# Need help with fantasy story



## KatKry (Dec 15, 2008)

Yes, yes. I know there have been a few thread like this but I want to make one anyway. I'm writing a fantasy story and was wondering if there was anyone out there there would be so kind as to help me? 

I really need some help with the characters. The two main ones are thought out and everything but other than them, I've got nothin' XD

The story is about a teenage girl who has been having really weird dreams about wolves and other animals. She one day gets transported to another realm and yada yada. Typical fantasy stuff.

There aren't really any furries in it but there are werewolves and what I really needed help with was character ideas.

I was also hoping to get it published when I'm older. 'Tis my dream to be an author! Support my dream by sending me a message if interested, ok?


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## M. LeRenard (Dec 15, 2008)

I can give it a look-see.  Why don't you just post a link to it?  Else send me the link in a PM.  You want me to just talk about characters, or do you want the whole shebang?


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## ScottyDM (Dec 16, 2008)

I am a total sucker for teenage girls... or girls of any age.


About your teenage girl...

What does she want more than anything?
What is she willing to do to get it?
And then...

Who helps her? (characters)
Who opposes her? (more characters)
Then what do these characters want and what will they do to get it? (only bother with the more important characters)

Lather, rinse, repeat until you have your characters and your plot.


Characters and plot are nice, but they are not everything there is to a story, or to being a good storyteller. In fact one can point to many novels and movies with characters and plot, but they seem to fall flat. In the past I've had problems with longer stories: writing scenes that didn't contribute to the story while leaving out critical scenes. Not the best technique.  

The magic ingredient is: What's in this for the reader? That is, what's the emotional payoff? You can have two stories with the exact same set of characters who play out the exact same plot. One will promise a particular emotional ride for the reader, and will payoff on that promise--while the other just seems to wander around, the product of a confused author. Guess which one the readers will enjoy more.

To prevent author confusion you need to figure out what your emotional promise is, then put it up on a sticky note on your monitor. Stay focused on the promise as you write. This will be the heart of your story.

So let's see, teenage girl is magically transported to a land where critters like werewolves are real...

Maybe like Dorthy in _The Wizard of Oz_, she just wants to go home. Your promise would be: "Going home."
Perhaps she will fall in love with a fellow there, or she loses one love (in reality, but he was just her boyfriend and not her true love) only to gain another in the new world. Your promise might be: "Falling in love," or: "Discovering love."
Maybe in reality she's just this 16-year-old high school kid, but in the new world she she must lead a bunch of misfits against some tyrant. She'll need to grow up quickly to be an effective leader. Your promise could be: "Growing up."
Maybe this isn't about greatness, but about trying to fit into a world that is even wackier than reality. Then your promise could be: "Fitting in," or: "Finding your place."
If the new world is peopled with horrors she must deal with. Your promise might be: "Uncommon courage," or "Strength of courage," especially if true courage is able to magically disarm those horrors.
Or something else.
Readers who share those issues with the girl will be drawn to and captivated by the story. The key is to let the reader know as soon as possible what the story promises--then to deliver on that promise. You can let them know with the title, or in the first paragraph, or maybe within the first couple of pages. Forcing a reader to plow through 10,000 words before you reveal what the story is about is bad. And it's bad form to promise one thing, but deliver on something else.

As you write focus on the promise. In particular how the main character grows from lacking that thing, to fully possessing it. Example: If your story is a romance, with the promise of "true love," and the heroine gets her guy (his love, his body, his wealth, and his name) near the end of the fifth chapter--then the story's over and the reader can stop reading. Not cool if you've got 15 more chapters to go.


So yea. Figure out what your girl wants and who's going to both help her and hinder her. Then figure out the promise of your story. The plot will follow. The result should be pretty good.

Scotty


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## KatKry (Dec 16, 2008)

Baie dankie, Scotty ^^
Thank you very much,Scotty ^^

What the girl in my story is looking for is actually what most girls her age aren't and that is to be alone. All she wants is to be alone. Her family is dead, she has no friends but there are people that want to be her friend and that is something she doesn't want. She is perfectly happy doing her own thing with her cat, Catifeara.

I'm still working on the main characters name but all the characters I have so far have names and backgrounds. 

Also the cat can talk and she tells the girl she is destined for great things and that being alone won't solve any problems. The cat is just one of the co-stars and I've thought of two other ones (A talking dog and a dog like teenage boy who could possibly be a romantic object  ) but what I really need is some bad guys and minor characters. 

I found your advice rather helpful. 

Also, Renard, I haven't posted any chapters yet and I wasn't really sure if I was going to because what I said before is that I might want to get it published when I'm older and posting it on the internet might be a bad thing but now that I think of it, I might just put up a couple of chapters somewhere.

But I'll send you the first chapter as soon as I'm done with it, ok?


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