DavidGC

I was originally going to write a short piece entitled, "The Room" but later scrapped the idea. I pulled this short bit from the original work and I'm looking for some ideas as to how to continue from this point. Please, any help would be greatly appreciated.

" The gentle sunlight crept in from a single, crude window, endowing the darkened room with a sensuous glow. As the sun's radiance tiptoed up a single stone wall, it discovered the tiny bits of dust dancing across it's path. The musty smell created a drag in the air, lingering throughout the enlightened room. It looked as though this cavern-like space had been tucked away from existence, untouched by human hand. "

I know there are a few options to decide on from here such as introducing a character or perhaps shifting to another scene. My friend said it sounds like the beginning of a fantasy piece, so maybe that could be something for me to consider. As stated above, any suggestions would be most helpful.

-Dave

JosephB

Hey, DavidCG, you might want to post this over on Critique and Advice. That's a good place to get a quick read on an idea or a snippet like this.

__________________
"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources."
-- Albert Einstein

"I am really only interested in a fiction of miracles."
-- Flannery O'Connor

geminye

Maybe its because I have such a penchant for it, but this sounds like a great ambiance filled intro to a horror, or dark themed story. But, as I said, I am partial to such excursions into the darkness of the human mind...

This could really go anywhere. Where did you take it originally?

__________________
Suffer the little children...

DavidGC

Okay, I'll see if I can get it moved. I just figured the workshop was the idea factory! xD

I originally had it combined with another piece I was working on called, "Scar" which was about a man's fight with the devil. I didn't like the direction it was heading in, so I pulled this little snippet out of it. The reason I chose this bit was because, I think, it's pretty versatile. I mean, I know there are a number of ways to go from here, I'm just having a major "idea block", if you will. xD.

Knightskye

Well, the first thing I'd suggest would be to change one of the singles - you have one in the first sentence and one in the second. It seemed like too many for the first paragraph.

You mentioned a "musty smell," which I think only a person could observe. Where should you go from this? You could describe the person who's obviously in this room, smelling the air.

Oh, and if you could let us in on the background or plot of the story, that might help, too.

geminye

Hey man, the fight with the devil thing sound pretty cool to me, but like i said, i'm a little biased.
If you just didn't like where the idea was heading, maybe try to come at it from a different direction with the same idea.

If you just don't like that idea, then yeah, its a great jumping off point.
When i have idea block, i go to my story journal. I try to write down as many ideas as i can think of, good or bad. Then, when i can't think of what to write for that day, i go through it and the first few ideas that ring with whatever i started with, i play with those until they mesh. Sometimes it works. Sometimes not.

__________________
Suffer the little children...

Mr Sci Fi

I steal crap from my own stories all the time.

__________________
"The writer you envy today will probably have reason to envy you tomorrow." - Orson Scott Card

DavidGC

Ah! I knew it sounded kind of odd, but I wasn't sure what it was. Thanks!
That makes sense. I could try that and see what it leads to.
Thats the thing...I don't know where I'm going to take it. I have a horrible habit of starting stories and never finishing them. I also never plan any stories I write, I just go with the flow and make things up as I go. (ha, rhyme) My teacher says lack of planning leads to 'writer's blocks' such as my current problem.

Hey, thats really not a bad idea. Sometimes (especially while on trains or before going to sleep) I think of things that could fit in relatively well with some of my stories.
I'm not really 'stealing'...more like borrowing.

sdavis2k

Honestly sir, no one can tell you where you should go with your story. Someone could give you the best idea for a plot, setting, and everything else they could think of, but than it would be their story and not yours.

I have found personally planning out a story works best. I personally start with settings. Where does the majority of my story take place? I write up about a page on what all the town has. Eateries, landmarks, shops, etc. Next I write characters bio's. I write a paragraph briefly describing my main characters, and jot down names of my secondary characters. Finally I write an outline of what I want to accomplish, both short and long term goals for the characters, conflicts, resolutions, and anything else I can possibly think of.

I find when I am hitting an idea block, reading over all your background information helps. Reading over all that info inspires me to write more on my story. Now in my latest story I admit I have already changed three characters names, one of the major conflicts, and added two new subplots while changing the location. So don't think of anything as carved in stone, just a cheat sheet you can come back to really.

DavidGC

Thats really helpful, thanks a lot!