i like my mc but my plot is rubbish! need ideas on direction http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/mainstream-fiction/threads/38173 M Aubrey any ideas welcome: Backstory: Idea started out as a 32 yo man, divorced, works as a house painter (then I switched him to a cook in a diner, thinking I might get more mileage out of that). He droppped out of college and is a very low key person, a little bit on the lonely side these days. But he really does enjoy his job and sees no reason to quit. His entire family is very sucessful, prestigious jobs, type A (Dad, Mom, brother, sister) so there is always alot of pressure on him to change. Anyway he also has a 13 yo son who is being raised by his exwife and new husband, and the son is very smart and driven (kind of like his family...) Plot ideas: 1. I was going to have the 13 yo son come to live with his dad for the summer, because i thought their differences and conflicts might be interesting to look at. I could not get this part right though. I could not make it seem authentic, it kept coming out all clichey (made up word) and just wrong, so I stopped this story line thinking I would come back to it. I even toyed with the idea of just eliminating the son from the book, Instead, I thought i might try adding a neighbor who MC is either friends with or there is some sort of romantic interest and SHE has a son. 2. In the beginning the MC becomes interested in a woman who is more like his family. MC decides he's getting older, needs to be more responsible and decides to change some things to get with this new love interest and try and fit in w his family. This story line was going ok, but the problem is that it went nowhere. I kept waiting for a good plot twist to form in my mind or some sort of ending or conclusion to come to me, but..... nothing. I do like my mc, he's grown on me, but I need a better story for him! I really feel like keeping my mc, and finding a new storyline or plot. Or should i just tweak what I have. Thanks for reading this long post! Thu, 17 Nov 2011 07:23:44 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/mainstream-fiction/threads/38173?page=1#forum_thread_comment_738861 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/mainstream-fiction/threads/38173?page=1#forum_thread_comment_738861 SukieCee hi, i totally understand! its not lost, don't panic. First, which one is more exciting to you, more fun? Pick that one, if that doesn't for, I literally put ideas in a hat and picked, seriously it worked! but you need to stick with that one. Make one group of papers for conflict, like "lost his son and now trying to start over, but bad at relationships", or whatever works for you. THEN ask what does he want? ask what is keeping him from what he wants both internal and external? ask what things he needs to acquire, skills, or external things to help him to overcome and make it happen? ask what happens once he has those things and he is faced with the possibility of success? does he almost sabotage or does he over come the final HUGE conflict? how does it end what did he learn? did that help? hope it did, good luck! in the trenches too! suzanne nyc Thu, 17 Nov 2011 10:49:05 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/mainstream-fiction/threads/38173?page=1#forum_thread_comment_740679 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/mainstream-fiction/threads/38173?page=1#forum_thread_comment_740679 SukieCee sorry for all the typos, running out the door! good luck! Thu, 17 Nov 2011 11:07:58 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/mainstream-fiction/threads/38173?page=1#forum_thread_comment_740895 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/mainstream-fiction/threads/38173?page=1#forum_thread_comment_740895 M Aubrey ****hugs***** thank you so much!!!!! I started thinking of some more plot ideas such as mc trys to become a MMA fighter or meets a woman who is very secretive and ...... who knows, lol So I think my problem is i have a plot committment issue. I pick one thing try and write it peters out then i decide to throw something else in there, and things that came before dont fit anymore. I do like the idea of putting stuff in a hat and just choosing. not sure if i will do that, but I like the idea! Im gonna write everything down , all my different plot ideas and spend a few minutes trying to get a feel, a spark, some passion something, good luck to you as well! Mia Thu, 17 Nov 2011 12:50:59 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/mainstream-fiction/threads/38173?page=1#forum_thread_comment_742068 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/mainstream-fiction/threads/38173?page=1#forum_thread_comment_742068 Suzana Mazon What if as a simple diner owner in a small town, his diner is viewed as the place to go for a good meal, good company, and a place to hang out. Maybe he welcomes the teens to hang out and had the ability to make them behave while having a good time. He's dating a woman a lot like ex-wife and family - that's what he knows. There may be a real love interest at his doorstep, maybe a "simple" waitress that makes his life easier. His 13 yo son goes to live with his dad because he mom is pregnant with step-sib and his step-dad doesn't want him around. He thinks his dad has abandoned him all these years because physical distance kept them apart. It turns out later that his mother kept them apart. He's angry in having to stay with his dad and takes it out on him. The locals step up to protect his dad. The girlfriend wants him to dump the diner and get a "real" job like at her business or his family's business. Maybe every one who is important comes to realize that there are no "simple" in any of this. Running a diner and being a dad and a good partner and a welcome part of the community actually makes you more successful than the folks chasing the prestige and/or the dollar. Sat, 19 Nov 2011 10:51:51 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/mainstream-fiction/threads/38173?page=1#forum_thread_comment_766486 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/mainstream-fiction/threads/38173?page=1#forum_thread_comment_766486 GypsyLuc with the multiple plots, maybe you have the making of multiple MCs? A good ol' connect-the-dots from one person's story to the next? Wed, 23 Nov 2011 22:33:31 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/mainstream-fiction/threads/38173?page=1#forum_thread_comment_826452 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/mainstream-fiction/threads/38173?page=1#forum_thread_comment_826452