Help With Story Problems

[Annemarie, hi]

Do you have a serious issue with your story? Or just a minor problem? Seek help here! There are plenty of writers in this group(obviously) someone is bound to be of some help.

[[deleted user]]

Okay, I just have a question. I've been having issues with background for Vigil.

Amelia needs to have a crappy life. Originally, I had a drunk, physically abusive father and a high-strung mother. I realized as soon as I planned it that it was way too clichéd, so I tried again.

Now I've decided this: Not too long after Amelia was born, her parents found out they were having another child. However, it was a stillborn, and this messed up both the parents. The mother went off the deep end and went to drugs and alcohol to numb the pain. The father has verbally abused Amelia ever since, and he often gets her mother to join in. Mother is scared of Father and only does what he says because she's so frightened of what he has become and she can't think straight.

Does the new background story sound any better? Is it still clichéd?

[Isaac]

I think I'm a horrible writer, but everyone disagrees.

[[deleted user]]

Can someone help me with the above post? I need an outside opinion... desperately...

[Isaac]

It still sounds sort of clichéd....

[[deleted user]]

I know! I can't figure out how to give her a crap-tastic life with crap-tastic parents and make it not clichéd.

[Isaac]

Well, it's already been clichéd enough with every scenario (it seems).

[Elliott]

I think it sounds good, better than the first one. I don't think there's any non-cliche awful life scenario really.

[[deleted user]]

Maxy wrote: "I know! I can't figure out how to give her a crap-tastic life with crap-tastic parents and make it not clichéd."

Maybe her dad is dead. I mean, it always seems to be the mom who dies, but how about the dad?

[[deleted user]]

Lalie Belle (Lavendarlol) wrote: "I think it sounds good, better than the first one. I don't think there's any non-cliche awful life scenario really."

True that.

[Elliott]

I just thought of an idea. How about the dad has always had this disease that could be terminal (not cancer) and it comes back, and he's in the hospital and he can't really move or talk and Amelia can't visit him because he is in critical care and there is an age limit. (depending on how old Amelia is.) Just an idea.

[[deleted user]]

Ooh, I like that one.

[Elliott]

I do to. I may use it sometime, but Maxy, I don't care if you want it, since I was thinking of it for you. :) I have this thing about HATING cancer stories. I mean yes, some of them are really good, but seriously. There are other diseases in the world.

[[deleted user]]

IKR? I only use leukemia in one of my stories because...well, I kind of just felt like it.

[Elliott]

HAHA! It's alright. I forgive you. One of my stories was going to be cancer, but I was like you know what? Lyme disease is much more original than cancer. So now she has lyme disease.

[[deleted user]]

Nice.
Crones disease (Or however you spell it) is really awful. Ugh. I might give somebody that.

[Elliott]

That's what I was actually thinking of when I gave Maxy the idea. And yeah, it's really bad. And really sad.

[[deleted user]]

Did you know that it's cause by the LACK of parasites in your digestive system? That means that everyone who doesn't have Crones disease has parasites.

Just a little something to think about.

[Elliott]

Ick. That's a lovely thought.

[Elliott]

I need a slow romantic piano song for my story. Basically what happens is, the main character who is still nameless is playing the music for a song, and then this guy, Trey, comes up and starts singing along, and that's when they "fall in love." I was thinking of Try by Asher Book, but I need some other choices.

[[deleted user]]

...I heard a piano version of "When It Rains" by Paramore and it was GORGEOUS.

[Elliott]

Where'd you hear it so I can listen? I can't find it on YouTube...

[[deleted user]]

I bought it off of iTunes. Let me see who it's by...
It's by the Piano Tribute players, if that helps.

[Elliott]

Found it. Listening.

[[deleted user]]

¿Es muy hermosa, verdad?

[Isaac]

http://piano.about.com/od/playingstyl...
Try this... top 5 romantic piano songs with and without lyircs.
If you don't care about lyrics, try the Pride and Prejiduce (2005) soundtrack.
If you just want a plan pretty song that they dance to and Trey sings (it's not technically piano, but still pretty), try "Flightless Bird, American Mouth" by Iron and Wine.

Hope it helps. :-)

[Elliott]

I don't know what you said, but I like it a lot! I don't think I'm going to use it for that specific scenario, but I'm going to use it in part of the story. I need lots of songs.

[[deleted user]]

Lalie Belle (Lavendarlol) wrote: "I don't know what you said, but I like it a lot! I don't think I'm going to use it for that specific scenario, but I'm going to use it in part of the story. I need lots of songs."

(It's very beautiful, right?)

Glad I could be of assistance.

[[deleted user]]

Lalie Belle (Lavendarlol) wrote: "I do to. I may use it sometime, but Maxy, I don't care if you want it, since I was thinking of it for you. :) I have this thing about HATING cancer stories. I mean yes, some of them are really good..."

You can use it, since I already started writing the first chapter. I took out the part with their stillborn child and I think I'm giving the dad a little depression. The terminal disease thing would work well except that Amelia is almost 20 and, as I said, I already started writing.

I AGREE with the cancer thing. I feel horrible for the people who have it, I really do, but it's overdone in stories. I have a character with cystic fibrosis instead. =D

[[deleted user]]

Maxy wrote: "Lalie Belle (Lavendarlol) wrote: "I do to. I may use it sometime, but Maxy, I don't care if you want it, since I was thinking of it for you. :) I have this thing about HATING cancer stories. I mean..."

Bennie!

[[deleted user]]

I'm having trouble thinking of a title for a new story I'm working on. It's a series of letters from this girl Taylor to her friend Brooke (the story only shows Taylor's letter though). The letters last exactly a year.

Any suggestions?

[[deleted user]]

You could call it "Letters From Taylor".

Dorgh! Don't ask me for titles! I'm terrible with titles!

[[deleted user]]

Haha my temporary title is "Letters to Brooke". It takes me forever to think of titles :P

[Elliott]

What's the storyline? What are the letters about?

[[deleted user]]

The letters are mostly about Taylor's daily life. Trying to adapt to being away from Brooke, remembering all the good times they had together, ups and downs of high school etc... It gets more interesting as the story goes on, when you start to figure out why Brooke and Taylor are split apart.

[Elliott]

Titles... titles... I'm really good a titling my own work... but for some reason I can't think of any. Let's see...

Love, Taylor
Papers and Pencils
Missing You
Since You Left

I like the title Letters to Brooke though.

[[deleted user]]

I like it too, but it sounds too much like that one movie "Letters to Juliet". I like Love, Taylor.

[Elliott]

Oh yeah, that's true. I started writing a story called Remember Me, and then Remember Me came out. I was like, WHAT? WHAT? Not cool! And thanks!

[[deleted user]]

I like "Since You Left". "Love, Taylor" is good, but it reminds me of "Love, Stargirl".

[[deleted user]]

The Casstastic Cassie wrote: "I like "Since You Left". "Love, Taylor" is good, but it reminds me of "Love, Stargirl"."

Oh yeah you're right :P

[[deleted user]]

That's okay, though. I'm just really picky about my titles so it kind of rubs off when I'm trying to help name otehr people's stories.

[[deleted user]]

The Casstastic Cassie wrote: "That's okay, though. I'm just really picky about my titles so it kind of rubs off when I'm trying to help name otehr people's stories."

Don't worry I'm the same way, that's why I posted it on here so I could find one that just fits.

[[deleted user]]

Well, you're a helpful person, ya? Ineed.

[Bri]

I'm trying to write a story about a girl who has the power to move things with her mind and also to read other minds. She ends up being a super hero kind of thing, in a group with other kids her age who can do similar things. I don't know if she should be an orphan or have to go home at night for dinner and homework. If she were an orphan she could live in a secret hideout type thing with the other kids, but if she were normal it could be like a kim possible on steroids sort of deal. Haha. Let me know what you think!

Also - Should they be kind of spy kids? like be part of a government organization? or maybe trying to avoid being part of one? Psychic Spy Kids (like 16-19 year olds) would be kind of cool maybe? Or too complicated to understand? Should the group of kids who found her be coming to take her back to a training camp/school for the psychic spies? let me know! :)

[[deleted user]]

I think that deciding whether or not she has parents depends on what direction you want the story to go in. If she had parents, how do they affect the story? Or are they just there, and the girl just does whatever she wants? Or do you want her to have the whole orphan-wants-her-parents-sad :( type of personality?

I'm not sure about the spy kids thing, I think they should just be either like superheroes or spies.

[[deleted user]]

The Casstastic Cassie wrote: "Nice.
Crones disease (Or however you spell it) is really awful. Ugh. I might give somebody that."

I have a friend who might have Crone's disease. It's horrible.

[Bri]

Cara wrote: "I think that deciding whether or not she has parents depends on what direction you want the story to go in. If she had parents, how do they affect the story? Or are they just there, and the girl ju..."

Ok thanks! I think she'll live with her grandparents because she doesn't have parents. She's not like the emo "I never really knew my parents *sob weep*" kind of girl though. She's tough and would rather make her parents' memories proud than waste time moping about not having any.

[[deleted user]]

Maxy wrote: "The Casstastic Cassie wrote: "Nice.
Crones disease (Or however you spell it) is really awful. Ugh. I might give somebody that."

I have a friend who might have Crone's disease. It's horrible."

That's awful! O_O

(I figured out how to spell it. It's "Crohn's Disease")

[Isaac]

...Any advice if you're a horrible writer? (Everytime I say that, everyone is all like, "RAWR!!! STOP BEING INSECURE!!!" but I'm not... 'cause it's true.)

[Elliott]

The best way to improve on writing is to practice. Just keep writing, not matter how bad you THINK it is. For every 20 pages of junk, you're bound to come up with at least one paragraph of brilliance.