I Write, Therefore I Am

As mentioned back in November, I'm planning on writing another novel. This time, I'm actually planning it first.

I come to you asking for the following:

Weird (and I mean WEIRD) side effects for a prolonged and powerful series of magical rituals and experiments. So far it's changed migrationary patterns around the city, caused the sewer rats to mutate and get crabby... And the dude performing the rituals has created something nasty called Memory Dust, a cloud of dust holding intensely powerful negative memories that floats around the city until it can engulf someone long enough to dump the memories in their brain.

Think Arcanum a bit too. I enjoy writing the combination of guns, spells and potions that I started with at the beginning of November (before Elenor kidnapped my plot).

Make it as bizarre as possible. Go!

 

So we begin with an introduction from a wererat's point of view.....

 

Wait...I thought you said YOU were writing this novel? What is our purpose?

 

One of the stranger things that's happened to the city is the arrival of courteous cockroaches. Because of the strange aura of magic, the cockroaches have developed a subspecies that are much more intelligent than your standard insect. These roaches, while still pests, will do whatever it takes to appease their human landlords. If they fail, they'll move out of their own accord and begin making shelters out of refuse. Massive cockroach settlements with their own societies and educational systems are being found in the more downtrodden parts of the city, as well as in the back alleys where higher class restaurants throw out their food scraps. Gang wars have been witnessed, and certain people fear that once the cockroaches realize they outnumber the human residents, they'll form a grand army and completely assimilate the city to the way of cockroaches.

 

Gross, that is so fucked up it's awesome. *has a mental image of how badly her main characters would freak out at the sight of cockroaches cleaning up after themselves*

With a little alteration, I could totally use this. It's so fucked up! (Dammit, we need a maniacal laughter emote already.)

 

Meanwhile, not more than a swallow's flight away, a dude was dabbling in some majicks in order to cram for his alchemy exam. His name was.....

 

Now some mad scienists cross-breeds cockroaces with humans, and now there are Half-Cockroaces.

 

Huh, kinda long name.

Lets call him Tim.

 

Cockroaches are too cliche...they have the metaphorical meaning of survival. You need something different...but I'm not quite sure yet. And I've seen way too many monster cockroaches...

Before we can brainstorm any ideas...we have to know where we are? Earth? Some other distant land? The future? Victorian era (like Arcanum)? Modern day? Middle age? This will help us create a feel and more easily touch upon theme.

We have the conflict, so then next we need to develope the protagonist(s) and what PoV we wish to use...

Blah blah blah

 

I got your protagonists AND PoV right here.

 

Um... imagine a world with technology about level with 1914, with the following adjustments: No decent planes (there have been one or two, but they belong to very rich people, and no plans are being made to make them more common), radio a bit closer to what it would be in the 1940's, less prolific spread of guns, no airships, and a medical profession that's pretty strongly split.

Magic exists in this world, and frequently interferes with Technology. This is due to the most common way of harnessing the background magic of the world, which seizes upon whatever Essence (magical fuel) happens to be in the area and twisting it to the desires of the caster. In one of the most advanced cities, scientificially-minded mages have developed Alchemy, which is a highly methodical and regimented method of creating magical items that relies upon using the natural properties of Essence instead of forcing it to change. As a result, Alchemy has far less effect on Technology. Alchemy is mostly limited to this one city, although some travellers and people disgusted with the Guild that controls Alchemy have moved quite a long way into the rest of the continent.

The conflict is that there is a egotistical renegade Alchemist trying to create a Philosopher's Stone, a semi-mythical substance that brings great power to the person who carries it. His experiments are causing lots of weird magical effects in the small city where he lives, prompting several locals to work together and try track down the source of the problem. Oh yes, and if he succeeds, most of the city will be destroyed by the magical backlash. This Alchemist is named Julian Montgomery, and I love him because he's a charming amoral magnificent BASTARD.

The four protagonists are: Gwen Marsh, an Alchemist who left the Guild after they decided to get involved in a war; Keaton Harris, a reporter for a local newspaper who's been working on the weirder stuff and who is a dab hand with a pistol; Sachiko Vaellar, a Water Mage who works as part of the Watch for the city; and Adrian Vossler, Sachiko's partner and a 'Mundane' (no talent with magic or technology).

There's also a lot of stuff about the gods being dead the nasty consequences for anyone who tries to contact the dead or ressurrect someone who's died, but it's not really relevant at this point...

 

A novel series or just one novel? Do creatures such as elves, dragons...or whatnot exist?

Traditional adventure fantasy? Political? Class based? Gender based?

 

Quethim - One novel to begin with, although I may write more if things go well. Elves, Dragons, Etc. never existed, and like I mentioned the gods have died.

I refer to it as small-scale fantasy - while there is a credible threat, it's only a threat to one small area, it'll be fairly simple to combat once they actually put all the pieces together. Most of the action and plot will be firmly character-driven.

 

Ah, so more like a novella then?

 

No, not like a novella. A novella is short. This will not be short. (I hope.)

 

Ah! Well, we will have to create a society, then!

I'm blank on weird ideas at the moment, though (currently working on my own novel and taking many writing courses in which I am required to write short stories <.< )

I do fancy myself to write in a postmodern style, though. I love throwing around irony, contradictions, and I really love to leave stories open.

You should write the 4 character each with a different perspective. One in first person present, one in first person past, one in third person present, and one in third person past. And make one of the first person perspectives effected by that Memory Dust (so the majority of his story is told through an unreliable narrator with both real and unreal flashbacks [mixing dreams with reality?])