| Holy Worlds Christian Forum https://archive.holyworlds.org/ |
|
| General Summary of my Book https://archive.holyworlds.org/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=760 |
Page 1 of 1 |
| Author: | Andrew Amnon Mimetes [ July 15th, 2010, 7:10 am ] |
| Post subject: | General Summary of my Book |
I tried to keep this short, but I probably wandered. Anyways, the title says it all: it's a summary of the book I finished but have been totally reworking since. I'm looking for critique, pretty much any flaws in the plot, any ideas that are faulty. Also, I mention different characters pretty frequently, so if you want to look at this thread it kind of clears up who is who
So there's the entire summary...All the really long parts of it and everything. By the end of this summer I hope to have the first draft, but I'm not sure if that'll happen. I have the entire first write done (but I'm not proud of it) and it's REALLY bad. So I can't use any of that. And then I've got a few chapters written in the rewrite but Janin totally messed me up by telling me about land-law and I got inspired to tweak the plot yet again. Anyways, better to tweak the plot before I've started writing a lot then when I'm two-thirds through. eruheran |
|
| Author: | Armorbearer [ July 15th, 2010, 8:36 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: General Summary of my Book |
Wow, that's a lot to digest, I'll post again when I've had a chance to read it a second time! |
|
| Author: | Lady Terra [ July 15th, 2010, 4:17 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: General Summary of my Book |
Wow! That sounds like a GREAT story! I will have to get a copy when you publish it one day |
|
| Author: | Andrew Amnon Mimetes [ July 15th, 2010, 10:03 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: General Summary of my Book |
Thanks Lady Terra and Armorbearer! Unfortunately, an outline is all it is right now. I'm kind of working on fractalling my MC (already did my secondary one but my primary one really needs it too) and so I haven't actually really started writing a lot yet. And every time I go forward in the fractal I get another plot twist that I hadn't thought of before. And I've got pieces of chapters floating around on my computer...I'm a mess. Anyways, if I ever finish the book, y'all will be the first to know and read it eruheran |
|
| Author: | Armorbearer [ July 16th, 2010, 7:55 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: General Summary of my Book |
Okay, I've read it again. Here are a few questions. Question one: Where chronologically is that part about Forsvar being under a spell? What other part does it play in the story besides getting them attacked by the old guy? Question two: When Zacire is captured by wolves, how does he escape? Question three: the whole thing with Jesus swooping in and saving Zacire seems like a complete deus ex machina, is there any build up or prelude or foreshadowing for that part? One other comment/suggestion. When Forsvar is explaining stuff to them, instead of him saying there isn't enough time, you could have him say to come back in the morning because he isn't feeling well, then when he is dying he could tell them to go to the old man because he can explain the rest. Just some thoughts. |
|
| Author: | Andrew Amnon Mimetes [ July 16th, 2010, 11:23 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: General Summary of my Book |
OK, the part about Forsvar being under a spell. In the original write, Zaciré is reading a book and finds out that Forsvar fought in Véhonas' war for independence from Culvinis. That's all. Well, I didn't like that so I changed to the fact that Forsvar fought in the war for independence, charged Srugoz sort of like Orias did the White Witch in Narnia (he got turned to stone! I really like your idea about Forsvar dying suddenly so they HAVE to go off an see the old guy, but there's a few plot elements where I was going to have Forsvar instructing them but then he doesn't finish. A death would be a convenient way to do that. So Forsvar will tell them some of the stuff and then send them to the old guy to find out the rest. (Who tries to kill them because of the above) It is a deus ex machina. Unfortunately. That's one of the parts I really need help with. When I wrote the original plot when I was thirteen, it was a lot cornier and cheesier, but still included this part. It's still in the new plot, because, well, I can't think of anything else. I know it's lame, but Zaciré is trapped on the top of a tower, Srugoz is a superior swordsman...what happens? And I really want to include stuff from Revelation which is why The Son plays in the last part of the book. So Zacire is saved from the one situation kind of inexplicably (the duel) but then the Son seemingly dumps him to fight the enemy army doubts arise in the leaders (including Zaciré). So more than the quest a lot of the book is how Zaciré's faith in the Son increases and develops. I know it's cheesy, but are there any other ideas I could use there and still have Zaciré have to go through doubts and stuff about the Son. Basically I used that because the rescue from the duel increases his faith but then when they still have to fight the enemy his faith decreases. And I still want to keep that 'roller-coaster' of faith, so to speak. But it's still cheesy. eruheran |
|
| Author: | Armorbearer [ July 17th, 2010, 7:08 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: General Summary of my Book |
Maybe you could have something draw Srugoz away before he can land the final blow. Then when Zacire is sitting there, all shaken up and disillusioned because he was defeated, then the Son or an angel could come and minister to him then bring him to the battle and leave him to fight. That would give you a chance to build Zacire's faith in the Son and then have him be a little doubtful because he knows from experience that they cannot defeat Srugoz. It seems a little less like a deus ex machina when you do it that way (at least to me) |
|
| Author: | Constable Jaynin Mimetes [ July 17th, 2010, 10:33 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: General Summary of my Book |
Here's an idea for you. I got it when you said he draws the dagger to kill Z.? Is he crazy? Balin wanted to kill this invisible knight who'd murdered a friend of his. The only place he knew the knight would be visible was at a feast given by King Pelinore. Weapons were expressly forbidden. Balin smuggles a weapon in and kills the Invisible Knight. Pelinore is so outrages he attempts to kill Balin who runs from room to room looking for something to fight with until he comes to the uppermost part of the castle. He bursts into the room and has a vague impression of peace but it's immediately shattered by the sight of a spear hanging on the wall. He reaches out to take it and a voice immediately forbids him to do so, telling him he's not worthy. But at that moment King Pelinore enters the room. He had kind of forgotten about this room, and now he falls to his knees in wonder. Balin doesn't notice and stabs him with the spear. The castle falls into ruins and the remains get kind of trapped in some kind of time-space continuum... Whatever. The spear was the companion to the Holy Grail, the one that had actually stabbed the Christ to see if he was really dead. The tower was destroyed because of Balin's sacrilege. What if you did something similar? We already know about the dagger's self-protection measures, when the S-villain, (sorry, I'm really bad with all these names at once, |
|
| Author: | Andrew Amnon Mimetes [ July 17th, 2010, 10:37 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: General Summary of my Book |
I see what you mean, but it does seem a little unrealistic...I mean, Srugoz is fighting the guy that is holding the dagger that is the culmination of all of Srugoz's plans...how would he be drawn away? Perhaps a diversion attack by the Forces of Good on Srugoz's castle? Still, I don't see how Srugoz could be drawn away from Zaciré. I do agree with you, though, that does seem a little less...cheesy. That way his faith could still be shaken though, when the Son doesn't appear to help them in the battle. eruheran |
|
| Author: | Elanhil [ July 17th, 2010, 10:37 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: General Summary of my Book |
Or you could have something like an eagle (Yes, I know, that's corny too.) fly up and save him from the duel, and then, when the 'thing' puts him down he changes to a lamb or a lion(that seems appropriate, the LION of Judah, and the LAMB of God) and tells Zacire that he (the lamb or lion) is the son, and then tells him that he must fight, but that he was with them, and they would win because he was on their side. |
|
| Author: | Andrew Amnon Mimetes [ July 17th, 2010, 10:55 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: General Summary of my Book |
Janin of Yen wrote: Here's an idea for you. I got it when you said he draws the dagger to kill Z.? Is he crazy? You know what, you just pointed out a flaw in my story. In my story, when R-scout (:D) draws the dagger to attack his pursuers, he's killed because he's not authorized to use it. So logically Srugoz wouldn't be able to draw it either. That's very true. Quote: Balin wanted to kill this invisible knight who'd murdered a friend of his. The only place he knew the knight would be visible was at a feast given by King Pelinore. Weapons were expressly forbidden. Balin smuggles a weapon in and kills the Invisible Knight. Pelinore is so outrages he attempts to kill Balin who runs from room to room looking for something to fight with until he comes to the uppermost part of the castle. He bursts into the room and has a vague impression of peace but it's immediately shattered by the sight of a spear hanging on the wall. He reaches out to take it and a voice immediately forbids him to do so, telling him he's not worthy. But at that moment King Pelinore enters the room. He had kind of forgotten about this room, and now he falls to his knees in wonder. Balin doesn't notice and stabs him with the spear. The castle falls into ruins and the remains get kind of trapped in some kind of time-space continuum... Balin...like the dwarf in Lord of the Rings? LOL. I'm not exactly sure what you're talking about here, but anyways, I get your point. I see your idea for repercussions. So when Balin sacrileged the tower it destroyed itself because of the power the spear held. (Object-law?) So Srugoz takes the dagger from Zaciré in the battle (since he's better with a sword) and is about to kill Zaciré when the consequences of the dagger kick in. The tower begins collapsing, and Srugoz, because he is more interested in his long-term survival then a short-term battle. So Zaciré doesn't actually get rescued from the battle but is more taken away from the destruction of the city. Right? eruheran |
|
| Author: | Armorbearer [ July 17th, 2010, 11:04 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: General Summary of my Book |
That's an even better idea! I like it. |
|
| Author: | Constable Jaynin Mimetes [ July 17th, 2010, 12:43 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: General Summary of my Book |
Right. It's King Arthur, the Legend of Balin and Balan. AKA, how the Holy Grail got lost in the first place. Has nothing whatsoever to do with LotR. I didn't even know there was a dwarf named Balin.... The tower was destroyed by God/Angels/Land-law, whatever, because he desecrated it. Your tower is also destroyed by the same forces because he desecrated it by touching the dagger. I think Aladdin might have had something like that too... (This place is cursed. Touch such and such magical object and the curse is fulfilled by the place falling down around your heads, hopefully killing you, but if you're the MC you'll get out alive. Somehow.) So he's carried away from the destruction, rather than being rescued, and since he's not being rescued, being carried away is no longer Deus ex Machina. (sp?) (correct?) |
|
| Author: | Andrew Amnon Mimetes [ July 17th, 2010, 11:53 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: General Summary of my Book |
Ah, King Arthur (should have guessed Anyways, back on topic. I see. Srugoz leaves because the tower is crumbling, and Zaciré is rescued not from the duel but from the destruction of the tower. Still seems a little D-E-M to me...oh well, better than what I had. I should update the original summary to reflect this. Thanks guys! eruheran |
|
| Author: | Constable Jaynin Mimetes [ July 18th, 2010, 1:52 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: General Summary of my Book |
There's great precedence for towers crumbling. In "The Hero and the Crown" the tower falls down when the bad guy is defeated. In "Hapist in the wind" the tower falls down when the good guy dies. (The really weird thing about both aforementioned towers is that they both had unending staircases... In one a goddess climbed it for eternity and in the other a slightly more intelligent MC realized it was a spell of illusion and broke it... whatever.) In the Legend of Balin and Balan the tower falls down, (the whole castle actually,) when he touched a sacred object. (divine intervention.) In one of the versions of Aladdin the underground passages come crumbling down when he touches the lamp. (It's cursed.) I'm sure that various Mayan temples have collapsed upon archaeological MC's somewhere in the universe. Actually, buildings crumbling as the results of some kind of curse can be seen all over the Arabian Nights. So. Bring the tower down. (He doesn't have to be rescued from it falling down, he can be rescued from the rubble having somehow miraculously survived. If Aladdin and Balin can do it, so can Z. |
|
| Author: | Andrew Amnon Mimetes [ July 18th, 2010, 8:59 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: General Summary of my Book |
Ah, crumbling buildings...I'm liking the idea more as I think about it. eruheran |
|
| Author: | Andrew Amnon Mimetes [ July 18th, 2010, 9:08 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: General Summary of my Book |
OK guys, I'll throw my next curve-ball at you all
This still seems very D-E-M (I'll probably misspell it anyways) but I want it to capture Revelation since it is, inexplicably, that the Armies of Good are victorious. Perhaps a variant of the land-law that whenever the dagger is recovered from the thief who stole it, the thief's domain would be destroyed? Sort of like something that is bound in the dagger? It seems like I'm turning to land-law to solve all my plot weaknesses...at least it's not a cliché eruheran |
|
| Author: | Constable Jaynin Mimetes [ July 18th, 2010, 11:26 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: General Summary of my Book |
Your ending is a very thinly veiled allegory of an actual (yet to take place) event. That's what you're building up to. That's the purpose and climax of the whole book. If the world is going to destroyed you're going to need the creator himself to step in and destroy it. Maybe they don't realize what's going on at first and think they've lost until they wake up in heaven.... or something. If that's the way it happens in Revelation, and Revelation is what you're drawing from, then that's really the way you want to do it. Just portray it in a way that doesn't appear D-E-M. |
|
| Author: | Andrew Amnon Mimetes [ July 18th, 2010, 11:05 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: General Summary of my Book |
I like that idea...they think they've lost until they realize they're in heaven. Hmm, I'll have to think on this last part still to make it work... *puts on thinking cap* eruheran |
|
| Author: | Armorbearer [ July 20th, 2010, 1:19 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: General Summary of my Book |
You don't have to have the earth swallow them up, you can do like in Revelation 19:11-21 "11I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. 12His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. 13He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter."[a] He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. 17And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, "Come, gather together for the great supper of God, 18so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great." 19Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. 20But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh." Jesus is totally awesome, he destroys Satan's army with the "sword from his mouth". This could be an actual sword, or some say it could be a single word that he speaks. Either way, Jesus can just totally destroy his enemies single-handedly. |
|
| Author: | Andrew Amnon Mimetes [ July 21st, 2010, 12:14 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: General Summary of my Book |
OK, everyone, I'm dedicating myself to writing a lot this weekend at the beginning and I'm also going to completely think over this ending part. I'll let you know when I'm done! eruheran |
|
| Author: | Andrew Amnon Mimetes [ August 16th, 2010, 11:10 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: General Summary of my Book |
I thought it would be useful for me to detail each specific strand that I weave into the complete plot (the list at the beginning of this thread). So here goes:
What do you think? This is basically the same plot as the first one I posted, but not chronologically and in a 'strands' format. eruheran |
|
| Author: | Evening L. Aspen [ September 11th, 2010, 2:31 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: General Summary of my Book |
Though I'm not a fan of fantasy allegory, I think your story sounds pretty interesting. eruheran wrote: But what about the romance? If I were to include it, it would be better developed than the first version, but it still seems cliche and lame. Thoughts? The Bible specifically says (somewhere... can't remember at the moment) that in heaven no one will be married. I'd say avoid the romance since they can't get married. One of the annoying things in stories is when people "like" each other but never make commitments. But that's just me. Did Zaciré's father die as soon as he touched the dagger, or did he die because he actually tried to use it? Either way, if Rehuan dies because of the dagger then so should Srugoz, unless he has something keeping him from dying. (Didn't you mention some kind of flower...?) |
|
| Author: | Kiev Shawn [ September 11th, 2010, 5:31 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: General Summary of my Book |
I second Evening's opinion on the romance part for this story. I can't wait to read it once you write it! *the "bloodthirsty hound" makes puppy eyes* Will you add me to the list of first to know, please? Pretty please? |
|
| Author: | Andrew Amnon Mimetes [ September 12th, 2010, 10:25 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: General Summary of my Book |
@Evening: My thoughts exactly...(like I said, I'm leery of doing it @Shawn: It's already on chapter 4...check out story excerpts. It's just not as 'interesting' as Eruheran/Dorodhiel. eruheran |
|
| Author: | Kiev Shawn [ September 12th, 2010, 2:28 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: General Summary of my Book |
Will do, Cap'n! |
|
| Author: | Airianna Valenshia [ September 28th, 2010, 5:27 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: General Summary of my Book |
Wow! I'm with Evening, leave out the romance if nothing can ever come of it. |
|
| Page 1 of 1 | All times are UTC - 6 hours [ DST ] |
| Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group http://www.phpbb.com/ |
|