Well, I have a vague idea for this year's plot.
Basically, to main races in the story, X and Y. X race create magic for the world (and use it), and Y race merely use it (in a different way), though they're pretty dumb and don't realise where it's from. X race are dying, hence magic is also dwindling - given that Y race (largest population in this world) are now pretty dependant on magic, that's going to cause serious problems for them.
MC is an XY (a hybrid!).
I have multiple cool ideas for things to happen within the story, and I sort of have an idea for the 2nd book (hah planning that already). Once I get writing I generally have no trouble with volume (wrote 35,000 words in a week for an RP website for example!). Problem is... I'm stuck on "the quest".
Obviously MC needs to save X race (and hence life as Y race knows it as well), but I don't know what is killing off X race, and why my MC specifically is the one to do that.
Only thing she has going for her is that she's a hybrid and can use the magic in the way that both races do.
Hrmm :P
So, any suggestions guys?
Just to add, in case it wasn't clear, I'm writing Fantasy ;) Race Y are probably going to be humans. Or very close. Race X are undecided at the moment.
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16,500 / 50,000
Oct 4, 2007 - 10 51
I think your first job is to decide why X is dying.
Your next question is to really think about the choice of using a hybrid. I know it's very "in" this season, but I'm not sure it will work within your plot. Think of this - if X can simply reproduce with Y without any diminishing of power (you said MC can use magic in the same way that both do), why is X dying out? Why don't they just get jiggy with Y and make a super species? Your next question is: if they can inter-breed, why haven't they done so? What has kept them separate up until now but was broken to produce the MC? One possible solution is sterility. When lions and tigers or horses and donkeys are bred together, their offspring are sterile. Wouldn't it be interesting to have a sterile MC? I think it could add a whole lot to your story (provided that you don't just have him angst about his sterility and then have the story end with some magical returning of his fecundity - that would just be a cop out).
You also want to think about what it means to be a hybrid. Perhaps the MC is hated by both species as an "abomination" or "one of the other group," out of place in both worlds. What might his parents have gone through? Also, why were his parents special in interbreeding?
Now, as for the question you actually asked (getting to it!), you could give him a side motive that ends up solving the major problem. For example, maybe there's a community of hybrids somewhere out in the wilderness and he goes on a journey to find them and, in the process, finds some sort of object or spell that can restore life to X. Or maybe he hopes that he will be accepted by X if he saves them (which adds the wonderful possibility of a twist ending - they are grateful, but still resent him and, though they let him join them, he is still isolated). Perhaps he has an older brother who is good and great and valiant and dies trying to save X and MC feels somewhat responsible for the death (by refusing to go with him, for example, and therefore not being able to protect him), so that's why he joins. This also opens the possibility for some sort of "punishment" for embarking on the quest for the wrong reasons - perhaps resulting in the MC needing to sacrifice himself to save others.
----------"I am just winking happy thoughts into a little tiddle cup."
10,453 / 50,000
Oct 4, 2007 - 13 41
Well, the idea I had was the X race always had the ability to use their magic; it's inherent, they just have the ability. Race Y (likely human) only have a chance to be able to use their kind of magic.
While there will have been a few hybrids here and there (dalliances are bound to happen, given that each race isn't going to look hugely different to each other) the chance of a hybrid managing to inherit both magic abilities is rather slim. MC has that. Not to say I'm going to make MC some kind of super hero who is miraculously strong in both. That would be horrible.
Anyway, I more or less decided that Race Y is going to be very intolerant of hybrids ("abomination", as you say - made me think of the series by Jean M Auel, "Clan of the Cave Bear" and all, where a child of the two human "races" weren't particularly tolerated by either group, and one thought of them as an abomination). Race X, I was thinking, would be more tolerant of the idea. Not set in stone though; an isolated MC (who is a she, not a he btw :D ) would be interesting.
I definitely like your idea of it being a side motive as such, the older brother thing perhaps. I hadn't thought of anything like that, I was just trying to find a direct reason why my MC would be chosen. Since, afterall, while I intend her to have the fairly rare ability to use both magics, I don't want her to be some super-powered out-to-save-the-world chosen-by-prophecy god-complex teenager! I do want this to be a decent story, not just something thrown together to get 50,000 words - I already know I can write that much under pressure; writing that much with a decent level of quality while under pressure is a different matter.
Regarding the reason for X dying out, the thoughts I had were disease (hard to find a cure for generally) or perhaps something like... X are dragons (who have the ability to shape-shift in my world), but are bound in human form after some big war in the past. In human form they can't create magic (since, as previously stated, race X are responsible for the energy in the atmosphere that allows race Y to use their magic), therefore magic is running out. MC could be trying to break said curse/spell/whatever so that Race X can be dragons again and populate the world with more magic.
Mm. I don't know. It sounds okay to me, but I've had a glass of wine and that makes just about any idea feel right. In the morning I will be nitpicking it again no doubt.
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