posted
I'm a little stuck on a section of my story right now. Nathan and Rillian are riding at top speed to reach Kagoshua (their hometown). They had been hearing rumors and seeing some evidences that the city had come under attack by a dragon. Once they get to the city that still burning, they will seek out the Baron, Nathan's leige lord.
What I'm stuck on is how to move the story forward. I just ended chapter two with Nathan and Rillian borrowing some horses and taking off on the road to Kagoshua. I'm not sure what happens between the time they see Kagoshua in flames, to the time they find the baron. How they find the baron is my big question.
posted
I think you need to stop writing and create at least a cursory outline.
That said, you may still be stuck on a question like how the main characters find someone. I guess what you need to do is start throwing out as many answers as you can, rapid fire, ignoring their plausibility, sensibility, and interest level. Start with them stumbling across the baron on the streets and go from there...
posted
I'm going to presume that Nathan knows something about the Baron's character...like whether he'd be running for the hills, playing the lute, or organizing fire brigades.
I mean, how does Nathan normally find the Baron? I'd think he makes an educated guess as to the probable locations of the Baron based on the current situation and time of day, then checks and sees if the Baron is there. He asks around.
Both these will work very well if the Baron is organizing fire brigades (particularly if he's organizing them out of troops assembled to try and fight off the dragon attack). Half the people running around will have a pretty good idea of the Baron's recent whereabouts.
Brainstorming is better for solving problems where there is not a single unique solution. There is only one Baron, and they must find him rather than escape him.
posted
The Baron is in hiding, which the lead character and maybe some others find out and keep it a secret. The Baron knows what needs to be done, but he's too much of a coward to do it and too prideful to admit that he can't.
Thus, the burden rests on the lead character. And maybe after the problem is solved or whatever, the Baron keeps the glory for himself.
posted
Wait, do you know that, or are you just making things up?
If the Baron is hiding or has run for the hills, then why on Earth does Nathan bother to look for him? He'd just stick in, do his job, and wait for the Baron to show up again.
quote:The Baron is in hiding, which the lead character and maybe some others find out and keep it a secret. The Baron knows what needs to be done, but he's too much of a coward to do it and too prideful to admit that he can't. Thus, the burden rests on the lead character. And maybe after the problem is solved or whatever, the Baron keeps the glory for himself.
Yes and no. The Baron is very tied up in social and political circles. He's pulled strings and had strings pulled on him. He's motivated by the prosperity of his town and the attack of a dragon pisses him off. He's not the kind of person to voluntarily put himself in danger unless a superior ( like the king ) forced him to do it. The Baron will order Nathan to persue the dragon and destroy it. Once he does that...the Baron will naturally take most of the glory because Nathan is his vassal.
hmmmmm *sits like winne-the-pooh and thinks* think...think think...
All things considered it might be more plausible that Nathan and Rillian are intercepted by a gaurd unit. Considering the circumstances the Baron would have devoted a portion of the men-at-arms to do sweeps of the small villages/farms that surround the city. Just to see that everyone is okay and recruit some villagers to help fight the fires. If Nathan and Rillian ran into one of these patrols...hmmmmmm
Thank you! You're all so helpful
edit: clarification
[This message has been edited by RillSoji (edited March 01, 2004).]
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