fluid process. I remember building out my story and swapping bits round as I analysed the chapters overall. It's easy to build an in depth plot line when you simply bullet point everything you want to include. It allows you to have diversity over what's working and what's not. I'd keep building this bullet pointed chapter document out until you feel satisfied with what you've got down.
How about an archery/shooting based race? Having to gain a certain amount of targets wile avoiding getting caught yourself may make for an interesting plot twist. Can they be paired up? Or in teams? A measure of teamwork/sportsmanship. How does the intensity of this affect your characters? Who do you want to come out on top? What is the end result of this next phase even if you don't go with the race idea?
Thanks, I actually have quite a bit down written down but planning out the further chapters seems like a good idea, I have some ideas but it gets fuzzy towards the end. I've written the next chapter which featured them fighting in pairs(including the protagonist and his developing love interest) against what they think are mutants from outside the dome but are in fact genetically engineered lifeforms that are being used to convince the population to stay inside as it is unsafe outside. The main characters will afterward be accepted into the military and casseus will be wounded out on patrol and taken in by a tribe of people(he had always been told that only cannibalistic mutants lived outside the sanctuary) learning that his government is evil he leads a rebellion against them.
