My ‘infinite background’ problem.

[Arch9CivilReactor]

It’s similar to world building disease but more plot based. Unlike WB disease that can be warded with the words “JUST WRITE THE DAMN THING!”… I’m unable to do that because I keep scrapping my prologue way too much.

Example:

I had this nifty idea called “Hero Hustle” where the heroes, after their climactic battle against an evil dragon, choose to form a coalition between all races. They are celebrating their victory when a terminator army from the future attacks them.

I had all these ideas about how to make the hero want to revolt against this atrocious future that results from all magic races except humanity going extinct. He wakes up in the future, where machines have taken over, and must use his wits and magic to ‘make humanity great again’.

Only for me to suddenly think: “This would make a great backstory for the REAL main character!”

Honestly, I think my real problem is being unable to connect with a protagonist. I keep on thinking they’re boring and wanting someone else to drive the plot… then thinking they’re boring again and doing the same nonsense again.

Wish I’d just go with a concept already.

Might as well throw in a poll to see if that helps.

 

[tiaf]

I didn’t read the description, but the fantasy into science sounds the most interesting. Survival stories without zombies sound good.

Can’t stand gender bender as it’s often get neglected or overshadowed by strong action plot.

Machine into human sounds like a formula to create a blank no personality MC like most isekai. Need good premise to shine.

the other two too generic.

 

[Arch9CivilReactor]

I didn’t read the description, but the fantasy into science sounds the most interesting. Survival stories without zombies sound good.

Can’t stand gender bender as it’s often get neglected or overshadowed by strong action plot.

Machine into human sounds like a formula to create a blank no personality MC like most isekai. Need good premise to shine.

the other two too generic.

Let us assume I can have the audacity to say that I wouldn’t write a generic Isekai (though I do like Isekai). Non-human reincarnated as human sounded fun in my head and you’d be right in thinking the latter two are filler choices.

Put them in to create some contrast.

(I have plans of still adding the fantasy hero in the first choice since heroine’s ability, backstory, and the specific guy she is being regressed into is important. It’s basically a spirit summoning ability that gets enhanced by gods to summon heroes too. Major Arcana used).

 

[Tyranomaster]

Honestly, it sounds like you don't want to write a character driven story. Maybe try to make an event driven story with average actors within it? The characters don't have to be the most compelling part, sometimes the happenings that go on are the interesting part.

 

[Arch9CivilReactor]

Never read an event driven story besides some contemporary fiction. Don’t know how that sounds like but every time I tried making a post-modern story event driven, it ended up badly.

Honestly, it sounds like you don't want to write a character driven story. Maybe try to make an event driven story with average actors within it? The characters don't have to be the most compelling part, sometimes the happenings that go on are the interesting part.

 

[tiaf]

Let us assume I can have the audacity to say that I wouldn’t write a generic Isekai (though I do like Isekai). Non-human reincarnated as human sounded fun in my head and you’d be right in thinking the latter two are filler choices.

Put them in to create some contrast.

It’s a common romance character setting to have an android/AI become human. The thing is that you need a plot that leaves a lot of room for emotional development. Given, that is way harder to show in an action orientated plot. But slow paced plot is meh.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

Kind of partial to the Machine "reincarnates" as human idea myself - or maybe something like Metropolis where the machine becomes a human without any reincarnating involved.

 

[Tyranomaster]

Never read an event driven story besides some contemporary fiction. Don’t know how that sounds like but every time I tried making a post-modern story event driven, it ended up badly.

Event driven stories might be more common than you think. The walking dead is a good example (I think at least). The characters themselves come and go, and many of them aren't likable. The events that happen to the characters drive the story and make it interesting. Apocalyptic stories easily lend to being event driven. You essentially just map out what events you *want* to happen to tell a story about the world's state, and then you play the role of the actors reacting to the events. Their actions may resolve a few events, but for the most part, everything is outside their control.

War of the Worlds (in contemporary fiction) is another good example. You can just as easily adapt a demon lord invasion, or even just political happenings in a world to be event driven. The events themselves have to make people interested in how they resolve though, so they can't be "generic event". War of the Worlds uses real locations, and describes how these events are ruining lives etc.

So, imagine you have a really interesting magic system. You've dumped a lot of time in developing it, but you can't quite make compelling characters for it. Make it event driven, reveal how that magic system actually plays a role in sieges or single combat or both. Readers should want to learn more about the system because it's unique or intricate.

You can adapt a lot of story types to be event driven, it's just a matter of making the world and events interesting enough to keep people's attention as well. You're essentially writing a developing news story. The actors in that story are second to the event happening, it *could* have happened to anyone, so just about anyone can be an actor. That's the general trick to it. If the events are generic, then you NEED good characters to carry the story, but the opposite is also true.

Many stories are, in reality, some combination of both. Characters move to the next event, and the next event shapes the characters. The real question comes down to how much of the lifting each portion does.

 

[RepresentingWrath]

Fantasy Hero Time Slips Into Science Dystopia

 

[ArlindoFrancisco]

Honestly, it sounds like you don't want to write a character driven story. Maybe try to make an event driven story with average actors within it? The characters don't have to be the most compelling part, sometimes the happenings that go on are the interesting part.

He could write something like World War Z, like a journal of stories about different things that happened in the world at some point where the one writing is just an immortal dude or something like that.