[Discussion/Advice request] Following up after the inciting event

[cr47t 7]

Hi guys,

I've switched projects again. (I know it happens all the time with me, but I got remarkably far in the last one, so I do think I can get a short story-length first draft done this time.) The new story, I would describe it as being a coming-of-age story combined with classical tragedy, with some elements of myth and fantasy included. (Especially during COVID i've wanted to revisit my pre-adolescence.) I've recently wrote the inciting event, which was the MC and his guardians emergency-landing on an unknown island (I figured it would be in the Bermuda Triangle, mainly because that territory has a legend around missing flights, but since it covers a lot of boat routes rescue is still likely.) I used the situation to show character rather than pump up the drama of the landing (since we've only met 3 characters so far and the crash is the inciting event, it's likely a foregone conclusion that they will survive. The fourth character, the pilot, isn't yet fully introduced.)

My issue is how to follow up an event like a plane crash on a remote island in a way that serves the larger story. I concluded the last passage (so far) with a comment that the MC didn't know what was next, but that it was relieving it wasn't as planned. I've had a few ideas, but have been blanking on how to execute them. My most concrete one so far is use the discussion of what to do next to survive/get rescued as a way of expressing what each character values, at least in this moment, and how those preferences conflict with each other (the pilot feels like he failed the other three and doesn't want to do so again; the 'mom' wants to go downstream; the 'dad' wants to stay by the plane, and the MC just wants to get away from all this bickering.) On a story-wide scale, I don't quite know what their 'values' are, but it's OK to not know everything in the early drafts. I'll find out. The question is, what do I need to do before that? Do I need to establish the island? Do I need to set up the myth/fantasy elements now that we're on the island they're on? At the same time how do I not overload with questions? Am I missing an issue?

To those willing to help, thank you in advance.

 

Edited January 2, 2021 by cr47t

[LordCowCow 840]

So first I am unsure if you want this to be long or not.

As to what to do next, establishing how dire their situation is first is important. Do you want them to be fighting for survival or do you want it to be more about the fantasy element?

And what kind of fantasy element are you looking for? Some sort of strange magic, a curse, a mythical creature living on the island? etc etc

[cr47t 7]

I'm trying to get it done in short-story length, at least for now.

I don't imagine they'd be in mortal danger or in a dire survival situation, at least not at first; if you start your story big you won't have much higher to go.  I think the fantasy element will play a reasonable part, since the main arc of the story is the MC growing as he tries to slow down or stop that change.

I think the fantasy element would mainly be concentrated in a creature of sorts, who helps the MC be his best self as the MC 'escapes' the troubling situation with the creature through their adventures through ruins. (Totoro was the model for this, character-wise; I haven't made a physical design yet.) I have other ideas but I don't know if they will serve the story well.

[LordCowCow 840]

49 minutes ago, cr47t said:

I'm trying to get it done in short-story length, at least for now.

I don't imagine they'd be in mortal danger or in a dire survival situation, at least not at first; if you start your story big you won't have much higher to go.  I think the fantasy element will play a reasonable part, since the main arc of the story is the MC growing as he tries to slow down or stop that change.

I think the fantasy element would mainly be concentrated in a creature of sorts, who helps the MC be his best self as the MC 'escapes' the troubling situation with the creature through their adventures through ruins. (Totoro was the model for this, character-wise; I haven't made a physical design yet.) I have other ideas but I don't know if they will serve the story well.

The reason I mention dire survival situation is it would determine if the story is about "surviving" or "discovering"

In this case it seems that the best way to go about it would be making it something like...As they try and get their bearings the MC finds some sort of creature. Or perhaps hints of something unusual and leading up to the actual discovery of the creature.

What way do you want them to grow? Is there a specific flaw?

[cr47t 7]

I definitely see this as more of a "discovery" story if it's between those two.

I like the idea of giving hints, I hadn't thought of that, but I do like establishing something small and expanding it later, because readers want to know more when there's something that intrigues them.

I like to think the MC grows (going to use some pop culture references here) by seeking escape from his impending adulthood but then gives up that escapism and returns to a life of change, for reasons bigger than himself (kind of like Casablanca's ending with a certain character. It's also similar to SM2 where Peter gives up his calling but then returns to a life of sacrifice, also for reasons bigger than himself.) It's meant to be admirable but sad (compared to the heroic feeling of the similar decisions in those 2 films.) I don't want to give away my ideas for how that change manifests near the end (because spoilers duh) so I hope you don't mind.

EDIT: I suppose the flaw is that he thinks in terms of his past vs the present, because of something that happened with his dad before the dad was whisked away.

Edited January 2, 2021 by cr47t

[LordCowCow 840]

5 hours ago, cr47t said:

I definitely see this as more of a "discovery" story if it's between those two.

I like the idea of giving hints, I hadn't thought of that, but I do like establishing something small and expanding it later, because readers want to know more when there's something that intrigues them.

I like to think the MC grows (going to use some pop culture references here) by seeking escape from his impending adulthood but then gives up that escapism and returns to a life of change, for reasons bigger than himself (kind of like Casablanca's ending with a certain character. It's also similar to SM2 where Peter gives up his calling but then returns to a life of sacrifice, also for reasons bigger than himself.) It's meant to be admirable but sad (compared to the heroic feeling of the similar decisions in those 2 films.) I don't want to give away my ideas for how that change manifests near the end (because spoilers duh) so I hope you don't mind.

EDIT: I suppose the flaw is that he thinks in terms of his past vs the present, because of something that happened with his dad before the dad was whisked away.

So then in that case you need to make the mythical creature something that can help with that. It's a bit tricky but...perhaps something like a phoenix that physically can't cling to the past because it keeps being reborn.

Don't have a specific idea but just in general it'd be good to connect the creature to some aspect you want the MC to learn.

[cr47t 7]

8 hours ago, LordCowCow said:

So then in that case you need to make the mythical creature something that can help with that. It's a bit tricky but...perhaps something like a phoenix that physically can't cling to the past because it keeps being reborn.

Don't have a specific idea but just in general it'd be good to connect the creature to some aspect you want the MC to learn.

I'm still figuring out who the creature is. I do agree it's tricky, especially since the creature, to me, isn't so much a catalyst for change (due to the tragedy format, that would happen by the MC's own actions) so much as a character representation of MC's idealized young days, and is happy to share their dreams until he (the creature) realizes this wasn't meant to be.  For that reason I'm not sure phoenixesque traits regarding that area would work. 

On that note, I should have said before (sorry) that I'm making the fantasy elements either from scratch or from a source other than the Tolkien/Potter/DND template, which I think is holding fantasy back due to it being so mainstream for so long that it's worn itself out.

But if you'll let me, let's go back to the original problem facing me. How do I follow up that end to the last chapter. What are some ways I can follow up a emergency landing, while still keeping narrative drive but not letting the crash upstage the less frantic remainder of the story?