*headdesk* *headdesk* *headdesk*

[agilebrit]

I have crashed a plane (in fiction). And this scene sucks like a big sucking thing. It's terrible, y'all. Much badness lies here.

Part of the problem is that the scene I have plotted out in my head happens after the plane crash. I never plotted the crash itself. I'm not even sure how the damb thing crashed. I'm thinking a terrorist attack/kidnap attempt, but how do you crash a plane to (a) make sure your target survives--especially if he's a known risk-taker and probably doesn't use his seat belt, like, anywhere; and (b) make sure the people on the plane are accessible to you after it crashes?

Less than 250 words, and my plot doesn't work. Like, at all.

Comments

[myfeetshowit.livejournal.com]

Is the reason behind the crash tied to the story plot?

If the protagnist(s) don't know why the plane crashed, and it isn't integral to the plot, just start the story immediately after the crash, and let the confusion be part of the story.

[agilebrit.livejournal.com]

It is, but I'm noodling around different ways to hurt him now. It doesn't have to be a plane crash, although that's the easiest way for me to throw him into a wall, survivably.

I could just open in the cave...

[myfeetshowit.livejournal.com]

You can get a lot of mileage by making the reader guess what's going on.

Plus there is a new trend toward not explaining everything if the protagonist reasonably wouldn't know. Have you seen Cloverfield? It failed to engage me, but the whole slant of the movie was refreshing. It stood out.

[agilebrit.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen Cloverfield yet, although I want to. I've done the "not explaining stuff because the character wouldn't know" before. I don't know if I did it well or not though. *snerk*

[ezagaaikwe.livejournal.com]

You could bring it up in that little details community. I got a got of response various plot points that couldn't be solved by Googling it.

[agilebrit.livejournal.com]

Part of my problem is that I don't want to let this scenario go. I could just open up in a basement or a cave or something without doing the whole "this is how we got here" scene, but, damn:

"Okay, Mr. Stark," Pepper said, in an attempt to get the conversation back on the professional track it had somehow veered away from. Again. Tony lifted an eyebrow in amusement, and she refrained from smacking him with her folder. "We need to go over your speech one more time."

And:

Tony Stark never wore a seat belt. It was a thing. His planes were safe, they never crashed, and his pilots were hyper-competent, just like everyone else in his life.

His last thought before the left side of his body took the brunt of the impact into the trees was This shouldn't be happ--

How can I give that up?

[myfeetshowit.livejournal.com]

But is the scene as important to your story as it is to you?

As William Faulkner said: Kill your darlings.

If the scene is vital, pinpoint how, and use that to drive the scene--otherwise, get ruthless with the axe, and save the scene for a later story, where it will be needed.

[agilebrit.livejournal.com]

I know, I know. But I really like this scene. Maybe I'll just do it as a "missing scene" and post it here. Or something. Should just cut to the chase.

Augh.

[ezagaaikwe.livejournal.com]

Excellent!! Oh, yes. Keep it!

[lady-moriel.livejournal.com]

What community is that? Because it sounds like the kind of thing I could really, really use.

[agilebrit.livejournal.com]

little_details :)

[ezagaaikwe.livejournal.com]

It's in my userinfo--check it out. It's invaluable--once I was looking for an obstetrical emergency that would kill a mother, that the skilled midwife attending her couldn't handle outside of an emergency room, and all Google was giving me was stuff way over my head. I got all kinds of good stuff for my story. You can spend a week there just reading all the stuff people come up with--any topic you can think of.

[lady-moriel.livejournal.com]

Oooh. *worships it* I think this community is what I've been looking for my whole life (okay, maybe the last five years at least) without even knowing it. Man, I could spend so much time poking around here it's not even funny...

[ezagaaikwe.livejournal.com]

There are no saved LJ Memories in that comm, but the tags are pretty good.

[highlander_ii]

Use the old MacGyver style thing - technical difficulties... unless, of course, that would never happen...

Though - if you're opening the story w/ the crash itself - that could work out REALLY well... and part of the story could investigate *why* the plane crashed? (If it doesn't interfere w/ the rest of the plot, that is.)

[agilebrit.livejournal.com]

Well, most of the story will take place in a basement as Pepper and a very concussed and broken Tony try to figure out how the hell to get away from the people holding them captive.

So, I probably don't need the actual crash scene. But I lurrrves it...

[highlander_ii]

Wellll - If Tony's concussed - he could also be slightly amnesia-having. All he can remember of the last 24-48 hours is part of the plan crashing?

Or - as an alternative (which is what 'or' means, right? *g* it's one of those days) - it could be a trauma-induced flashback. I figure, if slicing your thumb open w/ a sword has you seeing the event happen over and over for a couple days, crashing a freakin' plane will have you mentally reliving it for a bit longer. (Yes, that sword thing *is* a personal experience and I would not recomment it. 6 stitches, oh what fun)

[agilebrit.livejournal.com]

Ooo. PTSD. So I could work the crash in as flashbacks. Of course, with everything Tony's gone through, he's a walking case of PTSD and a plane crash should be a walk in the park, but this protagonist isn't actually Tony Stark except in my head, so he's a clean slate.

OUCHY. *hugs*

[highlander_ii]

Glad I could help! :)

Even in a totally random, angst-for-character inducing way. ;)

[agilebrit.livejournal.com]

*evil, echoing laughter* Oh, this isn't even the angst-inducing part. This is just icing on an Angst Cake.

[highlander_ii]

Oooooh - so there's even MORE angst? Yay - I mean - bad writer person putting characters through such hardships... or something. :)

Good luck w/ the rest of the fic!

[agilebrit.livejournal.com]

No, no, no. The plane crash is minor, compared to what else I'm going to do to these two people. Physical stuff is easy to get over. It's putting them through the emotional wringer that's really going to hurt. Breaky-snap. Mwahahahaha.

[mermaidrain.livejournal.com]

I know how you feel. I started writing this story while I was on vacation and I swear it's the most boring thing you've ever read. I don't know what to do with it and I'm not sure if I should pursue it. I thought it was an interesting premise, but ... I have no clue if it can survive that initial suckage. UGH!

[agilebrit.livejournal.com]

LOL Keep reading. I cranked out over three thousand words in this thing yesterday. I finally decided "the hell with the plane crash, I'll come back to it later," so that's what I did and words flowed like water. And I got the crash to actually work.

[mermaidrain.livejournal.com]

LOL! I just noticed the icon. That's awesome. Yeah, you're right. I should just stick with it and plop it on paper and see what happens with it. I'm a bit rusty from disuse of fictional writing is all. I think. We'll see. LOL! ;)