stuck on conflict in my story
Question: I am trying to work on a novel, perhaps a series, about a human who becomes a vampire to fulfill a prophecy. The main theme I am searching for in this story is to have a female character to inspire young women since the vampire council is entirely men. I've been brainstorming and writing this for months but I still haven't been able to uncover WHAT exactly the prophecy is, who the the bad guys are, what they are doing or why this human woman is involved. Any tips for me?
Answer: Yes. You have a number of questions that you are wrestling with...
What is prophesied?
Who are the bad guys?
Why are the bad guys doing what they are doing?
Why does the woman get involved?
You might add some other questions, such as...
Why are there only men on the vampire council?
What does your female character do differently that makes her an inspiration?
What you should do is write down as many possible answers to each of these questions as you can. Don't just try to find the perfect answer. Write down even the silly, crazy, and absurd answers. Don't self-censor.
Take your time with this. Maybe spend a few days adding to the lists. Then take a few days off.
After your break, go back and read the lists. Circle the answers that interest you the most. If you have a hard time choosing between two possibilities, wait a few days before making your decision.
Write out brief summary of the story that incorporates your chosen answers. Then take another break.
After this break, read over your summary and make a new list of questions that arise now that you have done some development work. What are the implications of the decisions you've made? What new information holes need to be filled?
Repeat the above process several times and you will find your story grows considerably richer.
Additional tip: if any question is really hanging you up, such as "What is the prophesy?", consider turning the question on it's head with questions like...
Does there have to be/is there really a prophesy?
What other reasons could there be for the woman to become a vampire?
What other circumstances could lead to her becoming a vampire?
Best of luck.
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