How do I connect this characters problems to the stories conflict?

[SleepingPoppy]

I specifically want a monster of the week concept with horror story flavor, maybe involving a ghost but also maybe not.

So… the internal conflict is fear of abandonment from his loved ones (mother figure and love interest)- to make that external and plot relevant with a monster of the week style story, you should choose a monster with abilities that allow it to exploit those fears. Ex: a shapeshifter that takes on the form of his mother figure and says mean rejecting things to him. A monster with some kind of psychic/mind reading abilities? Maybe something that wants a relationship with MC, where MC is challenged to recognize toxic/unhealthy love.

Hope something in there speaks to what you’re looking for! Lol

[JoshRaed]

You're already so unsure of what you want out of the story; it would be hard for anyone to pick an idea out of the ether that would work for what you're asking.

Sorry, I wasn't paying attention and I didn't explain anything about my story.

What I mean by kinda mom is that he has been living in her giant house-van thing for a week now but is not officially part of the family because the whole situation happened under such insane circumstances. The tension of the situation and how she's kinda his mom but not really is what makes the story work the way it does. It's what the story is about basically.

And the character is a kinda-love interest because they're not a couple, and probably aren't going to be a couple later, but they basically have a mutual crush, and dance together at the end of the story. Like they're obviously not going to suck face, they're both 12 and just met earlier today and have known each other for only a day, but also the spirits of two teen lovers latch onto them because of their issues and their mutual crush going on. I don't really see how this story could commit one-way or another.

I mean a ghost maybe because I'm open to the idea of something else if that makes the story better.

I'll add this to the actual post later so no one else is confused like this.

If you have too many characters that branch into too many plot lines, then for the time being, focus on each character's specific contribution to the plot you are trying to focus on.

The thing is that the story hinges on reuniting two spirits, something else extremely basic about my story that I completely forgot to clarify. As a result, there ends up being two split plotlines so that each ghost can connect to one character and those two characters can reunite. It's a really stupid limitation in retrospect, because this story honestly has nothing to do with the plot of the protagonist and this boy. This lover ghost plot is actually just fully misused in this context and can only fit in a story that's actually equally about these two boys.

So, you have a loveless mc with a mom figure and a love interest.

The thing is that these two characters are objectively not in love. Like they never were in love and never become in love later. They're literally just complete strangers until two ghosts that are in love accidentally possess them, and then they share once dance and probably never see each other again.

I described things horribly and that made it seem different from what it is. I'll just cut this stuff I fix the post. Sorry.

[JoshRaed]

I rewrote it. Is it specific enough now?

[JoshRaed]

This actually gives me an idea for a potential moment in my story. I might use it if I can make it fit. Thank you.

[NickRowler]

All you have to do is have the main character have some interaction with the external conflict.

Think of Little Red Riding Hood

She is not present when the wolf attacks the grandma. However, Red interacts with the wolf before this event. She also enters grandma’s house after the event. Tho not being present during the attack, she was the one who helped lead the wolf to the house and Red is related to the grandma, so these two characters are connected.

I am going to be honest, I think you need to just sit down and write your comic or novel. It feels like you know what you want and you are just using the forums to get other people’s approval.

[JoshRaed]

I am going to be honest, I think you need to just sit down and write your comic or novel. It feels like you know what you want and you are just using the forums to get other people’s approval.

Does this mean start writing it for real, or just back away from the forums for a while to focus more on writing/drawing?

[JoshRaed]

All you have to do is have the main character have some interaction with the external conflict.

Okay now i’m confused. Did you think the protagonist was just sitting back and doing nothing while everyone else did stuff around him? Like despite being the hero of a ghost story he never actually saw a ghost? What did I say to give off that impression?

Edit: Sorry i’m dumb. I fully misworded the title so it sounded like I was genuinely saying that the external conflict didn’t in any way impact the protagonist. I fixed it. If I could delete this entire topic I would.

[JoshRaed]

Is it possible for this thread to be sort of remade? Like removed but reposted again like it’s a new thing, with a fully new explanation of the question?

Because the thread is dead now, and everyone’s already commented and moved on, but i’ve just now actually written down the parts I should have written from the start.

[joannekwan]

The best you can do is to rewrite your opening post clearly and change your thread title.

[JoshRaed]

Okay it’s done. Do you understand the concept better?

[joannekwan]

Yes it's definitely clearer!

[JoshRaed]

Do you have any different thoughts on it now? or are your opinions the same?

[SleepingPoppy]

Because the thread is dead now, and everyone’s already commented and moved on

Maybe the ghost lovers should be moved to a different episode, and you should choose something for the monster of the week that better allows you to explore the mother/son relationship. That way you don’t have so much going on.

The ghost lovers story could maybe shift to later, and perhaps is best served as a story where that is the main focus, instead of MCs stuff, so that the “episode” isn’t bloated with ideas.

[joannekwan]

^ SleepingPoppy basically covered it!

[JoshRaed]

Cool. I'll keep that in mind. So, what could the episode about this issue be centered on instead?

[Katzalcoatl]

That is for YOU to decide.... @SleepingPoppy is not the author of your story.

One thing is asking for advice/feedback and another is to ask someone else to write the story for you.

[JoshRaed]

Sorry. So I guess I should just close this thread, at least I think I should.

[SleepingPoppy]

I already made suggestions. Now you gotta think it over or start doing monster research to find what fits for you. You need to learn to rely on yourself more! You can do it

[joannekwan]

[joannekwan]