How do i find the storyline to the world i created?

[warmAmber]

I've found a wonderful world of characters (sci-fi). I start with a human female discovering this world inside the earth. The issue is, I've become so enamoured of the world I can't seem to find a direction of tension and goals for the character. I've doodled and cast a line and I just seem to enhance the world and secondary characters without forming the main character.

Has anyone else had this issue and how do you step away from the world to let a character be the driving force to make someone else want to enter this world?

Thanks for the time you took to read this and any feed back.

-amber

 

[Desiremakesmeweak]

Your profile is extraordinarily interesting.

And your discussion point is also interesting to me... I am currently following JBJ's thread about the stereotypes that can be used to advanced a story - but I almost never use these devices myself and almost all of my stories lack the usual 'conflict' narrative device; it is only a 'device' to me and not something that I find is rooted in genuine reality (for me) at all and so I can't use these things effectively.

But what then do I use? Good question.

I shall have to consider this carefully and respond more fully in a while.

 

[CyranoJ]

If you're looking for ways to exhibit the world-building while still having a compelling story -- which is an understandable impulse, I know how much work can go into it -- a common device is to make your viewpoint character some kind of detective or investigator (or maybe anthropologist or researcher). The sort of person who has reason as a part of their profession to interact with all sorts of segments of society both high and low. Of course in erotic fiction the same function can be performed by a courtesan or an erotic con artist.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

For most world building...books, TV shows, Movies there is a bible that all writes have to basically know by heart. This bible has things in it that may never make it into the published work, but explain a lot about, the characters, the world itself, the story arc to be followed, etc.

I basically start with a simple character sheet. Name, rank and serial number so to speak. Then over time expand it to include a bio about the character, the world they live in and how they became who they are now. What drives them in simple terms, why the may do the things they do.

As for plot or story line...I actually have that first and using the bible I fill it out with the characters and interaction of same.

Here is an early copy of the bible I used to write Walker Brigade...

Prologue

Federated Union of Planets

The Federated Union of Planets was formed out of the turmoil of mans expansion into space. After Mars was explored, terra-formed and settled, the moons of Jupiter were next. Earth, its population at capacity and its resources becoming scarce, was looking for new planets to put its ever-expanding population.

The advent of Hyper-drive finally allowed man a way to reach for the stars as never before. The first jump was to Proxima Centauri, some 4.3 light years away. The trip took one week. The fourth planet was found to be habitable. After two years of exploration, the planet proved even more earthlike than Earth in its current state. Transport ships were built and emigration to the new planet commenced. They named the new planet Pacifica.

From there man expanded through out the sector. Over the years that followed, Hyper-drive ships spread throughout the galaxy in the vicinity of Earth and Pacifica, finding new habitable planets for man to settle. Pacifica became the center from which man flourished and Earth spread its multitude of cultures throughout the sector. After several interplanetary battles, the government of Pacifica formulated a plan to unite the separate, isolated systems into a loose, mutual supporting, federation. This federation would protect each system from outside influences and leave the planets internal struggles for them to work out.

The only cost to the Federation members were men or women for the military forces and for the administrative functions needed, if any. Also an annual stipend in the amount of one one-hundredth of that’s planets gross planetary product as calculated by the Federation Council. The federation was formed and most planets signed the accords. Those that didn’t, were left alone, unless they attempted to attack a member planet. Once they understood a member planet would be protected they too signed the Unions accords.

For one thousand years, the Federated Union of Planets grew and matured as man spread through the galaxy. It is now the ninety-third year of the current administration taking office when the last administration lost a vote of confidence. Through all the turmoil and tribulations of the federation, the one constant and stable force is its military. There were three branches, the Navy (space), the Colonial Marines and the Stellar Army.

The Navy is the largest of the three branches. It is responsible for the transport of the Marines and the Army. They are also the only branch to have a military intelligence agency. They also provide all the support services to all three branches.

The Colonial Marines are the second largest. They are responsible for the protection of exploration teams as they explore new worlds. They are also the first line of defense on newly settled worlds along with being the first units on the ground in most situations involving member planets.

The Stellar Army is the primary response to interplanetary aggression. The Stellar Army is the smallest branch of all the services along with being equipped with the best the Federation has to offer, not the newest, but the best.

Logic War

The logic war, fought and won, when the Syllogistics Coalition in the Luyten sector tried to secede from the Union and attempted to take over several other planets in the process for the resources they needed. The sector had been settled by a group of scientists and mathematicians which followed the teaching of logic above all else. It was their logic which led to their determining that they where the only society capable of ruling mankind. Logic drove them to secede and attempt to take over the Federation. Logic was their eventual downfall.

They had taken several strategic planets and their logic dictated that the Federation would not try to take back the planets as the costs in material and manpower would be too high.

Their thinking along these lines provided the Federation opportunities from which to take advantage thus winning every engagement with little or no loss of life. It was then that the Coalition started to hire mercenaries to fight for them.

Although the Logic Wars took three long years to prosecute it gave much of the military experience in battle that would have otherwise been non-existent.

M’roby Coalition

The M’roby is the first alien species the Federation has encountered in their push into space. The M’roby are semi-humanoid, semi-insectisoid, having an exoskeleton but being bi-pedal symmetrical.

The M’roby were first encountered on three-four-alpha-nine, a planet that the federation was in the process of exploring. It had been determined that the planet was uninhabited by the initial exploration teams. After mining operations had been established, a division of M’roby had landed and attacked the mining operation and the Marines providing security. The Stellar Army was called in and three divisions of Marines accompanied them.

The Stellar Army units deployed were those of the Walker Brigade.

Walker Brigade

The Walker Brigade is part of the Third Mechanized Infantry Division of the First (and only) Stellar Army Corp. The Walker Brigade is equipped with state of the art armor and the battle proven Mark IX Walkers. The brigade consists of 209 squads or approximately 2,700 troopers. Each squad is capable of working independently or in concert with other squads of the brigade. In most cases, a Walker squad is an independent entity working along side a contingent of Marines.

Squad leaders of Walker Squads are mostly Chief Warrant Officers. That rank is equivalent to Midshipman in the Navy and Third Lieutenant in the Marines. One of the Squads of the Walker Brigade is Echo Squad.

Echo Squad

First Squad, Second Platoon, Company E, First Battalion of the Sixty-Forth Armored Brigade (Walker Brigade) of the Third Mechanized Infantry Division of the First Stellar Army Corp of the Federated Union of Planets.

1st/64AR/3MD/Icorp – Call designation: Echo Squad

Echo Squad is the premiere squad of the Walker Brigade but has been on detached duty for two years, only occasionally working with other squads of its Platoon, let alone its Company, Battalion or Brigade. Echo squad has been working at the whim of the Squad Leaders father who happens to be a Fleet Rear Admiral heading up DevSecCom the naval intelligence organization based on Pacifica.

Echo Squad consists of three fire teams of four walkers each, as follows:

Team One
Max Jones – Team Leader/Squad Leader
Ellen J Johnson – Scout
Sam Westerboc
Charles Wickers

Team Two
Jolene Akers – Team Leader
Fletcher Wilcox / Simon Eckles
Marg Epstein-Phillips* - Scout
Michelle Santos-Tomas – Meds

Team Three
Becky Latham – Team Leader/Squad Second/Coms
Nadia Stevens* - Scout
Chris Shonner
Ernie Barr – Scans

*Assigned from other Walker squads

Echo Squad - Biography (c) Copyright 2010 by Xavier Carter

First Squad, Second Platoon, Fifth Company, First Battalion of the Sixty-Forth Armored Brigade of the Third Mechanized Infantry Division of the First Stellar Army Corp of the Federated Union of Planets.

1st/64th


Max Jones – Chief Warrant Officer
Squad Leader Echo Squad Call Sign: Echo One

Bio: Maximillian Q. Jones Jr.

Max is a military brat whose father is a Fleet Rear Admiral in charge of the 2nd TechCom unit on Pacifica.

He has made it on his own without his father's help, but given opportunities by his father in order to advance his career. Although Max doesn't appreciate the opportunities, he does carry out any mission he is assigned to the best of his abilities.

Max believes in honor above all else. He believes in what he is doing for the Federated Union of Planets. He is proud to be a member of the Walker Brigade. He is a master tactician and strategist and should be at least four grades higher but does not want to give up his squad or take on the responsibilities of the promotion.

Max was born on Pacifica but moved around to many different planets due to his father’s duty assignments.


Becky Latham – Squad Second - First Class
Team Lead Team Three Call Sign: Echo Two

Bio: Becky Latham

Currently a Squad Second Becky Latham should be leading her own squad but due to insubordination charges, she was held back.

She hit a superior officer after he tried to force her to have sex with him while on an R&R leave on Pacifica.

Born on Pacifica she has in the past worked as a model on the TriV. Little else is known about her prior to joining the Walker Brigade.

Becky is also a hyperspace broadcaster - she broadcasts here wants and desires to others when awake in hyperspace. Therefore, she must be placed into cold sleep prior to a hyperspace jump.


Jolene Akers – Squad Second - Second Class
Team Lead Team TwoCall Sign: Echo Three

Bio: Jolene Akers

Akers was a veteran of the logic wars and has been with the Chief for several years. Offered the position of squad second, she turned it down not wanting to leave her team as the squad second always leads the third team.

Akers, born on a rim world and doesn't talk about her home to many people. She joined the Stellar Army Corp. when she turned sixteen and was assigned to the Walker Brigade when she was promoted to Team Lead, she has been with the Chief ever since.


Charles Wickers – Trooper First Class
Member Team OneCall Sign: Echo Four

Bio: Charles Wickers

Chuck, never Charles, has been a member of Echo Squad for three years. He is a member of Max's fire team.

Chuck was born on Proxima Prime but raised on Earth. His father being a big industrialist was head of the attempt to re-establish an industrial base on Earth. Chuck not wanting to follow in his father's footsteps enlisted in the Stellar Army after graduation from University Earth.

He fought in the Logic Wars and assigned to Echo Squad right out of training.

His childhood was that of a privileged upper class citizen but, he is as down to earth as the rest of the squad, if not more so.


Christine Shonner – Trooper Second Class
Member Team ThreeCall Sign: Echo Five

Bio: Chris Shonner

Chris was born and raised on Earth. She came from the slum city of New York. With no prospects of ever leaving, she joined the Stellar Army to get off Earth.

She doesn't talk about her youth much, except when she is drunk and then she cusses and cries while telling the story of her existence on Earth.

She showed an aptitude for Walkers. She was given a chance to train in them and excelled in Walker combat tactics. After graduation, she was assigned to Echo Squad for the operation against the M'roby.

She is a good trooper but has no leadership abilities and will remain a team member for her career.

Michelle D Santos-Tomas – Trooper First Class
Member Team TwoCall Sign: Echo Six or Meds

Bio: Chelle Santos-Tomas

Chelle, (pronounced Shell) as she prefers to be called, graduated from MedSchool but has yet to take her board certification.

Chelle was born on Capa Prime and attended school on Pacifica. She is an excellent surgeon and a respected "Doctor" by her squad mates. She holds clinic once a day in her off hours for the squad.

She was assigned to Echo squad two years prior to the M'roby incident.

The reason she hasn't taken her boards came to light in chapter three, she has a serious problem with surgery and patching up people, whether they be her squad mates or not. She can do it and do it well but afterwards she has to puke her guts out.


Nadia K. Stevens – Trooper Second Class
Member Team ThreeCall Sign: Echo Seven

Bio: Nadia K. Stevens

Nadia joined Echo squad for the M'roby operation and was supposed to return to her old squad on the completion of that operation. But due to the movement of the squads as separate entities she has had to remain with Echo squad.

Nadia is a loner although a good trooper, she will carry out any orders given and follow her teammates into hell fire, she would rather spend her free time alone reading.

Not much is known of her background by the rest of the squad, as she is quiet when everyone gathers in the squad bay.

She would rather sit back and watch instead of participate.


Ellen J Johnson – Trooper First Class
Member Team OneCall Sign: Echo Eight

Bio: Ellen J Johnson

Ellen Johnson a newly assigned member of Echo Squad, assigned to the squad just prior to the M'roby Incident.

Ellie was born on Octerria in the Mangold Sector. She was raised in the major city on the western continent, the daughter of a manufacture of arms for the Federated Planets Union.

She studied Xenobiology at university until she dropped out and joined the Stellar Army. She was assigned to the 4th Stellar Infantry Division until the Walker program started.

She had daddy pull some strings and was assigned to Walker training where she excelled at Walker Tactics.

Ellie has a problem taking responsibility for anyone or anything except herself and therefore will most likely be a career Trooper First Class.


Marg L. Epstein-Phillips – Trooper First Class
Member Team TwoCall Sign: Echo Nine

Bio: Marg L. Epstein-Phillips

Marg joined Echo squad for the M'roby operation. She had been a member of Delta Squad but was moved over to Echo when Echo deployed for the M'roby incursion.

Marg was born and raised on Pacifica and joined the Stellar Army out of secondary school. She is smart and an excellent walker scout.


Fletcher Wilcox III – Trooper First Class
Member Team TwoCall Sign: Echo Ten

Bio: Fletch Wilcox - Deceased

Fletch has been with Echo squad for two years. He is one of five men in the squad now, the rest being female.

Fletch has been with second team for one year and has fallen in love with his team lead, Jolene Akers.

Fletch was born on Vista One where he studied to be a Fryer. Upon graduation, he backed his belongings, walked into the Stellar Army recruiting center, and enlisted. Fletch is/was a valued member of the squad and liked by all.


Simon Eckles – Trooper Second Class
Member Team TwoCall Sign: Echo Ten

Bio: Simon Eckles

Simon has worked for Max's father for approx. 10 years and is getting tired of fieldwork.

At first, he found that he loved being a spook but lately has grown displeased with what he is doing. He wants to be more involved with the action, rather than the behind the scenes intrigue that he has to be part of now.

When offered a position in Echo Squad he jumped at the chance.

Little is known about Simon’s background or where he came from as his record prior to joining Echo Squad is classified.


Samson A. Westerboc – Trooper First Class
Member Team OneCall Sign: Echo Eleven

Bio: Sam Westerboc

Sam has been with Max from the beginning of the Logic Wars. He is a hardened combat veteran and was hand picked by Max to be a member of Echo Squad and Max's fire team.

Sam was born on Pacifica but raised on Mars where he went to Mars University. Having graduated with honors he was accepted by the Mars Combat Academy for advanced training in combat arts.

He joined the Stellar Army upon graduation from the academy and posted to Alpha Group. Two years later, for no explainable reason, he was posted to a combat infantry unit which Max led.

Sam is one of only five men in Echo Squad.

Although Max has put Sam up for promotion several times, each has been turned down.


Ernesto G. Barr – Trooper First Class
Member Team ThreeCall Sign: Echo Twelve or Scans

Bio: Ernie Barr

Ernie has been a member of Echo Squad since the formation of the Walker Brigade. He is a valued member of Becky’s team and handles the Scanners with an expertise of no other.

Ernie was born and raised in the asteroid belt in the Sol System. The son of Miner he had no taste for the miner’s life. When he came of age enlisted in the Stellar Army.

For each story in the book, there are five stories, I had a simple outline of how things started and ended. I then wrote the middle where all the good stuff was.

Good luck.

Zeb

ETA: This book took about a year to write, get edited and then published. There are currently two versions, a Non-Erotic Sci-Fi and an Erotic Sci-Fi.

 

[Hypoxia]

So you have a stage setting, and characters, and all you need is drama. So, sit at the feet of the masters and do as they have done: plagiarize. Shakespeare took ancient (and not-so-ancient) plots and dressed them in then-current or historical garb. So have Azimov, Doctorow, and many many more. Plug in some horse operas, films noir, Scooby-Doo slapstick, adventure quests, whatever. It's a long tradition.

 

[slyc_willie]

I've done a considerable amount of world building myself. I know what it's like to get caught up in the manufacturing process and be unable to find the right insertion point for your character(s).

I have one that takes place in a Neverland-ish pocket dimension, another that alters human history from 1918 to include superhumans, and one I'm still fleshing out about a "new earth" colonization setting. The first two I've already written stories for, because the ideas for the characters came first: a young man who learns that his mother's fanciful stories of a fantasy-like world were actually true, and a young superhero who is catapulted through time from the silver age to the present. The impetus for these worlds came from an idea of what it would be like for those characters to explore them.

The third, though, is giving me much the same problem I think you have: I started with the idea for the world first, and have put a lot of effort into creating the background and the historicity of the world that I'm having a hard time looking for a place to drop in my character.

Cyrano made an excellent point above about making the character an investigator, or at least putting the character in an investigative capacity. That's what I've done with my fantasy and superheroes stories. That approach, however, can come across as a little contrived, because it's been done so often before. The trick in this case, I think, is to make the investigative part of the story necessary, not just convenient.

In the case of having created a world and put so much effort into the history, mythology and so forth of the place, I think what happens is that you end up with so many "cool" places to go. You've got this world in a box, so to speak, and you want to show it off. But you simply can't show off the whole thing, not in detail, anyway. So you have to pick a single starting point and go from there. Look for a hook that draws the reader in, an aspect of the world that isn't quite like our own, but similar enough that the reader has a good enough starting reference.

For instance, if you have a fantasy world dominated by triple-horned pig people, why are they the ones in charge? Is it a dystopia, utopia? Is there a rebellion against the pig people? Are the pig people bad guys or good guys? Sometimes, just writing down a list of questions can germinate an idea.

You also need to determine if you want to write something epic, as in Tolkein's works, or do something more localized to the setting, a la Philip K. Dick. Do you want to showcase the entire world, or just give glimpses of it here and there through the main character's eyes?

I've found a wonderful world of characters (sci-fi). I start with a human female discovering this world inside the earth. The issue is, I've become so enamoured of the world I can't seem to find a direction of tension and goals for the character. I've doodled and cast a line and I just seem to enhance the world and secondary characters without forming the main character.

Has anyone else had this issue and how do you step away from the world to let a character be the driving force to make someone else want to enter this world?

Thanks for the time you took to read this and any feed back.

-amber

Let me just take a crack at some ideas. You already have your character in an investigative role, but what sort of role? Is she a detective, chasing someone into the inner world? An explorer/adrenaline junkie who just happens to fall in? Or did she already have some knowledge of the existence of the place, and now finally has the means to check it out?

I see a few basic plots:

- The character starts having weird but vivid dreams of this inner earth, in which someone is calling to her. Through analyzing the dream, she gets a few clues as to how she can enter the inner earth and where, basically, to find the person. It turns out they are mirror images of each other, and have formed a psychic bond. This person is her "spiritual twin" or something like that, and their psychic bond hints at further powers that can manifest with some effort and time. Of course, the story's Big Bad Guy wants that sort of power for himself, so he's kidnapped the woman in his world in order to force the other to look for her. Once he has them both, he can harness their power and become ruler of the world, yada yada yada . . . .

- The inner earth is a place of social and sexual repression, but there is an underground movement to change that. Along comes the main character, with her 21st-century outer earth views, and she naturally falls into the role of leading these people either to a social overthrow of the repressive government, or to a different land of their own in the inner earth.

- The character finds an object/piece of technology from the inner earth society which is part of some important device, capable of wreaking great damage/controlling minds/making peoples' clothes fall off/whatever. Of course, there are minions of the Big Bad Guy who want the device, too, and they find your heroine here and chase her to the inner earth.

- Take the anti-hero route: your character is a vain, self-important "byatch" who just wants to plunder the place (in other words, she's Lara Croft, sort of). But then she meets the guy/girl of her dreams (or both) and her desires slowly change.

Okay, I've rambled enough. Good luck.

 

[Desiremakesmeweak]

Discovered a world... 'Discovered.'

How?

And - Why? Why is/was it hidden inside the Earth?

The unknown is mysterious and provides its own tension up to a point.

The erotic of course, also provides its own natural tension.

Reveal a character's personal or a private goal and you can take readers along.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Discovered a world... 'Discovered.'

How?

And - Why? Why is/was it hidden inside the Earth?

The unknown is mysterious and provides its own tension up to a point.

The erotic of course, also provides its own natural tension.

Reveal a character's personal or a private goal and you can take readers along.

Hidden in Earth? No. It just seems that way because you enter a cave system that leads you to a trans-dimensional portal and you are transported...you guessed it...into another dimension.

 

[slyc_willie]

Hidden in Earth? No. It just seems that way because you enter a cave system that leads you to a trans-dimensional portal and you are transported...you guessed it...into another dimension.

Thank you, Edgar Rice Burroughs.

Well, except that Burroughs' John Carter got transported to Mars instead of another dimension, but why quibble?

Actually, I think the idea as presented could be turned into an interesting -- if hilarious -- story in which the heroine ran into an elderly Doug McClure, who, it is revealed, actually did go on an expedition to the Earth's core and the film in which he stared was really a documentary.

Yes, I know McClure died in 1996. But, what if that had just been some kind of clone constructed by the inner-earthians . . . ?

Ahem.

Anyway, back to our regularly-scheduled thread . . . .

 

[warmAmber]

Wow.. I'm about half way with the development you have done. Thanks for sharing!

 

[warmAmber]

Thanks. I've got the main character as a woman whose parents were cryptozoologists. The women, as a child, thought her parents were just dream chasers. She does find clues that perhaps they weren't as nuts as she thought.

 

[warmAmber]

Love the Scooby Doo reference.

 

[warmAmber]

For most world building...books, TV shows, Movies there is a bible that all writes have to basically know by heart. This bible has things in it that may never make it into the published work, but explain a lot about, the characters, the world itself, the story arc to be followed, etc.

I basically start with a simple character sheet. Name, rank and serial number so to speak. Then over time expand it to include a bio about the character, the world they live in and how they became who they are now. What drives them in simple terms, why the may do the things they do.

As for plot or story line...I actually have that first and using the bible I fill it out with the characters and interaction of same.

Here is an early copy of the bible I used to write Walker Brigade...



For each story in the book, there are five stories, I had a simple outline of how things started and ended. I then wrote the middle where all the good stuff was.

Good luck.

Zeb

ETA: This book took about a year to write, get edited and then published. There are currently two versions, a Non-Erotic Sci-Fi and an Erotic Sci-Fi.

I've done a considerable amount of world building myself. I know what it's like to get caught up in the manufacturing process and be unable to find the right insertion point for your character(s).

I have one that takes place in a Neverland-ish pocket dimension, another that alters human history from 1918 to include superhumans, and one I'm still fleshing out about a "new earth" colonization setting. The first two I've already written stories for, because the ideas for the characters came first: a young man who learns that his mother's fanciful stories of a fantasy-like world were actually true, and a young superhero who is catapulted through time from the silver age to the present. The impetus for these worlds came from an idea of what it would be like for those characters to explore them.

The third, though, is giving me much the same problem I think you have: I started with the idea for the world first, and have put a lot of effort into creating the background and the historicity of the world that I'm having a hard time looking for a place to drop in my character.

Cyrano made an excellent point above about making the character an investigator, or at least putting the character in an investigative capacity. That's what I've done with my fantasy and superheroes stories. That approach, however, can come across as a little contrived, because it's been done so often before. The trick in this case, I think, is to make the investigative part of the story necessary, not just convenient.

In the case of having created a world and put so much effort into the history, mythology and so forth of the place, I think what happens is that you end up with so many "cool" places to go. You've got this world in a box, so to speak, and you want to show it off. But you simply can't show off the whole thing, not in detail, anyway. So you have to pick a single starting point and go from there. Look for a hook that draws the reader in, an aspect of the world that isn't quite like our own, but similar enough that the reader has a good enough starting reference.

For instance, if you have a fantasy world dominated by triple-horned pig people, why are they the ones in charge? Is it a dystopia, utopia? Is there a rebellion against the pig people? Are the pig people bad guys or good guys? Sometimes, just writing down a list of questions can germinate an idea.

You also need to determine if you want to write something epic, as in Tolkein's works, or do something more localized to the setting, a la Philip K. Dick. Do you want to showcase the entire world, or just give glimpses of it here and there through the main character's eyes?



Let me just take a crack at some ideas. You already have your character in an investigative role, but what sort of role? Is she a detective, chasing someone into the inner world? An explorer/adrenaline junkie who just happens to fall in? Or did she already have some knowledge of the existence of the place, and now finally has the means to check it out?

I see a few basic plots:

- The character starts having weird but vivid dreams of this inner earth, in which someone is calling to her. Through analyzing the dream, she gets a few clues as to how she can enter the inner earth and where, basically, to find the person. It turns out they are mirror images of each other, and have formed a psychic bond. This person is her "spiritual twin" or something like that, and their psychic bond hints at further powers that can manifest with some effort and time. Of course, the story's Big Bad Guy wants that sort of power for himself, so he's kidnapped the woman in his world in order to force the other to look for her. Once he has them both, he can harness their power and become ruler of the world, yada yada yada . . . .

- The inner earth is a place of social and sexual repression, but there is an underground movement to change that. Along comes the main character, with her 21st-century outer earth views, and she naturally falls into the role of leading these people either to a social overthrow of the repressive government, or to a different land of their own in the inner earth.

- The character finds an object/piece of technology from the inner earth society which is part of some important device, capable of wreaking great damage/controlling minds/making peoples' clothes fall off/whatever. Of course, there are minions of the Big Bad Guy who want the device, too, and they find your heroine here and chase her to the inner earth.

- Take the anti-hero route: your character is a vain, self-important "byatch" who just wants to plunder the place (in other words, she's Lara Croft, sort of). But then she meets the guy/girl of her dreams (or both) and her desires slowly change.

Okay, I've rambled enough. Good luck.

Thank you! This gives me a form to the clouds hovering around my mind!

 

[warmAmber]

Discovered a world... 'Discovered.'

How?

And - Why? Why is/was it hidden inside the Earth?

The unknown is mysterious and provides its own tension up to a point.

The erotic of course, also provides its own natural tension.

Reveal a character's personal or a private goal and you can take readers along.

Excellent point. Thank you for giving that perspective of the tension.

 

[warmAmber]

I've found a wonderful world of characters (sci-fi). I start with a human female discovering this world inside the earth. The issue is, I've become so enamoured of the world I can't seem to find a direction of tension and goals for the character. I've doodled and cast a line and I just seem to enhance the world and secondary characters without forming the main character.

Has anyone else had this issue and how do you step away from the world to let a character be the driving force to make someone else want to enter this world?

Thanks for the time you took to read this and any feed back.

-amber

Thank you to all who have responded to this point. I very much appreciate your time and thoughtful responses. I may not have appropriatedly responded individually and I apologize for not hitting the right buttons. Each of you gave me bits of information that clicked with me. I'm going to my free form doodles for ideas and my notecards for details to get solidify the story and characters. Again, thank you. I may be posting for help again! -Ash