So I want to start writing a book and my idea so far is head vs heart. So basically there are people who can control emotions and there are people who can control thoughts, and they're at war. It's going to weigh the power that emotion and thought has over people.There's obviously going to be more than that but that's the skeleton of the story. I'm wondering if this sounds interesting or if it's been done too much? Like the whole "people have powers and they're at war" stereotype? Because I don't want it to be like Red Queen (just an example) where there's a ton of powers and there's one "special girl." I won't have it like that. But I'm wondering if just the basic mind controlling thing has been done before or if it's not interesting? Thank you for your input!! I really don't want to make an unoriginal book and your opinions will help!
It's not done often, based on the books i've read. Well, the parts on people with powers and they're at war is cliche just a bit. Having the war go on throughout your story gets boring, but if you want, you should make it solved halfway and show the aftermath of that war. My input my be useless or really stupid but i tried hehe
Currently, i am struggling with my plot for my story. the quick summary is that there are twins who's father is the ruler of hell, but its not Satan. He stepped down from the throne and gave it to another demon, but anyways, throughout the book it shows how my main character learns to accept who she is and control her abilities. Those include controlling the skeletal structure, so for example, she has the ability to break a person's arm without touching them or moving at all. It's like a mind command of some sort. So yada yada Florence deals with some bad moments of losing control and grows scared of who she is. The book won't end with her learning to accept herself because im planning something big to happen to her. But basically, god i suck at this, but does this sound cliche in any way?
Thank you, that's helpful :) With your story I don't think this is cliche, but I haven't watched/read anything about hell/satan; for example the show Lucifer, so I don't know what all is done in this genre. I think that's a pretty interesting plot, but the "I'm a kid trying to cope with having abilities" has been done before, like Harry Potter and Percy Jackson. But I think your plot is more original since it's not just about that and she doesn't have a cliche power. Hope that helped, sorry if that was confusing :)
No it wasn't, I just suck at explaining things. Thanks for your advice, im like a freaking perfectionist for my plot.
@"The Palindrome" So I think that your story sounds incredibly interesting and could bring up some very real subjects that we have to deal with today, but it would be very easy for your story to become cliched, so I have some tips for you:
- Their conflict MUST be realistic. There has to be some reason besides a fundamental disagreement over logic v feeling for them to be at war. A long, drawn-out war that lacks a feasible beginning and probable ending is boring and will kill your story. Think of ways that emotion drives people to do terrible things today, like crimes of passion (murders, terrorist attacks, mobs, etc..) Then think of ways that logic can be detrimental to society, like scientific management (look it up, it was popular in the late 19th century) or a sort of 1984 scenario where the government controls all because it's more logical and efficient to keep the people in the dark. Something terrible must have happened (or is happening) to divide them so severely.
- You say that you won't have a "special girl" character, and I think you're right about that, however, you must have a protagonist. Maybe the daughter and the son (or the son/son or daughter/daughter) of the two factions' presidents are in love and want to help end their parents' strife (To take a page from Romeo and Juliet)? Maybe the people are tired, and your main character is a politician who wants to bring an end to the war (but faces all the challenges of someone who is openly defying the government). Maybe your main character is actually a villian– in the sense that they have discovered a way to nullify everyone's powers, thus creating a world in which people have to rely on both their heads and their hearts. Whatever you do, don't allow your rejection of the stereotype to detract from your main character's relatability.
Those are some really good points. Thank you for your feedback, this will definitely help make it more realistic and interesting!
