This week was a hectic one, full of unexpected and time-consuming projects and exams; as such, I had little time, at home or at school, to focus on plot or character development. Even so, I am beginning to feel as if the topic of my 20% project was not well chosen. I can't seem to write a story on command; I have written lore and histories for fictional worlds and created original characters, but I cannot seem to create a plot to bind them all together into a coherent story.
The characters and post-apocalyptic pseudo-Victorian world that I have planned for the "Carrion Man" story seem to share the same problem as my previous attempts at creative writing: a lack of plot. I simply cannot think of a reason or motivation for the characters to being their trek through the dying world; I have brainstormed possible reasons: the Carrion Man comes to each of them and leads them to a meeting point before the story begins; each character meets at a set location out of their on volition... none of the ideas I've had are original enough to craft a unique plot while keeping the simple but mysterious atmosphere I'm aiming for. The only way to craft a successful plot out of these building blocks is to change the atmosphere into something more descriptive. It will remove the enigma of the plot, but the story will be much easier to write.
I never knew story writing could be so complex! It is hard to be descriptive without giving something away. I have noticed that in some books and movies they will just jump in to something without explaining the why.. and as a reader/viewer, you just accept that the world functions that way. Then later you find out the why and it can be super exciting! Maybe you could try something like that?
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