I've rewritten this post four times now. I first tried to write out all the conflicts and then realized i'd probably bore everyone. So here is the last hour of my life on this thread… in a nutshell.
I've many characters. Many MAIN characters with a lot of interconnections, the majority of the unrealized. Characters that are involved in ancient clans, who have long been planning to find ultimate power, immortality ect. Characters that are simply hiding out in a safe house disguised as a bed and breakfast, some with sketchy pasts, some with abusive fathers.
I know authors do it all the time… juggling multiple conflicts that in one way or another intertwine. Juggling massive characters with their own goals, their own morels ect.
Here's my band aid for my problem: i've been writing in third person mostly from two of the main characters view. In order for the reader to follow along with all the conflict is to actually write in MULTIPLE character's view… much like Game of Thrones would. Characters that haven't even met yet, but still ended up being involved later on had very early introductions.
I've written out a timeline and a storyboard… but i'm stuck and I'm 90% sure it's because my conflicts are…. well conflicting. Or maybe it's because my direction is wonky because i've introduced a conflict to early…
Exactly how helpful can this be, without literally writing out my story for you. Sigh. Thanks for making it this far!
Ok your turn. Help a writer out… any suggestions? Advise? Banter?
Well, maybe you could do a handful of books or novellas and then come together for the finale?? Like you can have the Ultimate Power story, BnB story, Abusive Father story, etc. and then put them together in the end.
Many of the conflicts are to little to have their own story, i.e. abusive father. - a little girl who lives down the road and keeps coming over the the bed and breakfast where the main characters work, has an abusive father. The newest member Piper, and Aiden butt heads but their natural instinct to protect the little girl is kinda the starter of their relationship. But the little girl's father keeps coming over all pissed, which interrupts other conflicts… i'm seriously struggling how to juggle them.
Although you've given me an idea… Maybe writing short stories of the conflicts themselves will give me 1. the problem 2. who the tension effects and 2. the solution to the conflict. From there maybe I can juggle them better? Whadya think? … unless that's exactly what you meant hahaha Idk.
I'm going to move the topic to world-building i think. When i first started writing this thread, it belonged under characters but it's evolved.
One book I read a while ago "Endgame" dealt with several main character (somewhere around 12 or 13) so if you want pointers you can definitely check that book out. The author made each chapter centered around a different character and their troubles. This is a good tactic for handling multiple story lines because it gives the reader a chance to piece together the clues that form the entire plot. In the end the chapters still focused on different characters, but the author put all of the characters in one place, to resolve the story.
As for world building, I find it easier to create one event that your book is going to be centered around and expand from there.
I will have to check that book out. Someone actually recommended that book to me a while ago so by now, I think I should have read it. And that is a good strat - character by chapters. Helps the author and reader sort of compartmentalize which may be what I need. As for the world building centered around one event… this is great! I just need an event! Would you by chance have an example of an event as such? Might help get the creative juices moving…
Ask yourself what connects all these characters, and how they got together in the first place. The event that pushed them all together could be the start of your world building. Or you could use the climax of your story as a starting point. Whether it be a school dance or a temple containing the "final treasure", the climax of your story, and the place where it happens, has history around it. Dive into that history and ask yourself extensive questions. You can decide if you want your characters to know this history later, but for now, in the first stages of world building, this process is for you to understand your options plot wise and setting wise.
