- You have a world. A universe. A setting. Good! Describe what happens in it normally - describe your main character(s)’s daily life. Now, what would destabilize this routine completely? If many things could, write them all down. Pick your favourite idea(s). Plots are born from change: everything was going normally… until it wasn’t.
- Make a list with all the goals/motivations of your main characters. Can the plot revolve around your characters going after these goals?
- Which goals are more important? Focus on those.
- Are different characters’ goals in conflict with each other? Conflict is usually what propels a story forward.
- What could go wrong in your character’s pursuit of their goal? Make it go wrong.
- If you don’t know your characters’ goals, go back to the drawing board; they probably need more development.
- If there’s not enough conflict of different motivations, make a new character who creates conflict!
- How do you want your main character to have changed by the end of the story? Do you want them to be less selfish? To have come to terms with a part of themself? To have learned something new? Write down ideas that could accomplish this change.
- If you can’t think of any way your character could be changed (read: improved) by the end of the story, go back to the drawing board. They might be “too perfect”.
Woulf's days:
7 am Wake up, brush teeth, slip on his breechcloth and go for a run
*the run is an important part of his routine because it gives him time to put up his mental barriers which he needs to get through the rest of the day.
After the run he has a shower and does his mane.
*this is not a wash & go situation washing it, brushing it and choosing the decorations are an important comment on social standing. The more elaborate your mane the higher in the hierarchy you are and as the son of the two top hunters he must put on a modest display.
He chooses his clothing for the day
*clothing is also important again the more elaborate the higher in the hierarchy you are.
He joins his parents for breakfast. Once he has eaten and cleaned up he heads out to his apprenticeship where he will stay until 5pm.
At 5pm he meets up with his year mates for coffee and conversation until 7pm when they will join their parents in the community building for dinner & news
*this is when the governing takes place before the elders & the rest of the community
At 9pm he and his friends will get together for a discussion about what went on during the news part of the day and consider if they want to add anything the following night.
At 11pm they all head home and their beds.
Notes: that they are a species that once flew in space until their ship crashed here so their lifestyle is a combination of quite primitive survival instincts and stuff salvaged from the ship including personal displays of wealth & power.
Woulf and his year mates are the first generation born on the planet so have no real memory of life before Woulven and as such have come into conflict with their parents who still hold to the ways of their home. Woulf and his year mates have just entered their 20th year.
They have been on the planet for 21 years, the women go into heat once a year so children are born in year groups. The original 30 Woulven have increased to 120. The heat was controlled by medicine on the ship but it ran out in the first year. A local substitute was found and distributed to the women. Though none wanted to take it as they figured they were stuck here and needed a bigger population.
They live on average 60 years but have only a 10-year breeding cycle from 25-35. The women on the ship were 30 years old. 15x5= 75 children before the breeding cycle for them was finished except that since landing on the planet twins have been more common (approx 20%) which brought the number to 90 before the women completed their breeding cycles.
That was the other thing about the planet all the babies survived. As this story begins no children have been born for 15 years and the first year's still had 5 years before the heat comes. To keep those children occupied the elders instituted an apprenticeship requirement for all 16's and up. Before that they were in creche & school.
Woulf has been in several apprenticeships but because of his ability or disability depending on your viewpoint none have lasted more than the year contracted. At this point the elders have decreed that since he could not fit within the community he has to leave the village. (everyone has to work at something if they don't they become a burden and can not stay).
On this day we open the first scene with him packing a backpack and getting ready to go.
Last night during dinner one of the announcements was Woulfs exile due to community incompatibility. No one was surprised not even Woulf he had been expecting this day for weeks since his outburst at work. He had said good-bye to his friends during their nightly meeting and left quickly.
Icewine (white wolf, female, 20, Woulfs girlfriend), had walked him home and sat with him while he packed keeping a rolling chatter about how it must be really exciting for him to be exploring the world. He had to smile she was always trying to keep everyone's spirits up, she would make an excellent priestess in a few years.
Darkwind (black with a tawny mane, Icewinds twin, Woulfs best friend) had also come by to wish him well bringing him a gift of throwing knives. He knew that Woulf would never shoot a gun but thought the knives might give him some distance if he had to kill thus preseving his mind against the preys death. Woulf was not sure if it would work but the thought did count.
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