How original is this concept?

[junkodudeturkey835]

I said i wasn't going to come back for a while, but i tried writing and i have too many stresses at the back of my mind that makes writing very tedious for me. Thankfully i know one thing know, my writing skills have grown (i feel so anyway). So there is that.

But about the story i am doing, i will give out the story in the vague manner.

The protagonist is a normal human in a future where humanity has evolved into cyborgs, they hate pure-humans (later revealed its due to a conspiracy) and its similar to the apartheid in africa. The protagonist is about to lose his place of residence due to not paying his rent, and has to turn to a crimelord in order to earn money. He gets his money after completing a job, as well as a cybernetic implant which increases his reflexes (this is his "specialness" that most protagonists have), after awakening from a six month recovery in stasis, he awakens to find the whole city is deserted and alien beasts roam, harvesting humans for at this time unknown purposes. The protagonist escapes the city with the crimelord and his uncle (both survived the initial onslaught...i am kinda tired as i type this out) and his uncle is killed by the crimelord due to the crimelord seeing him as a burden. The protagonist fights back, and is incapacitated by the crimelord's henchemen. Left for dead, he is later found by survivors and then at this point sets out on a journey across the land, to kill the crimelord and later encounters the creature behind the invasion.

This is rather vague, clearly not really as detailed as i usually am (i am tired right now). But this initial premise, is this rather original for an alien invasion story? I don't know of any that have a personal story intertwined with a story about alien creatures invading. Also it is set in the future with cyberpunk elements.

It is adventure and action orientated, with action scenes kept brief and certain sections have more action than others. It starts off tricking you into thinking it's yet another futuristic sci-fi about a crappy society, then it turns into an alien invasion story with an adventure storyline thats similar to a character's journey in a fantasy novel.

 

[Brian G Turner]

Honestly, it's far too easy to worry about plot. Simply write it. The hard part isn't having a plot - it's writing description, character, and dialogue, that is all meaningful to a reader as well as technically correct.

 

[junkodudeturkey835]

Honestly, it's far too easy to worry about plot. Simply write it. The hard part isn't having a plot - it's writing description, character, and dialogue, that is all meaningful to a reader as well as technically correct.

I know, but as i said at the start of the post, i was unable to due to stress. I got six pages down but the stress got in the way. I am just leaving it on hold until the stresses are gone (this year should see some positive changes, i might try again half way through the year).

I made this post since i was bored and was curious.

 

[Spiegal]

Since being a part of this website it has become more and more clear to me personally that the only thing you can possibly do wrong is to not write at all. As Brian said, just get it down! You can always clean it up in progressive drafts. The important thing is to write it down no matter how badly spelt, poorly constructed or shambolically paced. The polishing, fixing and adjusting comes later on

 

[tinkerdan]

No matter how brilliant we all think we are there are few if any original plots and stories.

Our brilliance has to be in how we tell our story and how we grab the reader by the seat of their pants and give them the best darn rodeo ride they ever got.

We people it with the most interesting and realistic people that we can find in that jar of gray matter and we weave the whole thing together with whatever plot we have and transport the reader to that place that time in a way that will capture their entire attention for the duration.

No sweat!

You better get writing-typing soon.

 

[psychotick]

Hi Ryan,

Slightly confused by what you wrote. I can understand normal unmodified humans being afraid of cyborgs, but why would cyborgs be afraid of normal humans? Unless they are massively outnumbered of course. As for your hero of course, he has from what you've descibed, jumped ships as it were, from normal human to cyborg. Why? And will he now start hating normal humans?

Cheers, Greg.

 

[Locrian]

Hi Ryan,

Slightly confused by what you wrote. I can understand normal unmodified humans being afraid of cyborgs, but why would cyborgs be afraid of normal humans? Unless they are massively outnumbered of course. As for your hero of course, he has from what you've descibed, jumped ships as it were, from normal human to cyborg. Why? And will he now start hating normal humans?

Cheers, Greg.

Good point. Are they going to be born cyborgs, like some of the Borg? Or will it be more like a class divide, so that even though children dont have enhancements, when they come of age they know that they will get them due to their social status? It also sounds a bit like xmen in terms of the conflict involved.

 

[junkodudeturkey835]

Hi Ryan,

Slightly confused by what you wrote. I can understand normal unmodified humans being afraid of cyborgs, but why would cyborgs be afraid of normal humans? Unless they are massively outnumbered of course. As for your hero of course, he has from what you've descibed, jumped ships as it were, from normal human to cyborg. Why? And will he now start hating normal humans?

Cheers, Greg.

They are born as a genetically enhanced human with cybernetic aspects. A human with implants is similar but isn't since they are still human in every other aspect apart from the increased reflexes.

I love how people focus more on the society rather than the whole thing to do with aliens invading and the character's personal journey. I won't be focusing the story on the former, the whole thing with the cyborgs is just to give the character a way to be down on his luck at the start. And because its what i think will happen once stuff like that is real.

 

[junkodudeturkey835]

Good point. Are they going to be born cyborgs, like some of the Borg? Or will it be more like a class divide, so that even though children dont have enhancements, when they come of age they know that they will get them due to their social status? It also sounds a bit like xmen in terms of the conflict involved.

Unlike x-men, this is induced by the parents taking a drug that affects the reproductive organs. Their offspring is born like this.

 

[Stephen Palmer]

I had a quote on my FB page yesterday or the day before from Jodie Picoult - "You can't edit a blank page'

go for it and get that first draft done.

 

[junkodudeturkey835]

I had a quote on my FB page yesterday or the day before from Jodie Picoult - "You can't edit a blank page'

go for it and get that first draft done.

Trust me, i would if i could.

The positive is that i know what my writings skills are like, and i feel more confident because of it. But the stresses at the back of my mind are affecting the draft in very negative ways. Making the story more negative and my mind can't think it out properly enough.

The editing is the part where i can make it good, true, but the writing process feels intensely tedious and actually quite painful for me since i am thinking about doing other things.

In other words, i need a break from this lifestyle and work on the draft once my mind is refreshed.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

If writing adds to your stress as you indicate, or at least doesn't reduce it significantly, is it helpful to put yourself under the pressure of planning to write? Sadly, everyone here is right; the only way to know if your idea has legs/is a good one/ is to write. If that's not possible for you is there a different form of writing you could do that you find less tedious? Possibly short stories, where the achievement is a little quicker (though no easier) than a novel.

Unfortunately the writing process is tedious either with or without anxiety (and I've written in both states.) If tedium isn't for you, perhaps the difficulty lies not with your stress but the writing process itself.

 

[junkodudeturkey835]

If writing adds to your stress as you indicate, or at least doesn't reduce it significantly, is it helpful to put yourself under the pressure of planning to write? Sadly, everyone here is right; the only way to know if your idea has legs/is a good one/ is to write. If that's not possible for you is there a different form of writing you could do that you find less tedious? Possibly short stories, where the achievement is a little quicker (though no easier) than a novel.

Unfortunately the writing process is tedious either with or without anxiety (and I've written in both states.) If tedium isn't for you, perhaps the difficulty lies not with your stress but the writing process itself.

I got six pages done, i guess short stories will have to do just to keep ensuring my skills grow.

A long novel is a little harder and out of the question for now i guess, its not the stress of writing that bothers me, i am stressed all the time in general at the moment.

 

[Spiegal]

I've noticed you say you are stressed and can't work because of it quite often. Maybe you should try an automatic writing approach (just zone out and start typing) to take your mind off the technical aspects of pacing and what not. Perhaps write it paragraph by paragraph. You'll get more concise progress and won't be worrying so much about the bigger picture. Being stressed or not being in the right place can rapidly become an excuse rather than a reason not to write if you don't keep on top of it. I'm sure most here will agree from experience!

 

[junkodudeturkey835]

I've noticed you say you are stressed and can't work because of it quite often. Maybe you should try an automatic writing approach (just zone out and start typing) to take your mind off the technical aspects of pacing and what not. Perhaps write it paragraph by paragraph. You'll get more concise progress and won't be worrying so much about the bigger picture. Being stressed or not being in the right place can rapidly become an excuse rather than a reason not to write if you don't keep on top of it. I'm sure most here will agree from experience!

Your suggestion is good, i will try that at some point.

And yeah it does seem like an excuse i know, keep in mind i say the same about games and movies.