When originally noodling with a story, when still trying to add in new ideas or figure out where an idea fits, it's a good rule of thumb that, when you don't know what happens next -- you should ask whether any of the ideas you keep around will fit. Don't mess around with dead connections if you can cut to the sparkly idea.
John Gardner once sagely observed that writing exercises were good practice because they were like the writing life, much of which consists of inventing stuff not because you particularly want to but because it is vitally important for what you really want to write.
was pondering checklists for world-building, and the possibility of one for a superheroic world. . . .
The problem is that they are lists, and linear. Just like a book dealing with story structure has to deal with it beginning, middle, and end. Only more of a problem because your story does have to end up with a beginning, middle, and end, even if the end happens a century before the middle, and the beginning a few millennia after.
One can discuss what the effect of power levels, and number of superheroes, are on world-building. But when building a superhero story, one doesn't have to start with them.
A kingdom has a spell on the king. He can offer his subject a chance to act against him -- but if they do not act them, they can not try it again at a later date.
Hmm. . . .
Does this mean that they also can't act against any other monarch? Say the person who DID act against the king?
I didn't think this spell through. It doesn't help that I started the story with the idea of it and so it was taken for granted all the while I plotted.
It's helped. Given me places to plop scenes and let me see more clearly where I needed more stuff.
BUT -- still need to fill in the gaps. Including of course making sure that all the major characters actually Do Stuff. Still more ensuring that they find all the clues and so end up saving the day.
Still pondering whether NaNoWriMo will be feasible. Outlining are tricky.
