You all were such a big help last time that I think I'm going to need you again!  | |  I posted a topic not that long ago asking for help with the plot of my story, but since then I have decided to go in a completely different direction, haha. Y'all had such good ideas though that I would love it if you could help me with this one as well! I promise I have thought this idea out more than the last one, but I am having trouble with the inciting incident.
The basic premise is that there is going to be some big catastrophe - either global or limited to one or a few cities. This catastrophe is going to force the main character to form a group with two or three strangers for survival (they HAVE to be complete strangers). The story is really going to ride on the fact that the main character is trapped with these people - not necessarily physically but definitely mentally. In other words, the other people might start getting on her nerves or scaring her or abusing her, but the alternative choice (leaving the group and going it alone) is worse. I am kind of trying to mess with the cliche that always happens in thriller/action stories where the strangers that are thrust together is stressful circumstances always end up becoming close to one another in the end. That seems unrealistic to me, because lots of times stress brings out the worst in people.
So, the problem is, I need a catastrophe. It has VERY specific parameters though.
1. Must be sudden.
2. Must kill vast majority of the people (so that the main character has no friends or family to escape to), but be selective enough that some people survive it (in other words a nuclear bomb doesn't seem feasible I don't think).
3. Must cause some ongoing problem, something bad enough that the main character will not want to leave these people that are annoying/scary/mean/abusive/whatever I decide.
4. It doesn't have to be completely realistic, but I don't want it to be TOO sci-fi or fantastical, because that automatically makes the story much harder to write for me. I'm lazy and don't like doing a lot of research for my stories.;P
But, yeah. That's pretty much it. I would really appreciate any ideas you might have.:)
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| | | | | | | | 1.  chocolatechilli (164) | 11 months ago |  What about the sort of catastrophe that results in a communication breakdown of some sort. Something that knocks out complete communication systems and the access to information (i.e. computers) can trap someone as effectively, as a physical event, such as an earthquake in a mine, etc. A terrorist action, or an act of nature can meet the criteria of 1. and 2. Bear in mind that while something may seem sudden, if you make it two sudden, its occurance won't be realistic enough. You will need to foreshadow the event, even if only with some crank scientist predicting it, but no one believes him. I think a large meteor falling, might have great potential, as it can have all sorts of side effects - power down, fires, riots, maybe a noxious atmosphere, maybe even a rupture in the earth that will render some areas inaccessible. A devastating virus that kills most people can also do the trick, but then at least one character will need to be a medical professional and you might need to do loads of medical research. Terrorists hijacking through hacking the computer system, to make it a tool of the enemy, might also cause all sorts of havoc.
Hope some of this helps.
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 katran (321) | 11 months ago | Yeah, I thought about the communication stuff. I was doing a little bit of reading on EMPs, and I thought maybe we could just have communication and transport go out and that would make her stuck, but she would have to be in a relatively unpopulated place for that to work well, because the claustrophobia of it will only work if she has no way out and no one else to run to. Thank you for your help and I will keep your ideas in mind.:) | |
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| | 2.  eyeneed30Gs (759) | 11 months ago |  Perhaps you can have a character who is so totally wicked and evil that the Devil wouldn't even keep him in the fiery Gates of Hell. This human character, no doubt, would totally represent Satan and do his biding to torment your main character in the story MORE brilliantly than Satan himself! Just a thought.
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