[naomi]

I've got an idea for a book but I'm not sure what other people might think. It's below in really short, outline detail.

If you've read anything similar please tell me; likewise if you think it's crap. I won't be offended, I want honest feedback.

If you don't understand any of what i've written, likewise tell me and i'll explain.

Also bear in mind, I haven't thought the whole thing through yet so it's very short on specific detail.

Cheers, naomi


Here goes:

Humans – destroy own world; technologically advanced; worldwide nuking; nothing left for humans to live on, life very difficult, underground sect (pacifist, apolitical) survives as they are magical; open inter-dimensional gate and land in magical world of elves & other creatures; live as elves with them, v happy etc.

Not all humans are wiped out, some world leaders escaped with others; they find dimensional gate (a corrupt prior member of sect feigned death and defected to become advisor to lead British politician – he being magical senses the disturbance in the fibres of the universe) , follow through; cause untold mayhem as seek to subjugate elves; elves indomitable and fight back, causing death and destruction heretofore unknown to them; up to sect to either get rid of new arrivals or find a way to make peace and seal dimensional gate.

[Jamza1986]

I wouldn't say it was crap at all, Naomi, as an idea it sounds interesting. I can't really comment much more than that, as you said yourself that its a very rough outline. I could imagine a very good and powerful storyline there, though, with much work. You could go anywhere with it, such as showing the lost innocence of the Elves or the evils of mankind bringing corruption to such a paradise but then show mankind can in fact be good through having the sect sort things out.

Those are just ideas I thought of. But what I think you should do next is to build characters. They are the heart of any novel and at least as important as the plot.

Hope it goes well


James

[Expendable]

I've run across this the other way, colonies of elves appearing on a post-apocalyptic Earth but not in a book. :D

Start writing, I want to see how this ends.

[naomi]

Thanks for the encouragement.

I may well write a chapter and post it online for more detailed criticism, but you'll have to wait! Just doing my finals so once they're done...

[tingmakpuk]

Sounds great.

There are some similarities with a computer game called WarCraft III. But nothing is ever totally original. You should take the similarities as a positive omen (that your idea is a popular one). The originality will be in the way you present your own characters, conflict and resolution.

[JRMurdock]

No idea -- regardless of how lame the premis sounds -- is a bad one. If you can take a story like this and spin a tale with characters people will like and care about, you've got the workings for a great story. Even if you finish writing it and think back when you're done, 'hey, this stinks' at least you learned a couple of things. 1) You can finish something, 2) you got better at writing for you cannot get worse at writing after writing a book and 3) you know how to tell a story with length, even if it's a bad story.

So take your idea and run with it. Follow it through to the end. You'll be much happier, with a good or bad story, if you finish it.