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Help developing a Sci-fi Story plot and setting

Posted on 8/14/22 at 7:01 pm
Posted by The Silverback
Neptune
Member since May 2013
2151 posts
Posted on 8/14/22 at 7:01 pm
So to start off, I have a strong interest in space and physics, so that’s a big part of where my motivation comes from to write a story like this. And Neptune is by far my favorite planet.

Here’s where I’m having trouble - I want my story to be about two characters (a man and a woman) who travel to Neptune for a getaway trip. They travel around, explore it, etc but it sounds incredibly lame and I’m struggling to create any sort of plot that would make the story worthwhile. Where would you go with this?

I do think I can write great imagery about Neptune, what they’d see, here, feel and so on when on the planet. And yes it’s a gas (ice) giant so I’m aware there’s no surface.

I would appreciate any input from fellow readers on here!
This post was edited on 8/14/22 at 7:03 pm
Posted by thedrumdoctor
Gonzales,La
Member since Sep 2016
893 posts
Posted on 8/14/22 at 8:48 pm to
Introduce conflict. The character(s) want something. But they can’t get it.
What do they want and why can’t they get it?

You could also take it in a betrayal direction. One of them betrays the other. Why?
Posted by OysterPoBoy
City of St. George
Member since Jul 2013
40420 posts
Posted on 8/15/22 at 10:02 am to
They are married to other people but their spouses think space is lame so they go together. Then things get spicy.
Posted by SLafourche07
Member since Feb 2008
9965 posts
Posted on 8/16/22 at 7:02 am to
Write in some space pirates. Everyone loves space pirates.
Posted by hogfly
Fayetteville, AR
Member since May 2014
4910 posts
Posted on 8/16/22 at 9:13 am to
I can't help but imagine a "Hills like White Elephants" story set on Neptune.



As others said, it has to have conflict. We used to call these SWBS (Somebody Wanted But So). Which means basically:
Somebody
Wants something
But this complication arrives to keep them from getting git.
So they do this in response.

And that plot planning can carry on at a micro and macro level for lots of the characters throughout the story.

This post was edited on 8/16/22 at 9:14 am
Posted by meeple
Carcassonne
Member since May 2011
10186 posts
Posted on 8/16/22 at 10:02 am to
Check out Brandon Sanderson’s YT channel. He lectures a writing class at BYU and a couple years ago he posted a series of them, including bringing in additional guest authors. Pretty sure he covered a lot of this. I’m not a writer and it was interesting just to hear his process.

ETA… Here’s the playlist from his channel:

2020 Creative Writing Lectures at BYU
This post was edited on 8/16/22 at 10:05 am
Posted by Sasquatch Smash
Member since Nov 2007
25382 posts
Posted on 8/16/22 at 10:42 am to
Are you trying to stay “hard sci-fi” since you love physics and whatnot? Or do you plan to get a little fantastical?

Perhaps there are some eldritch or cosmic entities there in lines with some Lovecraftian horror.

Or Neptune isn’t what they expected. Monsters in the deep sea/gas/ice like something related to Greek/Roman mythology. (Neptune being the Roman god of the sea and all.)

Or the good ole scenario of “even in the future, nothing works” as lives are put in danger by equipment failures.
Posted by SLafourche07
Member since Feb 2008
9965 posts
Posted on 8/16/22 at 11:17 am to
You could also pull a Project Hail Mary and they wake up not knowing why they’re there in the first place.

Maybe they don’t remember each other either and what their relationship to each other was prior. Could go a lot of directions with that.
Posted by GatorReb
Dallas GA
Member since Feb 2009
9352 posts
Posted on 8/16/22 at 2:54 pm to
Could go the route that there is some planetary conspiracy going on at Neptune. Like it isnt actually what Earthlings have always thought it was in some sense.
Posted by hashtag
Comfy, AF
Member since Aug 2005
30073 posts
Posted on 8/17/22 at 10:28 am to
quote:

Everything seems to be going well for Eric and Luci. In fact, it feels as if their marriage is stronger than ever since they've landed on the planet. But, things take a strange turn when they begin to discover evidence that suggests they aren't on Venus at all. How did they get here? What do these clues mean? How long have they been here? Eric swears it's only been 1 week while Luci is sure it's been 3 months.

Can they work together to answer any of these questions? And why have neither of them even thought to ask, "How do we get back home from here?"
This post was edited on 8/17/22 at 10:29 am
Posted by GOP_Tiger
Baton Rouge
Member since Jan 2005
19942 posts
Posted on 8/17/22 at 7:24 pm to
quote:

And yes it’s a gas (ice) giant so I’m aware there’s no surface.


Well, that's the tricky part, right? are they on some kind of floating bubble platform? Are they in some kind of ship that can go down through the atmosphere to the planet's mantle (a super-hot liquid)? Maybe they are trying to harvest the diamonds that theoretically form there? But maybe another member of their crew is thinking about the value of those diamonds and how great it would be if he had them all to himself?

I think it makes more sense to put their primary base on the moon Triton, rather than on the planet itself. Scientists think that Triton is a watery moon covered with a relatively thin ice layer, so perhaps some forms of life could exist there, especially by the cryovolcanoes along the Leviathan Patera. So, maybe they are scientists working on using that place to engineer a new organism. Maybe they are in a race against time to create something that will save humanity from some threat. Or maybe your story is more of a horror story and they create something that threatens to destroy humanity.

Edit: Hey, maybe I should write a story about Neptune.
This post was edited on 8/17/22 at 7:36 pm
Posted by dbeck
Member since Nov 2014
29454 posts
Posted on 8/18/22 at 11:16 am to
I would decide what kind of genre you want the plot to follow. Do you want it to be a romance, horror, thriller, comedy, action, etc?

Once you know the answer to that then you can introduce the right kind of conflict(s) for that genre.

Give your characters goals. Give them flaws that they need to overcome to reach those goals. Have things go wrong.

Start your story as far along in the plot as you possibly can.
Posted by LSUMBA91
The Holy City
Member since Nov 2007
245 posts
Posted on 8/21/22 at 11:47 am to
Characters drive a story. Describing Neptune sounds like a 6th grade book report.

Go to the library and check out some books on writing, join a writers' group, and stop being lazy.
Posted by Enadious
formerly B5Lurker City of Central
Member since Aug 2004
18250 posts
Posted on 8/22/22 at 1:56 am to
Have the couple navigate through a meteor shower and get knocked out before arriving at the plant. Have them explore a deep cave on the planet where they discover strange life and big brown monsters. After they narrowly escape the trap door from closing on them as they make their exit to the ship, after leaving orbit, they discover they had landed on Uranus instead of Neptune.....
Posted by shinerfan
Duckworld(Earth-616)
Member since Sep 2009
25467 posts
Posted on 8/22/22 at 7:32 pm to
They're not from earth but were naval officers of some highly advanced star-faring civilization until they chose the wrong side in a failed coup. Due to family connections they were spared execution and marooned on Neptune with enough supplies to live out their lives. Somehow they make contact with NASA and try to coach them through Starship Building 101.
This post was edited on 8/22/22 at 7:37 pm
Posted by The Silverback
Neptune
Member since May 2013
2151 posts
Posted on 8/23/22 at 7:11 am to
Just wanted to thank everyone who has given ideas and thoughts on this. I thought about this for a bit. Will get back to everyone individually later today

This post was edited on 8/23/22 at 7:13 am
Posted by The Silverback
Neptune
Member since May 2013
2151 posts
Posted on 8/23/22 at 7:12 am to
Will do
Posted by Midget Death Squad
Meme Magic
Member since Oct 2008
26903 posts
Posted on 8/24/22 at 11:28 am to
quote:

Where would you go with this?




Make it a horror story. They go on this trip not realizing the natural dangers out there waiting for them. Kind of like the Pitch Black movie in a way.
Posted by BowlJackson
Birmingham, AL
Member since Sep 2013
52881 posts
Posted on 8/25/22 at 6:08 pm to
quote:

Project Hail Mary


Just finished this today. I loved the way it ended.
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