A few plots I'm considering

[anhalo]

Hi,

I came up with a few plots, and thought I would get some opinions on them, and which ones sound interesting.

The Mage of Lleluda

A teenage boy and girl who have been friends since childhood are tragically split up as it is discovered that the boy is able to use magic, and so is sent off to join the mages guild, which is expected by their society to stay separate from society to hone their craft and be the kingdoms protectors.

The boy goes to the mages guild reluctantly, and the pair is split up, possibly never to see each other again.

Eventually it becomes too much and they both set out on a quest to re-unite with each other, against all odds and the wishes of society, to discover the most important magic of all... Love.

The Cave of Elementis

A group of four friends are out messing around in the forest when they come across a cave that they cannot resist exploring.

When they wake up the next morning on the ground, just outside of the forest, they start discovering that each of them has a new found talent. To control one of the four elements. Air, earth, fire and water.

When they return to their town, they start telling people about it, but soon word gets to the kingdoms evil monarch through his network of secret police, and out of fear of their powers, and of a prophecy which had predicted his fall, he issues a warrant for their capture and execution as traitors.

After narrowly escaping capture in their town, they set out on an epic quest of freedom, friendship and self-discovery, to fulfil what they now feel is their duty to save the kingdom through the downfall of the monarch and the fulfilment of the prophecy to create a new order.

Asalih the Brave

When a teenage boy’s town is crushed by slavers, he is captured and sold off in the slave market of a neighbouring kingdom to a mysterious cloaked figure. The figure turns out to be the King of the Kingdom, who was seeking an heir to his throne, and who brings him up as if he was his own son. When the king is assassinated, the boy suddenly finds himself at the head of a kingdom, and feeling ill prepared.

It turns out that the assassination was by the monarch of the boy’s kingdom of birth, who wants to invade. Feeling helpless, the boy has to make up his mind where his loyalties lie, and decides that his old kingdom did nothing to defend him and his family from slavers, and realises that it is now his duty to look after the people of his own kingdom.

He leads an epic struggle, which sees him fight off the invasion, and then unite the two kingdoms under his control, where he seeks to build a new order that protects all citizens of the newly created kingdom.

Kingdom of Aranell

When a group of friends become disenchanted with the Kingdom in which they live they take radical measures, and set out on a quest to build a new kingdom of their own, free from tyranny and oppression… but it's not as easy as it seems!

Many Thanks!

Anhalo.

 

[MstrTal]

Why not work on them all as the muse or mood takes you?

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Which one of these ideas excites you the most? Work on that one.

It is likely that the story you end up with after a few drafts will be much different from the plot as you describe it now, so asking people which would interest them is really beside the point. Besides, in the end, it's not the idea, it's the execution.

 

[Cayal]

Call me paranoid but isn't it risking to publish plots for WIPs?

 

[Culhwch]

I think the risk is pretty minimal. Someone might steal a plot, but the details here are pretty scant, so they'd still have to do a lot of legwork to make it into anything that would be publishable, and that's really the only case in which it could be seen to be detrimental to the original author.

As Teresa says, anhalo, it's the execution that counts. Work on whichever one excites you the most. Out of curioity - are these aimed towards the YA end of the market? That's how they read to me, so if you were instead thinking of tailoring them to adults you may want to refine them a bit.

 

[Colbey Frost]

Do them all and interlink them into one book...

 

[ali565]

Hi. I think they all sound pretty good, but I agree, you should go with the one you like the best because that's probably the one you'll write the best, but in my humble opinion, I think they could all work.

 

[slack]

The Mage of Lleluda interested me most, considering the issues it flirts with, while Kingdom of Aranell seems reminiscent of George Orwell's Animal Farm.

Of course, as others have said, it all depends on execution. Best of luck with whatever story you choose.

 

[Hex]

I agree that you never know with an idea until you start writing it, and great books are most often about great execution rather than just a good idea.

Of your ideas, I like the first and the last best (have to say that for the third idea, you'd need to work quite hard to persuade me that the king of any kingdom is going to name a random slave boy from an enemy country as his heir - or be allowed to by his court).

I uite liked the Animal Farm idea, as long as you don't involve pigs or windmills it should be fine

 

[Tezz]

they all sound good to be honest the first one sounds like something i could read sat in the sun on a lazy sunday afternoon, Asalih the Brave sounds very simular to soemthing i was planning on working on myself.

 

[Dreyhawk]

Many prominent writers keep/kept a list of ideas, sometimes just a title. Then when they finished one book they would go back through their list for another idea. Pick which one draws you in the most right now and put the others on the back burner. Like you I have several ideas going at once. I try to focus on one story, but if I hit a dry spell with it I may spend a little time on another, creating a scene or fleshing out a character. Then I put it aside again and go back to the main story. The break often "recharges" my brain.

 

[goldhawk]

They're all good. Mind if I steal them?

Stories are not ideas; they're about execution. Until you write them, they're worth nothing.

Advice: write them all. Suddenly, one will stand out that you can't stop thinking about. That's the one to put your effort into.

 

[Primitius]

Besides, in the end, it's not the idea, it's the execution.

Surely if the idea is crap, it doesn't matter how amazing the execution is? I'm only ever inspired to write if I think I have a good idea, otherwise I don't see the point. That is the sole motivation for me. Am I doing it wrong?

 

[STING]

Surely if the idea is crap, it doesn't matter how amazing the execution is?

What Teresa meant was that it isn't enough to just have a good idea, but it's important to execute it well. And that idea must excite the writer first.

I am not sure about crap ideas but some ideas which are not too strong can lead to bestsellers if executed and written very well.

 

[HareBrain]

Surely if the idea is crap, it doesn't matter how amazing the execution is? I'm only ever inspired to write if I think I have a good idea, otherwise I don't see the point. That is the sole motivation for me. Am I doing it wrong?

I think you answered your own question. Crap idea = no inspiration = crap result. I'm sure the same applies to most people.

The qualifier is that "crap" is subjective. If someone believes their idea is brilliant, even though everyone else would think it rubbish, their writing might still be inspired enough to turn it into a half-decent story.

In summary: if your idea inspires you, go for it. If it doesn't, you should almost certainly try another one, unless you enjoy self-torture.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Surely if the idea is crap, it doesn't matter how amazing the execution is?

As Goldhawk said, ideas are not stories. And on the road from idea to completed novel (or short story) the original idea may change practically out of recognition. It depends on how interested the writer is, not only in writing the story, but in examining and exploring all the possibilities and consequences of the original premise, because that is what makes for compelling writing.

I have read stories that began with great ideas but the ideas just sort of curled up on the page and fell asleep. It was as though the writer said, "Here, I have a great idea. Isn't it wonderful?" and then went on to write an utterly banal story where the great idea was a mere gimmick and did little or nothing to drive the story. It was simply window dressing.

But even the best ideas can look stale, flat, and improbable when summed up into a brief paragraph, especially when most of what makes the idea exciting to the writer is still too vague in his or her mind to explain.

 

[paranoid marvin]

There are plenty of ideas that may initially seem poor when thought of , but when put to paper have turned out to be great.