Unique Plots (part 5)

If you're unfamiliar with concepts like chaos theory or the butterfly effect, suffice it to say that the smallest variety of factors can have very far-reaching and unexpected effects. If two people wrote about the same exact plot, they'd end up with very different stories because of their choices in setting, style, and the characters involved. Giving two writers the same plot is like telling two composers to both write in the same meter and key--they'll still both produce something unique. I'm not saying that you shouldn't have a basic plot in mind when you write—stories that lack a plot often suffer for it; I'm just saying that your plot probably isn't going to be what most impacts people through the story you tell.

Unique Plots (part 4)

Are you a writer suffering from writer's block? Start writing! Your block is likely because you are demanding of yourself a totally original plot. Chances are, your plot has been done before in some shape or form, and inevitable comparisons will be made despite how unique you thought your plot was. In fact, when sending a submission to a literary agent or publisher, sometimes it's a good idea to let them know what your story is similar to. Movie producers listen to countless movie pitches and their experience allows them to quickly compare pitch ideas with several other similar movies to judge the merit of a pitch. Yes, a plot is an important factor in a story, but often it develops during the journey of writing. If you are striving for a truly unique plot, you're probably wasting your time trying to design it that way before you even start. Just get writing!

Unique Plots (part 3)

For a moment, think of your favorite books, movies, and TV shows, and try to condense a basic plot into a single sentence. Here's an example from a TV series I just watched: people are disappearing in a small town because a deadly creature has been released from a parallel dimension and it can only be stopped by the young girl that accidentally opened the gate to its world. This very plot is from the first season of a popular TV series that spans roughly 8 hours. A simple, single-sentence plot was woven into an 8-hour story, and done in such a way that I and a friend of mine separately watched all 8 hours straight through—we couldn't step away, it was so engrossing! The plot on its own isn't incredibly compelling, though, but the way the story was told, the pacing, the characters and other elements that were involved made it something I couldn't walk away from.

Unique Plots (part 2)

Many would argue that it is more how the story is told than the story itself. In the case of books, it might be the author's writing style, full of descriptive and flowery prose. Clever wordplay, impressive vocabulary, frequent use of thought-provoking metaphors and similes, and an assortment of other writing techniques all make up an author's style. We see this in cinematic storytelling as well, because a director's style can turn a simple story into a masterpiece, just like a talented conductor can interpret a piece of music and bring out amazing results from an orchestra. Style does contribute a great deal to the overall reception of a work, so is a unique plot really that important?

Unique Plots

How important is it that a story is unique? When you think about a story you've enjoyed and try to explain it to someone else, do you find their lack of enthusiasm frustrating? As you tell the story that impacted you so deeply--whether it was a book, TV series, movie, or even a story from a game--it seems to fall flat in the telling as you often realize the plot was not as profound or complex as you thought it was. When we really think about it, most plots have been used over and over again, and these days, a truly unique plot is a rare exception. Yet despite this, there are so many stories that still have a large impact upon a wide audience. Is the plot what makes a good story, or is it something else?

The Villains of Solar Echoes (part 5)

Although they can't exactly be called “villains,” the Union Guard must also concern itself with non-sentient threats, such as robots and alien lifeforms. There are thousands of planets in the universe with a wide variety of alien lifeforms, and quite a number of them are dangerous. Though these lifeforms are rarely the target of an investigation, it is not uncommon for agents to have to traverse the wilds of alien planets and encounter the deadly denizens along the way. Robots are also a common threat to UG agents, especially those used for security by criminal organizations. In some cases, robots could arguably even be considered “sentient,” because rogue or illegal AI programs have sometimes resulted in robotic monsters that must be put down and thoroughly dismantled. Innocent service bots can sometimes malfunction, or even be repurposed and weaponized. It is a dangerous universe out there—are you ready to join the agents of the Union Guard?

The Villains of Solar Echoes (part 4)

Yet some of the villains that Union Guard agents will face are not even among the seven sentient races. Sightings and encounters at the Edge or beyond known space have shown that the member races in the Interstellar Union are not alone. A powerful, crystalline alien known as the Arunox that lives on worlds uninhabitable by the other races has occasionally encroached upon the territories of others, and their strange technology and resilient nature have shown them to be impervious to the cold vacuum of space, making their attacks on starships with controlled interior environments truly devastating. Worse, however, is an elusive alien foe that has been kidnapping people from all races and has—at least twice—sent in small but extremely powerful probes to test the Union's defensive capabilities. Though information on these aliens is classified, the secretive “Immortals” cult actively seeks the aliens and has repeatedly shown themselves to be extremely dangerous. What other alien threat lies beyond known space? What powerful foes have simply not deigned to concern themselves with us yet?