I brainstormed a couple of plots and this is what I came up with. Please help me choose one by giving me advice and information about the different kinds of plots.

Here they are:

1. Due to family arguments, the emperor of Tushola disinherits his son, who moves to another city, where he lives with the emperor’s brother. When the emperor approaches death he re-accepts his son. But the boy is small and spoiled, so he needs an escort because a gang swore to have his head. Not wishing to make a big deal out of it, they get Elanhil, a commoner to come escort.

Pros: Character-based plot

Cons: Why not send an army?

2. Many people randomly disappear from villages near Elanhil’s hometown. It is up to him and a small secret organization to find the people and why they are disappearing.

Pros: Character-based plot

Cons: Why does the organization choose him?

3. There is a prized possession of some noble that gets stolen that Elanhil must recover.

Pros: Can be done right, though clichéd.

Cons: Vagueish?

4. Saruh is in Anarchy. Tushola sends an army to take advantage and win back the territory. Story about how lives are affected after the war.

Pros: Original.

Cons: I kinda want Saruh to remain independent.

5. This one introduces Jade as a main character. She gets kidnapped and Elanhil must rescue her.

Pros: Character based

Cons: CLICHÉ!!!

6. Merashath’s minions have infiltrated the government in high ranks and are trying to stir up a war. Other high-ranked officials learn about this and must stop it.

Pros: Original.

Cons: No Elanhil.

So what do Ya'll think?

Why can't you go with the sixth one and make Elanhil the hero?

Well, he's a commoner. It wouldn't match his personality to make him a high ranking official.

So change it up a bit. The commoners don't want their world torn apart and their lives decimated so they place themselves strategically inside the high ranking families as servants or something so that they can work from high places. Elanhil can then come in contact with some of the higher ranking officials who want to change things and soon wins their favor.

If you just don’t like that one and it is untrue to your character than scrap it. I’ll go back to the story pool.

I'm thinking I'm gonna go with #4, and make it about Saruh's fight for independence. But I'm thinking that the plot will change a bit...Elanhil's families struggle will be a main factor, but I think Elanhil would have to do something too. Only question is, what is that something.

Or I could merge the two and make that something that Elanhil wants to fix the corrupt government, and he does basically what you said. I need to develop Saruh's legal system some more...

I think those two idea would blend together easily.

Thank-you for your help. The only thing I can't get over is that Elanhil isn't supposed to have a good strategic mind. He relies more on magic or brute force to keep himself alive. I just can't see him planting himself in a government system and changing how it works.

Hmm, I see your predicament. You certainly don't want to be untrue to your character.

Ok, I've got it. Elanhil goes to fight in the war for independence. When he gets back, it's only a couple of days before he is neglected his wages and forced to pay a huge debt left by his father. Loving his mother and sister too much for them to be sold into slavery and them all be separated, Elanhil goes into a rage and kills the debt collector. He is then banished from the very country he helped win independence, to the country he fought against. The story is about his quest to get back into Saruh from Tushola, and free his mother and sister either by killing their owners or somehow paying the debt. What do you think?

I think that would work. It goes back to him using brute strength as opposed to a strategic mind because that wasn't very strategic of him to kill the collector.

Yes, I agree. I need to figure out how he'll be able to find his mother and sister in a way that interests the reader. And also, he's in exile, so that should be interesting.

G.A. Henty books would be a good resource for helping you get ideas for this sort of thing.

Are they free? Can I get them as e-books? (Please say yes!) If not, I'll scour all of my friends' houses for them!!!

Hmmmm... Well I know they aren't free, they're actually expensive books, but they are worth it. Now e-books I'm not sure about... I'll check into it.

Well Elanhil, you are in luck. My mouth about dropped open when I typed G.A. Henty e-books into Google and came up with some FREE e-books. Win win for you and Eruheran. For Freedom's Cause is free (good one to read), I'm not sure what other ones are. They also have several of his books you can buy through e-books, including Beric the Briton (who didn't like that one?). Enjoy my friend, these books will be worth every penny!

Elanhil, I've had all (or most) of the G.A. Henty books on my Palm since we left the States two years ago I didn't know you were interested in them or else I would give them to you. I've read a few, I think. But not all because of time.

(We can talk in real life...I'll get back to you on this. )

eruheran

My Daddy loves that I love books. Any and all. So he's been creating a Multi Generational Library for the past 10 years. We now have 68 G.A. Henty books and I've never found a bad one yet. I think they could give you some ideas on how to develop this plot Elanhil.

Elanhil, I've got the following if you want to read them:

Among Malay Pirates
At Aboukir and Acre
At Agincourt
At the Point of the Bayonet
Beric the Briton
Bonny Prince Charlie
Both Sides the Border
By England's Aid
By Pike and Dyke
By Right of Conquest
By Sheer Pluck
Colonel Thorndyke's Secret
The Boy Knight
The Bravest of the Brave
The Czar's Spy (actually on my reading list )
The Eyes of Asia (also on my reading list)
The White Company

Sufficient?

eruheran

That's a pretty good start, and I don't have the first two!

This is just me (and my love of terribly complex plots and sub-plots).

But I LOVE number six. Of course I don't love Elanhil because I don't know who he is. LOL! But number six sounds like the most original of them.

PLUS, if you want Elanhil, I'd just weave in a couple more of the plots you've come up with, and you've got yourself and awesome story.

Maybe you could weave in a few of the other ideas through sub-characters or something? Maybe Hadwin and Ohstel need to accomplish something or something like that.

I don't know, you're still on track for your NaNo (however you missed today) so you must have a pretty good idea of where you're going with this.

eruheran

Yes, I do.

Elanhil is banished, and his sister and mother are sold as slaves. Elanhil tries to find a way back in to Saruh, however his mother is already dead and his sister sold to a Tusholan merchant. After awhile he meets up with Hadwin and lives with him for a spell, and then, with Ohstel, goes of to live a new live in Tushola. Eventually he finds his sister but doesn't have enough funds to buy her, and instead tries to steal her. When this doesn't work out, and the slaveowner catches them, Elanhil explains the situation and the man shows mercy and releases Trina. (his sister)