This plot or that?

[SapphireSeaBird]

Last night I took a notion to start writing again, and sat up most of the night scribbling out a plot for a story about a character called Lily, who I created about a year ago. However, just before I reached the climax point, I realised it was all very confusing, I had left few opportunities to actually explain what was going on, and I couldn't decide how it should play out.

But that's not the only confusing bit, because I've actually already got a storyline for this particular character's tale that I had originally planned to write, and reading back on it now, I can't decide which one to go with. I actually posted the original idea here before, but I'll briefly outline it again anyway 'cause I changed bits after posting that.

Plot One (Original Idea)
This one revolves around the freak accident that killed Lily's parents; it starts about a year after the accident but there will be a lot of flashbacks to before it to contrast Lily then and now and show how much she's changed. A cult-like group, all of whom have phychic powers in some shape or form, are based in the town Lily lives in unknown to most inhabitants. Lily is a descended from a poweful line of phychics and the leader of this cult is interested in her because of this. So basically, the idea is that the cult leader caused the accident to kill Lily's parents and isolate her, and will continue to secretly destroy all her relationships until she has nobody left to turn to but those in the cult. There will be a lot of trust/betrayal issues and the question in the end is whether or not Lily will join the cult.

Plot Two

This one also involves a freak accident caused by someone attempting to take Lily for her own, but instead of a cult leader, the "mastermind" behind all the trouble is a mentally unstable widow, whose husband and daughter were killed in a fire years before the story. The widow's daughter used to love inventing fairy tales, and after her death, as a way of dealing with the grief, the widow begins to write fairy tales and is eventually so gripped by them she makes them come to life.
She picks real people - always girls, the same age as her daughter would have been - and pays people to interfere with their lives until they fall out with their families/run away from home/their families are killed - basically, she isolates them, and in the end, they always come to her. I haven't decided what happens to them after this. Presumably, she kills them or something.
So she chooses Lily as her latest character, and writes a story in which Lily's family all die in a fire - to draw a parallel between Lily's loss and her own - and Lily is sent to live with her aunt, who will be a sort of modern version of the typical fairy tale's "evil step aunt". But Lily's Story is different to previous ones in that it doesn't play out as the widow wrote it - Lily's entire family are supposed to be killed, but her brother survives. Basically, as the story goes on we'll see the widow attempt to lure Lily closer to her and cause upsets in her relationships with others. For the climax, Lily will go to the widow, but find the book in which she writes the stories and realise the danger she's in, then will have to escape... and like the cult plot, trust and betrayal are going to be main features of the story.


Sorry if that doesn't make sense. I'm not great at explaining things.

I like the second one in the the widow isn't quite as cliche a villain as the cult leader, but at the same time I do kinda' like the whole psychic cult idea. So I'm torn between the two... Feedback, opinions or suggestions would be much appreciated :)

[Rage]

I don't like how everything is already established. There's just these random psychic cults, ironically I'm writing a little novel that contains the use of physic abilities, but it's all about how everyone attains the abilities.

I just think that you should work on explaining how Lily became instead of jumping into the middle of some elaborate non-sensual storyline. It's like x-man, it's explained through natural evolution which I think is probably the only viable explanation for explaining how someone has psychic abilities.
Could be anything though, I'd tell you my idea but then I'd ruin my story xD.

[SapphireSeaBird]

I don't like how everything is already established. There's just these random psychic cults, ironically I'm writing a little novel that contains the use of physic abilities, but it's all about how everyone attains the abilities.

I just think that you should work on explaining how Lily became instead of jumping into the middle of some elaborate non-sensual storyline.

So... You think I should scrap both plots and just focus on Lily and make it into something less... Dramatic and over-developed?

[Rage]

No, the plot can work but the way you wrote it in this topic seemed as if you were just going to jump into the story where everything is already established. There was going to be no background to why Lily and her family are all super powerful. I hate when things are not explained and the 'good guys' are just stronger because they're good? It's like why? xD

All I'm saying is make sure you sort of explain how this extraordinary situation began instead of throwing everyone into the middle of it all.

[SapphireSeaBird]

No, the plot can work but the way you wrote it in this topic seemed as if you were just going to jump into the story where everything is already established. There was going to be no background to why Lily and her family are all super powerful. I hate when things are not explained and the 'good guys' are just stronger because they're good? It's like why? xD

All I'm saying is make sure you sort of explain how this extraordinary situation began instead of throwing everyone into the middle of it all.


Ah right, get you now. Yeah, I fail at explaining, but there will be background info :)

[newcitywriter]

I like the first plot line, and I like that the reader gradually gets more info the more they read, but I think if you end it at the point where she's deciding whether or not to join the cult that would be ending it too early.
You could keep it going, have lily gradually discover the dark secret about how her parents died, and have a final confrontation. A fairly common layout probably but I personally find it a satisfying end to a book. You have the beginning, the middle and the end.

[lalodragon]

Definitely the second plot. I don't like flashbacks, for one thing, and I adore the second one. I love the widow (make her likable, please? nice villains rock.) and her fairy tale obsession... write the second one. I'm begging you.