Need help with Plot

Well, it sounds to me like you have two strong plot lines:

- Love story between Julien and Ryan
- Kidnapping of Ryan as a kid

They're from very diverse backgrounds - is there a storyline in there anywhere?

Also - because their backgrounds are so different, I think you'll need to give them a common purpose - perhaps they could both be trying to trace their birth parents.

Ooooh, I'll take a whack at this!


Where do I start? As close as you can to the first time they meet. You ay that Ryan works in a garage. What if Julien gets a flat, and his car has to be towed there? He's late for something, gets all riled up, snaps at the mechanics, Ryan snaps right back.


Why should they meet? See above.


Why should they fall in love? Why does anyone fall in love? Work a little more on their backstories and personalities. Maybe Ryan enjoys a spiritual freedom that Julien doesn't, having grown up with rich white parents. Ryan, even though he's white, offers a doorway into the black culture that he's never had a chance to experience.


How will they (whoever) discover Ryan's origins? Jealous ex finds out? Someone needs a blood transfusion and they are tested? Guilty mother can't hide the secret any longer? Ryan looks just like his biological dad (Julien's adopted dad) and someone starts to wonder? <==kinda like this one.


Who discovers it? Who has the most to lose? Probably Ryan's adopted mom, since she could go to prison. What would she do to hide this from Ryan's biological parents?


What problems occur? Huge emotional fallouts from the white parents when they find out. Feelings of betrayal from Ryan toward his adopted mom. There are the obvious social stigma's of not only being gay, but also a bi-racial couple (and these can vary depending on what city this is set in, north versus south and all that). Do the parents know that their sons are gay? Do they accept it?


And how can the adopted son of a couple be dating the biological son of the same couple? The adopted son is not a blood relation to the biological son, so there's no real problem. It just seems icky from a certain perspective, because they are both "sons" of the couple. Same thing with step-siblings. They can date, but it just seems....weird. You could add this to the list of problems above.


And what else do I have in there? Fertile grounds, definitely. How about a subplot about the black family's garage? Are they being pressured to sell? Are they about to lose the business because of a competitor? Could Julien's family's money help them out in some way?

If either Julien or Ryan are still in the closet, you have another subplot, as one tries to figure out why he feels this way about another guy. Why is Julien a doctor? What motivated him to do that? Why is Ryan working in a garage? Is that enough for him? Who are their best friends/confidantes? Are either of them currently dating?

I could keep going, but I have to leave for work.

Good luck, FS!

You could write it from Both boys POV--just not at the same time, please--First we hear a scene from Julian's POV and then from Ryan's POV. Or they could alternate chapters. It could give us a more complete view of each one's world.

Forbidden Snowflake said:

And I love all your questions, they gave me lots to think about and now I know my characters better

Click to expand...

Glad to help!

Have you ever done the Snowflake Method? I find it quite useful to help me pull stuff out and together.

And what else do I have in there?

Because this is a short story at the moment. I'm missing plot, subplot and more plot

Click to expand...

Is this to be comedy? If so perhaps they could spend the whole story missing the obvious.

If this is a drama then you could have them deal with how emerging brotherhood can mess up a perfectly wild sexual relationship.

Hmmmmmmmmm.....was going to say writing about gays without being gay is kind of like using the 'N' word without being black but seeing that you are the forbidden snowflake, i.e. the quite young and inocent writer you just might get away with it. I mean who could possibly condem the forbidden snowflake of gay bashing?

Kentuk

Um, why not? Seriously, is there some kind of law or something that I'm unaware of? I'm a female and I write MC males. Who cares?

For that matter, I'm not a cannibal, I know no cannibals, and yet I have characters who are cannibals. That's what we do as writers. We make stuff up. Not everything we write is based on our own exact experiences. How many people do you know who are alive now were alive in the wild wild west? And yet it's been written about. How many people do you know have been on spaceships? Or travelled to another planet? Or met aliens? And yet that's been written about. How, exactly, is what you're writing about any different?

Yeah, but sometimes, just sometimes, I like expounding.

I wouldn't think being a gay girl entitles you to write about gay men. It is potentially an issue but not necessarily. While I'm not entirely convinced that men being attracted to men is entirely genetic I do know there would be a lot more bi-sexual males if it wasn't for women. Then again who could possibly condem the forbidden snowflake of gay bashing?

Forbidden Snowflake said:

I notice

Funn or serious, drama or comedy, funny or serious, drama or comedy *steps onto the little voices in her head*

Click to expand...

Well, speaking as a hetero female who has never read a book featuring two gay male protags, I'd be more likely to pick up and read the serious version of the book. But a serious story doesn't prevent you from adding humor, or giving one of the narrators a humorous voice.