Seasons of Dreams

[Mister]

ok. i've been trying to think up a new book idea. what's come to me so far is, to me, unique. my story is centered around a young man and woman, who meet in passing at some train station in Scotland. The breif meeting and few words shared never leaves the minds of either person. Returning home from his business in Scotland the young man returns to his work as a freelance Photographer. The young lady returns to her home in France to her job as a small town bakery outside of Paris.

While on a Photography assignment to France the young man snaps a picture for his own pleasure. a few days later while on another train to his next assignment, still in France, he notices something familiar in the picture. Arriving at his hotel he swiftly enhances the photo and recognizes the woman's face. The young man, being a little wealthy from great success in his career, returns to find the woman, and asks for a candid picture. The young woman being camera shy and knowing that he would leave once he took the picture, told him only if he fulfilled a dream of hers.

The young man inquires of her, and she tells him, "I dream of seeing many places that my father saw when he was young and traveling." she promptly removes a booklet from her purse and shows him a list of every place her father had visited, each with a new red mark next to it, save only three.

The young man agrees to take her where she likes, and leaves to make plans for their journey.

aaannnddd that's all i got for now lol

[MomentOfInertia]

So its a romance?

[FllMtl Novelist]

Makes me think of Spice and Wolf, for some reason. XD

But yes, is it a romance? Adventure?

Once you've got the genre figured out, I suggest diving into the lives of your two main characters. Figure out who they are, where they've been, where they want to go.

Also, if you don't live in Scotland or France, I suggest you study the cultures of those places. If you know anyone who's been--or even better, comes from--there, talk to that person about their experiences.

[Mister]

its a romance, with an adventure twist.

how should i bring about the unveiling of my char's history? character? personality? and what's a good way to describe my char's appearance? shoulkd i do it right off? or over the course of the first few encounters with non-comittal char's?

[FllMtl Novelist]

Revealing character history depends on how significant it is to the current plot. Readers really don't need to know, for example, that Amy once had a kitten whose name was Cheesecake and used to throw up on Amy's bed every morning--unless it's somehow either important to the plot (the kitten became an evil overlord!!), or can be told in a way that reveals something about Amy's character.

Character/personality reveals itself in how the characters interact with each other, the world around them, and how they think about everything. One character might comment that another was pushy or shy, but you shouldn't have to tell your readers, "This is Amy. You'll be following her around for a while. She's intelligent." Amy's intelligence should become clear as she makes her way through her story.

A quick description of what characters look like, if you want it (it's often not necessary), is reasonable in the first encounter. Just try to make it feel natural ("Would Amy notice this?"), and don't spend more than a couple sentences on it. We don't immediately need to know the color and history of Amy's shoes, socks, or barrettes, since it doesn't really matter (unless we're in the head of a bounty hunter that's after a girl with purple socks from Russia, or something). Beyond that, do whatever you like.

[MomentOfInertia]

(unless we're in the head of a bounty hunter that's after a girl with purple socks from Russia, or something).

I want to read that story.

[FllMtl Novelist]

I want to read that story.

The socks, when the left is placed inside the right, make a nuclear super-weapon!

[MomentOfInertia]

D8

What happens with the right inside the left?

[FllMtl Novelist]

When applied to the forehead for a full minute, it cures any disease--and acne, too.