Sablesword
TMF Master
- Joined
- Jun 13, 2001
- Messages
- 785
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- 18
I was thinking about possible story-plots and re-reading various bits of writing advice, and in the process came up with the following idea for brainstorming possible plots for stories. I hasten to add that this is not the only way to write stories ("There are nine-and-sixty ways/Of constructing tribal lays" as Kipling put it). However I would like to see what others here think of it and what they can do with it.
Here's the skeletal formula:
Protagonist verbs [object][under unusual conditions][using unusual methods][for some purpose]
The stuff in [brackets] are more-or-less optional bits, which may be left out as appropriate.
Protagonist is of course the protagonist of the story.
verbs is something the protagonist does, or tries to do. It might be expressed as "attempts to (verb)" e.g. Mari attempts to escape...
It's often good to have success at the verbing be at least nominally uncertain. If success is certain, or mostly certain, interesting can be directed to how the protag succeeds, or what price she ends up paying for doing so. Of course, the story might also be about the protag attempting to verb and then failing...
[object] is the object being verbed. It may be a direct or an indirect object, grammatically. There might be more than one, or one of each type.
[under unusual conditions] This may be a handicap the protag is working under, or just something odd that makes the story "newsworthy"
[for some purpose] This is the goal, the MacGuffin, the treasure to be won, the disaster to be averted, or the reason or motivation for the protag's action. Like the other bracketed points, it may be left off as optional or implicit.
Some quick, brainstormy examples:
Jennifer reconsiders breaking up with her boyfriend Dave as he tickles her silly.
Mari attempts to escape Simon's tickling, while wearing lock-on tickle-boots, in order to eat lunch.
Slavegirl Anne defends her master before the court, while nude and in chains.
Jungle-girl Tammi weirds-out her captors by enthusiastically embracing her new life as a tickle-subject.
Does anyone else care to add to the list?
Here's the skeletal formula:
Protagonist verbs [object][under unusual conditions][using unusual methods][for some purpose]
The stuff in [brackets] are more-or-less optional bits, which may be left out as appropriate.
Protagonist is of course the protagonist of the story.
verbs is something the protagonist does, or tries to do. It might be expressed as "attempts to (verb)" e.g. Mari attempts to escape...
It's often good to have success at the verbing be at least nominally uncertain. If success is certain, or mostly certain, interesting can be directed to how the protag succeeds, or what price she ends up paying for doing so. Of course, the story might also be about the protag attempting to verb and then failing...
[object] is the object being verbed. It may be a direct or an indirect object, grammatically. There might be more than one, or one of each type.
[under unusual conditions] This may be a handicap the protag is working under, or just something odd that makes the story "newsworthy"
[for some purpose] This is the goal, the MacGuffin, the treasure to be won, the disaster to be averted, or the reason or motivation for the protag's action. Like the other bracketed points, it may be left off as optional or implicit.
Some quick, brainstormy examples:
Jennifer reconsiders breaking up with her boyfriend Dave as he tickles her silly.
Mari attempts to escape Simon's tickling, while wearing lock-on tickle-boots, in order to eat lunch.
Slavegirl Anne defends her master before the court, while nude and in chains.
Jungle-girl Tammi weirds-out her captors by enthusiastically embracing her new life as a tickle-subject.
Does anyone else care to add to the list?
