by Lucy Adams
Have
you ever dreamt about releasing a book based on a proven idea? If you did, this article is just for you!
I
collected the top 10 ideas I encounters in fiction. Some of them may seem
too banal, but I’m sure they will move you towards creating intriguing fiction.
#1 Cloning
This
is one of my favorite plot lines. Although the prevalence is not too
high, the potential, in my opinion, is very strong.
The
use of various kinds of reasonable copies of objects allows you to
construct the devilishly twisted plot and completely confuse the
reader. This is one of the most simple plot techniques to retain the
clues of the story until the very end. However, this extremely
effective method should not be abused. Otherwise, the audience will
quickly lose interest in such unidirectional creativity.
#2 Prophecy
This
is a quite spread motive that often performs supporting roles and
rarely lies at the core of the plot. I think stories based on the
prophecy are rather one-sided (basically, in a sense that the author
gives us the direction of development of the story while we are able
just to guess whether the prophecy will come true or not). In my
opinion, this restricts the freedom of writing and virtually
eliminates any element of surprise. However, this does not mean that
you shouldn’t even try. There are a lot of examples of successful
novels based on different kinds of prophecy.
Examples:
The Wheel
of Time by Robert Jordan
#3 Relics
These
works are built around the people or other beings trapped in our time
from the distant past. These are not the most spread plots, but
that’s the freshness that makes them so perspective. The main
challenge of this direction is that the writer must know the way of
life in the correspondent epoch to the smallest detail.
Examples:
The Ugly
Little Boy by Isaac Asimov
#4 Robots
Here
we are talking about any mechanical devices (both intelligent and
managed directly by the person), which are the participants of the
story. Of course, the greatest expert on robots is Isaac Asimov, an
American science fiction writer. Learn from his works and then, after
reconsidering, bring to the genre something new.
Examples:
The
Bicentennial Man by Isaac Asimov, Do
Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
#5 Superheroes
This
is the most progressive and fast-developing subject that has recently
gained enormous popularity in fiction. Alas, the consequence of the
enormous popularity is a great number of clichés. From year to year,
superheroes are becoming more and more similar, and their superpowers
have long been no surprise.
Some
authors turn off the main road of the fight against universal evil
and saving the world. For example, George Martin in his Wild
Cards touches the psychological issues of people with
super-powers, which looks fresh and interesting against the
background of ordinary actions.
Examples:
Lord of Light
by Roger Zelazny, The
Dead Zone by Stephen King
#6 The Salvation of the World
That’s
the classics! This direction became popular in adventure literature,
and of course, now it is very difficult to come up with something
new.
If
you want to compete with the famous writers, you have to mobilize all
the reserves and abilities; otherwise, the mediocre novel will drown
in the ocean of similar opuses.
Examples:
The
Lord Of The Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien, The
Dark Tower by Stephen King
#7 The Process of Maturation of the Protagonist
This
is a very common way of constructing a plot, which can now be found
almost under every third cover. Of course, often it is in conjunction
with some other motives, but still, the question of maturing remains
one of the most popular in the literature.
I
attribute this to the many recommendations that insist on the fact
that the main character must evolve in the course of the story. He or
she needs to become smarter and more experienced, endure the
hardships and make correspondent conclusions.
Examples:
Flowers
for Algernon by Daniel Keyes, The
Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
#8 Natural Disasters
That’s
one of the rarest ideas, which is based on some catastrophe or
natural disaster, and of course, the main character needs them to be
prevented or to survive in the most severe conditions. Again, the
theme of the struggle of existence plays its role as one of the most
dramatically powerful tools in literature.
Examples:
The Terror
by Dan Simmons, Les
Robinsons du Cosmos by Francis Carsac
#9 The Dark Lord
Are
you afraid of a powerful villain, personifying the destructive
beginning in all its manifestations?
When we hear "Dark Lord,"
we first think of "Lord of The Rings." And for a good
reason!
I
have to note that there’s always a certain amount of predictability
in such plots as the reader initially knows that the heroes will
fight against a mighty antagonist, and all the events will rotate
exactly on the orbit of the great conflict. Although in some cases,
it may be beneficial (no need to dig deep into the core of the
conflict), it sometimes hampers the author’s freedom (it will be
extremely difficult to move away from the basic line somewhere to the
side).
Examples:
The Stand by
Stephen King
#10 Psychology of the Alien Races
The
problem of the psychology of alien races gives a lot of opportunities
for writers. There are almost no boundaries – you can bring to
light new forms of life, describing their lifestyle and inner world.
However,
that’s not as easy as it may seem. So to work in this direction,
you have to turn on your imagination
and thoroughness in the elaboration of details and little things.
Otherwise, you'll get another writer's zilch.
Examples:
The
Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
Bio: Lucy
Adams is a blogger from a home of essay writers. Although Lucy is a generalist able to cover a huge
variety of topics, she’s primarily focused on literature and
education. Feel free your best ideas with the author and soon you’ll
get a grounded response. By the way, blog posts are free.
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