Plot - To cliché or not to cliché?

It is not a bad thing when things go wrong sometimes, but, unfortunately for Caivs, this is not one of those times.

Surrounded by Faelie patrol guards, with a ship running low on fuel, and a malfunctioning weapons system, he wasn't in the best of situations. Of course, he could also note the fact that he was in unknown space, with hostile territories all around, but that was just pessimism.

He tapped on his old communications array as the ships blockaded him, preventing him from escape. A small screen lit up, covered in the grime of overuse.

The lithe, narrow face of the Faelie came up."This is Colonial Guard Patrol Captain Urda. Devan, shut down your primary drive and state your business. Why are you in restricted airspace?"

Caivs hesitated, turning down his engine before responding quickly. "Err, I am, uh, lost. Uh. Sir."

The Faelie furrowed 'his' brow. "It is 'Ma'am'. And there are armed sentry beacons along the border to alert travelers. How did you get by them, Devan?"

Crap. This is bad.

"... uh... maybe... I passed by a faulty sentry?"

Okay, think, Caivs. What will the Great Alexandros do in this situation?

"Tell the truth, Devan. How did you get past the Sentry's sensors?"

... He'd run and hope that no one manages to blast this firebird out of the sky.

"Devan, answer now, or else we'll be forced to board and put you under arrest."

Caivs turned the engine off standby - he really doesn't miss the money he spent modifying his baby now - and got it ready for a sprint of speed.

Don't fail me now, Gladivs. C'mon, baby, don't fail me now.

Don't fail me now.

The plot is the skeleton of all stories. It's what gives a novel its structure, what holds it up, and what gives it a sense of cohesiveness. There are many ways of creating a plot - some writers like building a world and a situation, and then build their characters around the plot. Some like to give their characters free reign, shaping them first and then building the story around the characters. Others practise a more holistic way - building it so that the characters AND the setting and plot are interconnected, all developed in a balanced manner. There are other ways as well, but this are the ones I'm concentrating on today.

Building a plot around a character or a set of characters is a good way to make a story full of believability - something in short supply especially in the Fantasy genre. No longer will someone wonder why the Knight named Bob is saving a princess from the evil dragon for absolutely no reason other than to follow the story. Characterisation first gives the characters motivations, wants, needs, loves, hates, and most of all, a little bit of consciousness in the writer's mind - and in the reader's mind, if the writer is good enough. However, this is also a dangerous path to tread - if one simply mashes characters together without a good solid setting and a good, structured story, you get a very, very confusing party, especially if all of the characters diverge paths. A good character does not immediately cause a good story, and vice versa.

The other way around is the same too. You can have a story with the epic feel of the Crusades, with twists and turns and a masterfully-done history of the world - along with a shiny new map - but if your characters have the depth of Milla Jovovich's character in Resident Evil, it falls flat, it seems very contrived, and it just feels like a railroad, tugging the characters along, leading them to their next destination instead of the characters seemingly dictating their own actions. That is not to say a good story is still not something to be proud of, though. If one can make a story as dramatic as the European courts of Medieval times - backstabbings, schemes and all - and a setting as rich as Tolkien's very own, that will draw the reader in, and make them want to know what happens next.

Still, a balance must be struck between the two. Good story and setting, and a good set of characters. I will go into detail with characterisation and plot in the next few posts. In the meantime, what do the plebes think about plot creation and generally plot?

That means you guys by the way.

Langsuyar