Story help?

[rainbowshy]

If this isn't allowed, I'll be happy to delete it.

Anyway, I'm writing a story that is inspired by the movie Frozen. It's basically about this autistic eighteen year old girl who is somewhat isolated from exploring the world around her. The only time she ever gets out is when her mom can't leave her at home. I'm in need of some ideas for this story right now. I don't want her to have any special powers or anything like that. D: 

I just need to have someone who can help me work through this plot and come up with some good ideas. I'm stumped and trying so hard to make this story work, but I don't know what else I can do.

Comments

[agilebrit]

What does she want? What is preventing her from getting it? How will she overcome those obstacles?

Those are the three basic questions that drive Plot. Once you figure the answers to them out, you've got a framework to hang your story on. Then you can get into the motivations of the people around her--for example, is her mother afraid she'll get hurt on the sharp edges of the world, or embarrassed that her daughter isn't neurotypical, and that's why she doesn't let her go out? Some amalgam of both? Something else altogether?

When I'm stuck, I look at my characters and ask questions. Frequently I do this with a pen and paper, the old-fashioned way. I also break the plot down into the seven-point structure to keep myself on track with what needs to happen when.

I hope that helped somewhat. :)

[siofrabunnies]

Could you be more specific as to what you need ideas for? Plot points, character traits, setting? So far we have a character with three traits (age, gender, ability [including no powers]) and a parent with an unfinished trait.

Setting basics: Is this within the Frozen setting, or one like it? Are you borrowing the plot for new characters/setting? What year is it? Where in the world is it? Rural, city, etc? Rich, poor, one of the middle class? I'm sure there are other things, but you'll end up finding them.

How severe is the girl's autism? Is this a story about autism itself? About a parent's struggles with raising a child with such a difficult disorder? Is it just there to be an internal obstacle for the main character? How does she feel about her autism? What do you know (or how much time are you willing to spend learning) about autism? Autism covers only a few bits about a person's personality and life. Fill in the rest of her self.

Start off easy: What does her bedroom look like? (I like the bedroom and the kitchen because it lets you build both character and setting!) Does she have nice, soft pillows with smooth sheets and a heavy blanket, or does it all scratchy and cold? Is it ordered, clean, cluttered, outright dirty? Is her rug bearskin or polyester? What does her window look out to? City, forest, farms, the cute stableboy next door? Is she watching pigeons or squirrels? Does she like looking out the window? If not, why not? Does the world suck, or does she just not like what the view provides her? Maybe she wants to improve what she sees (clean up the streets, replant the forest, stop people from fighting, whatever fits)!

You said she only gets out when her mom can't leave her at home. Why does she leave the girl at home: overprotectiveness, neglect, fear, outright abuse? If so, what caused that reaction? Did something happen, is she afraid of what might happen? Where is the girl left? Does the mom trust her at home, or does she call over the elderly neighbor lady just in case? Where's the dad? Did he die in the war, scarper off with another woman, not know about the child?

If you can't tell, I get a lot of my story written by finding answers to these kinds of questions. I often find the plot via character-/world-building and vice versa. Also, I've not actually seen the movie, so I would be the opposite of helpful in that regard.

[serria]

Hmm, so it's not a fanfic at all, you were inspired by the theme of isolated young woman (who I assume struggles with the thing that makes her different) and decided to branch out from there? I think that's an awesome theme. Of course, it's pretty vague, so the question is, do you want to make a Frozen story by changing names and details (instead of ice power, your female character is autistic, instead of in a magical kingdom, it's in New York, etc) or are you open?

I'd first think of what really draws you to this story. What is it that you see in your head when you imagine this story? Is it key scenes? For example, your protagonist figuratively belting "Let It Go" as she tries to come to terms with herself, after perhaps humiliating herself/scaring away her peers? Or is it a story about autism itself, in which you want to explore things that people with autism face? Maybe are you imagining relationships, like with her and a sister? Or do you want an epic plot?

I mean, having a protagonist with autism can be anything from the very foundation of the story itself, or it can be a single detail about her that makes her a more unique and fleshed out character, but doesn't necessarily affect the story at all. Still, though, if she is a character like Elsa, which I am imagining, I'd guess she was a very anxious girl whose parents were scared for her - and maybe even scared of her - and do everything they can to hide her autism by teaching her to hide it. What happens next? Does something happen where she is forced to leave her home and interact with the outside world on her own, without a parent's help? That could certainly be a "journey."