stories you want to write, but can't

Balrog · Post by **Balrog** » 2006-09-27 09:13pm

Jason von Evil wrote: Post-medieval fantasy: Basically, I want to write a fantasy fic that isn't in a medieval setting. I can never decide which setting though, renaissance, colonial (1700+), 19th century or early 20th.

That's what I want to do, 1500-1600 era world where there's a little bit of fantasy to make life interesting but you take what you can get at the end of a pike or musket. Outline is half-finished, but not entirely sure what the story is going to be about exactly.

Pick · Post by **Pick** » 2006-09-27 10:12pm

What do we all respectively mean by outline? Do you write a summary? A bullet-point style outline? What?

I just write as I go with some vague destinations in mind, and it seems to hold together quite acceptably.

Noble Ire · Post by **Noble Ire** » 2006-09-27 10:19pm

Pick wrote:What do we all respectively mean by outline? Do you write a summary? A bullet-point style outline? What?

I just write as I go with some vague destinations in mind, and it seems to hold together quite acceptably.

Generally, when I write an outline, I create a rough summary and a Dramatis Personae. The summary tends to be fairly vague, and only about a dozen pages, depending on the over all complexity of the story.

However, I've never really used any of my outlines to any significant extent before. In fact, Sindelin: Iterance is the first story I've plotted beforehand that's gotten past the first chapter. Nevertheless, I think it will end up working better for me than simply winging it; I did that with my other major work, The Rift, and I've been regretting it for more than three hundred pages. Of course, I didn't even have a vague idea what that particular work would look like twenty pages in, much less any kind of end point, so I guess I've done fairly well with it.

thejester · Post by **thejester** » 2006-09-27 11:20pm

Ideas that are kicking around:

- A academic-style history of an alt-SW/40k war (the Emperor's alive and the Vader has the Iron Hands, as a teaser).

- The ultimate wank-fic; the British Empire takes to the stars, controls most of the galaxy. Discovers how to create/manipulate wormholes that lead to parrallel universes, leading to all kinds of TGG-style madness. They nab both Time Lord time-travelling technology and Asimov's psychohistory and improve both; they turn into a sort of ultimate historians race that manipulate history for their own nefarious purpouses (ie making money). The actual story I was going to write had them manipulating the SW universe circa the start of the Clone Wars.

- An ASB alt-history; based loosely on a variety of different timelines/books, particularly the work of Grey Wolf. On the verge of WW1 numerous portals open up throughout the world leading to parallel universes; the actual opening of the story has a company of Welsh reservists stumbling into a different universe whose POD is (like in Grey Wolf's Angevina timeline) is that Kublai Khan didn't die and the Mongols ruined most of Western Europe, severely retarding their progress and eventually leading to an Anglo-French union, with a seperate Anglo-Welsh nation.

- A story based on 1421: The Year China Discovered The World (yeah yeah, I know he's a fraud: give me a break) which posits a melting-pot Chinese Empire that fights the Conquistadors in Mexico.

- A sequel to the one story I actually completed: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, which I posted years ago and was based on an optimistic (to say the least) timeline in which neither Stalin or Hitler survived their respective wars, an expansionist Soviet Union conquers Weimar Germany and eventually invades the US (yeah yeah, I know it has no basis in reality).

The problem is, of course, that I'm chronically lazy and rapidly lose interest in my projects. And I'm embarrassed by my own writing. Ah well.

l33telboi · Post by **l33telboi** » 2006-09-28 12:06am

There are two fics I've been playing around with in my mind lately.

The first one is a fic set after the episode "Twilight" in Enterprise, the episode where the Xindi manages to destroy the Earth. It would happen before Archer hits the episodal reset button and deal with the survivors of humanity.

The second one would be a fic set in one of the Stargate mirrorverses, where Earth is conquered at the end of season 1. It would basically outline how humanity fights to regain their planet and stuff like that.

I've also been thinking of a story that would basically take the premise of the Stargate verse and then completly re-write it, so that it gets a more X-Com like feel to it. And of course Earth would have to be conquered by the end of season 1.

Come to think of it. Many of my stories involve the destruction or conquest of Earth. Funny that.

Then i have a Fallout and a Gothic fanfic (Set in the games with similar names) that i have started, but weather i will ever continue them and actually post them somewhere, i don't know.

mr friendly guy · Post by **mr friendly guy** » 2006-09-28 06:27am

I have in my mind a Doctor Who / Star trek x-over (broadly planned out so far) where the Time Lords in the early time war eras take on the 31st century Federation

Another one is an Star Trek AU set in the Yesterday's Enterprise timeline. In it the Federation manages to pull itself out and defeat the Klingons with some underhand dealings with the Cardassian union. Book 2 deals with the Dominion allying with the Klingons and the Federation forced to deploy trilithium devices to win the war. Book 3 has the Federation invading Dominion territory, however the arrival of species 8472 forces both sides into a reluctance alliance. Book 4 has the Federation more powerful than ever compared to the normal time line, however the Daleks invade and a certain time lord makes his appearance.

Stofsk · Post by **Stofsk** » 2006-09-28 06:52am

If I have the time I'll begin writing a Traveller fanfic that's been in my head for awhile now. It'll be based on a adventure and campaign I hope to run soon. I would like to do the unusual step of adding artwork to the fanfic, but I'd need to brush up on my illustrating skills before that. (it would at least help my tabletop RPG though)

In addition to that, I'd also like to start a Traveller fanzine based on a particular campaign setting (which I've set the adventure in). Like the fanfic, I'd also like to add bits of artwork. In order for a fanzine not to be boring it seems a necessity.

Why? Because Traveller is a scifi franchise that needs more support than yet-more Trek, Wars, or 40K.

But I have all these essays to write before that, so my ambitions have to wait.

Ford Prefect · Post by **Ford Prefect** » 2006-09-28 07:24am

Pick wrote:What do we all respectively mean by outline? Do you write a summary? A bullet-point style outline? What?

I just write as I go with some vague destinations in mind, and it seems to hold together quite acceptably.

My two most recent stories are ones which have been planned to some extent. The original story Completion, for example, has many of the event laid out ahead of time, but the details are yet to be filled in. My fanfic Fate-Another Score happens to have fairly detailled character profiles for just about everyone who plays an important role.

speaker-to-trolls · Post by **speaker-to-trolls** » 2006-09-28 12:52pm

I have an idea for a Star Trek story centred around the Ferengi. Ferenginar gets a new Grand Nagus who decides to actually do something about the fact that his people have been relegated to the status of the butt of jokes which start with "a human, a klingon and a ferengi walk into a bar..." It was going to be my attempt to show the Ferengi as a fully developed race and civilisation and see how they viewed other races, particularly the Federation.

The Aliens · Post by **The Aliens** » 2006-09-28 09:19pm

I want to write a serial focusing on one space-faring race that broke off from humanity and vanished through a wormhole to a distant galaxy. It'd follow them through seven stages in their history, being seven series of 13 'episodes', each around 20 pages. By the end, their consortium would have around 25 planets over 20 systems, being sort of a mini-Federation, without the communism and stupid brainbugs.

Balrog · Post by **Balrog** » 2006-09-28 10:15pm

Pick wrote:What do we all respectively mean by outline? Do you write a summary? A bullet-point style outline? What?

I just write as I go with some vague destinations in mind, and it seems to hold together quite acceptably.

Usually a bullet-point sort of thing, just a general idea and outline of who's who, what's what, and what's going to happen. Helps organize thoughts and complex story arcs.

Zor · Post by **Zor** » 2006-09-29 12:00am

For what of the Lizards-This is set in Harry Turtledove's Tosev Timeline, with the startrek universe around it. Humanity is still devided, Nazis still run Germany, the Race Empire still exists and has picked up the pace. Basicly i have been focusing on my Omniverse Zero Steller Dominions universe and FWOTL was put on hold. Currently it is being revived however.

Zor

ElPintoGrande · Post by **ElPintoGrande** » 2006-09-29 10:07am

I've been trying to work on a Planetside/Battle-Tech x-over involving a Clan explorer-ship discovering one of the Auraxian island-worlds (for lack of a better term). Basically the Clanners would go bat-shit insane at the thought of all these soldiers fighting and dying for no recognizable goal and for the fun of it, not to mention that they 're-spawn' when they die. Enter the apocalyptic showdown between armies for the fate of a world with lots of shinies and booms. My problem is that in my head, the story is already mostly done. I just can't get myself to put pen to paper because of that.

Crown · Post by **Crown** » 2006-09-29 02:01pm

Stargate: Alexandria :: my re-imaging of how Stargate: Atlantis should have been. I mean why go to the 'effort' of putting civilians in charge and then let every episode play just like SG:1 - you know like a military op?

The Last Hope :: A SW crossover fanfic with Raymond E Feist's Midkemia-verse. Leia and the others failed at Endor, but narrowly escape. Luke didn't make it, Obi-Wan desperate to not repeat the same mistake with Luke uses to the Force to send Leia on a 'quest' to Midkemia.

Fulcrum :: A Dark Angel fanfic, picking up where the season 2/series finale ended. Basically fucking around with the idea that using the transgenics as your everyday stupid grunts (hey I'm one so I can say that) was stupid. They should have been pure spy/assassins or at the most special forces.

Tears of Tragedy :: A B5 fanfic set after the formation of the Alliance. I'm using R.E.Fiest's Kelewan empire and just porting it into the B5 universe. Was a little too Mary-Suish (even for a fanfic) to realistic continue.

Immortal :: An Angel/Buffy fic focusing entirely on Wesley after the events of the Angel series finale (I brought him back to life). Ran out of steam when I excersised my pent up fustration on all the goody-toe-shoes who needed Wesley to KICK THEIR GOD DAMN ARSES!

Spellbinder :: Original fantasy. Many ideas kicking around on this one.

All of This has Happened Before ... :: A nBSG crossover with S:AaB ... it's coming along, ever, so, slowly ...

Instant Sunrise · Post by **Instant Sunrise** » 2006-09-29 03:28pm

Lets see here, WARNING: The sheer wackiness of many of these may cause brain damage.

Hang a Right at the Next Universe. - A Firefly/Star Wars crossover, Mal and Serenity get dumped into the SW-verse during the event of ESB, and end up immediately regretting helping out Leia, Han and Chewie while trying to survine in a much bigger galaxy.

Home is Simply a Memory. - ST/SW: Kirk and the Enterprise get sent to the SW galaxy with no way to get home, so he survives in the Galaxy, after fending off an attack by the Rebel Alliance due to a miscommunication causing the RA to be fucked up mightily by the Empire, him and most of the Enterprise bridge crew end up commanding the ISD Enterprise. Eventually he discovers a way to return to the Milky Way, but returns 70 years later, to a galaxy that has largely forgotten him(think Gandalf's alternative federation fic)

Do Whatever It Takes. - SG fic, The woman who was kidnapped by Apophis in the pilot is still alive without any way of getting back home to Earth. Until a chance encouter brings her into contact with one of the SG-teams who are offworld.

Glimmervoid · Post by **Glimmervoid** » 2006-09-29 04:58pm

Tales of the Time war, a sort of story, that will likely never happen, set during the Doctor Who time war which I tried to write as a war on ever leave of civilization with pre time travel races fighting other pre time travel races with timelord advisers (or perhaps close allies to the timelords) to help them.

An un-named story about a future in which all space travel is possible by use of “artifact core’s” which were relics of an ancient and disappeared race. The cores were rated on the functions they possessed and how complex/intelligent they were and ranged from Alpha class cores (which were little better than sublight drives for intersystem ships) to Omega class cores which could go faster than light, generate a force field hull and handle all astrogation and were smarter than any human.

The story was going to be about a young man who spent his dead mothers inheritance on a mid range core (quite dumb but capable of ftl and force field walls) and explores the mystery’s of the cores and his own growing up.

The final one is a story I am really working on, called Gentlemen Use Clockwork, it’s about a semi-Victorian world in which clock power has come to dominate all industry and steam power has been outlawed and its use restricted to terrorists.

It was (is) to follow a young heir to a large clockwork empire currently run by his father, it will chronically his adventures in response to the re-emergence of the sinister steam using terrorists the “Steam Coalition” and a dark secret very close to him which has penetrated to the very heart of nation. I have put up parts of this story but I have been very busy moving in to my new flat and have sort of wrote my characters in to a corner I will get back to up dating it though. I have also had an idea for a squeal/concurrent novel called Clockwork Fascist that would tell the story from the other side.

Sean Mulligan · Post by **Sean Mulligan** » 2006-09-29 05:59pm

skyman8081 wrote:Lets see here, WARNING: The sheer wackiness of many of these may cause brain damage.

Hang a Right at the Next Universe. - A Firefly/Star Wars crossover, Mal and Serenity get dumped into the SW-verse during the event of ESB, and end up immediately regretting helping out Leia, Han and Chewie while trying to survine in a much bigger galaxy.

Home is Simply a Memory. - ST/SW: Kirk and the Enterprise get sent to the SW galaxy with no way to get home, so he survives in the Galaxy, after fending off an attack by the Rebel Alliance due to a miscommunication causing the RA to be fucked up mightily by the Empire, him and most of the Enterprise bridge crew end up commanding the ISD Enterprise. Eventually he discovers a way to return to the Milky Way, but returns 70 years later, to a galaxy that has largely forgotten him(think Gandalf's alternative federation fic)

Do Whatever It Takes. - SG fic, The woman who was kidnapped by Apophis in the pilot is still alive without any way of getting back home to Earth. Until a chance encouter brings her into contact with one of the SG-teams who are offworld.

The first and third story ideas sound very interesting but the Home is simply a memory one makes no sense. How would Kirk and his crew end up as imperial officers? I think that they would object to many Imperial policies. Also, it seems unlikely to me that if Star Trek is cannon up to Kirks five year mission, that the Federation could become anything like the Federation in Gandalf's story. It seems that the point of divergence would have to be much earlier.

Ritterin Sophia · Post by **Ritterin Sophia** » 2006-09-29 11:23pm

City of Villains: The Soviet Scourge - Fan fic about (My Character in the game) the Soviet equivelant of the City of X universes Captain America/Superman, The Statesman. Originaly called The Soviet Savior, through multiple injections of a super soldier serum and bombardments with varying degrees and types of radiation, he aged very slowly and could generate radiation blast and manipulate thermal radiation. Heavily indoctrinated in radical Soviet extremist political beliefs, however, after the collapse of the Soviet Union he went rogue, destroying the military research base he was in (As well as the remote control to the fail-safe device on his armor), eventually he would resurface in Paragon City where he would fight against the Rikti alongside heroes in the extradimensional beings' invasion, with the global danger gone he would turn towards vengeance against America in the belief that it was their fault. Soon enough the Freedom Phalanx would quickly crush him where he would be incarcerated in Ziggursky 'The Ziggurat' Prison.

All of this would be told through Psychiatric Sessions with the prisons lead researcher/psychiatrist from SERAPH (Scientific Experimentation, Research and Application to Paranormal Humans).

Sean Mulligan · Post by **Sean Mulligan** » 2006-09-30 10:50pm

General Schatten wrote:City of Villains: The Soviet Scourge - Fan fic about (My Character in the game) the Soviet equivelant of the City of X universes Captain America/Superman, The Statesman. Originaly called The Soviet Savior, through multiple injections of a super soldier serum and bombardments with varying degrees and types of radiation, he aged very slowly and could generate radiation blast and manipulate thermal radiation. Heavily indoctrinated in radical Soviet extremist political beliefs, however, after the collapse of the Soviet Union he went rogue, destroying the military research base he was in (As well as the remote control to the fail-safe device on his armor), eventually he would resurface in Paragon City where he would fight against the Rikti alongside heroes in the extradimensional beings' invasion, with the global danger gone he would turn towards vengeance against America in the belief that it was their fault. Soon enough the Freedom Phalanx would quickly crush him where he would be incarcerated in Ziggursky 'The Ziggurat' Prison.

All of this would be told through Psychiatric Sessions with the prisons lead researcher/psychiatrist from SERAPH (Scientific Experimentation, Research and Application to Paranormal Humans).

Will your fan fic include the part where The Statesman helps the Red Army to destroy the bulk of Axis forces during World War Two and where he liberates most of the Nazi death camps?

JediMaster415 · Post by **JediMaster415** » 2006-09-30 11:29pm

I have several different ideas running in my head.

A SW short story series based around bounty hunters, who's existence is pretty much the same as those of Firefly and Cowboy Bebop. I just can't think of a good introduction.

Several namless original science fiction stories:

A scifi detective story. I just can't seem to think of a good crime or introduction.

Another story that follows the Firefly pattern, though I don't want to follow that completely. I just like the character situations.

A few military scifis that are just there. I have characters in mind but I have very little idea want I wanna do.

Mostly my problems come down to not knowing how to introduce the characters I can think of or just where I want to take the story.

Crazedwraith · Post by **Crazedwraith** » 2006-10-01 09:43am

Star Wars :Vertex. Basically I dumped a couple of really old republic jedi in the middle of RotS to do some full-power jedi wanking, unfortunately It's frozen just where Anakin burst into the temple for some good old fashioned massacring.

Rye · Post by **Rye** » 2006-10-01 10:22am

My current stalled projects (due to lack of interest in writing on my part):

AvP: Voyager - fanfic - about 50% done, I think, the plan was to have the essential plots of Alien and Predator in the first half, the predator half told in flash back, in the trekverse, then the second half the alien and predator aboard voyager, and the main character (action hero archetype) deals with the problems, with plenty of twists and turns. I will get back to writing this soon, I'm determined. I might disconnect the net later and do some of it.

Juggernaut - Perseverence - comic, written 0%, general outline 20% - Juggernaut miniseries idea I'll pitch to Marvel at some point. Essentially, tormented by losing his power and strange dreams involving his disapproving father, he leaves Excalibur. He comes to an epiphany when he realises it's not his father talking to him in his dreams, it's Cytorrak, and he's demanding he get his original spirit back if he wants to retain his power.

He realised the lack of finality and minimal change involved in normal heroism where the villains will just escape and do more evil was what was grinding him down, ultimately, so he changes his ways to an antihero and goes out to wreak proper havoc on the evildoers in a punisher style. After a while, the villains learn of his mission and start to work out plans against him that he has to start using his mind to overcome.

It will probably have to be an alternate universe miniseries, because it would require a lot of people dying, permanently.

Necromancer - comic, potentially novel, written 1%, general outline 30% - A warped parody of fantasy clichés and what I plan on being a damn fine story and a small allegory for dealing with transgenderism, growing up, self confidence, religion and life in general.

It's a comic series that follows the main character, starting with his backstory, brought up by a Hogwarts style school for wizarding, it was known he always had a ton of magical potential, but he never fit with the existent types of magic taught in the school, plus some of the teachers (strongly resemblign catholic priests) were known for molestation.

Anyway, he's bullied at school, and one of his tormentors, a witch, casts a glamour spell on him to make him look like a chick at all times. He tells the faculty to fuck off, and makes a good friend with an ancient daemon bound to a magic 8 ball, limited to only doing "good" acts. The ancient daemon becomes his mentor and teaches him how to become a necromancer, which is where his natural gift lies. He then starts to make his own way in the world, under the radar from the local governments, who have outlawed necromancy. He summons Bob, the ancient guardian of some long dead king, who is silent and stoic, but behind the scenes has an actually quite warm, protective personality.

His first adventure has him teaming up with 4 hobbits on a familiar quest, all ending in black comedic fashion. There are lots of smaller arcs, like in the Preacher tpbs, with the overall arc following his self discovery, maturity, then ascension to dark lord status and finally beloved emperor.

Opening of the Gates - short story, 50% laid out, set in my scifi/superhero universe. Follows a private investigator as he tries to work out a city-wide apocalyptic cult conspiracy with his vampire friend and a luckless police officer. They do work it out, but not in time, hell invades through a giant ebon tower that appears in central park and devastate much of the central city.

The atlantic accellerator - short story 15% written, 90% laid out, set in my scifi/superhero comics universe, a mysterious artifact appears in the atlantic and causes global weather problems. People are sent in and seperate themselves from the governments that sent them. First contact with the extra terrestrial cyberpunk humans called the Syndicate, and the human race's first explorations into the wider universe. Set after Opening of the Gates.

Phalanx - 0% written, 80% laid out - comic story about the superheroes in my universe, starts with small fry average superheroism, then hell invades, first contact is made and a larger universe is introduced, plot is supertwisty.

Saviour - movie script to be filmed next year, 60% done, outline 100%. Coolassed horror film, lots of twists and turns. Starts like an average slasher film, then changes the formula and keeps you guessing.

Surviving the Dead (working title) 0% written, 30% laid out - movie script, zombie movie about what I'd do in a zombie situation and the general issues with survival.

Students - 0% written, 30% laid out - TV surreal sitcom along the lines of Spaced, South Park, Black Books, etc, about a group of sixth formers and the amusing weirdness of life. Split out over 2 series, one in sixth form, one in uni.

Sketch show - 1% written 5% laid out - TV sketch show comedy script.

Zombie Movie 2 - 0% written 1% laid out - Follows a muslim suicide bomber as he attempts to martyr himself and fails, then the zombie apocalypse happens and he regains his humanity.

Knife · Post by **Knife** » 2006-10-01 01:51pm

I have various projects in all stages of completion;

The obvious ones are Jedi Prophacy which the outline is more or less done but is only about half written.

Rebellion in Paradise which is stalled. I have various ideas, but they need to be organized before I can continue with the story. Basically, no outline.

Other than that, I have a couple original stories that are in the works;

Wars of Heaven and Hell, Nyphlim which is the second story in the series and exsists as a half finished bullet points and a prolouge.

City of the Gods an epic tale following a series of demi gods sent to pull humanity up by it's bootstraps and wrought grand civilizations. It's fantasy, yet will cover a false history representing major ages in RL. Stone age, Iron age, Medieval times, Renaissance and Napoleonic settings and atmosphere.

Another unnamed story (tentively the The Five Kingdoms that is fairly standard fantasy with a small group of hero's fighting to save civilization. It's more renaissance period than the standard medieval feel. Tall mast ships, pikemen and sabers and raipers rather than broadswords and knights.

Enterprise rewrite where the first couple chapters representing broken bow is done, but only have an outline for initial Andorian Incident part and nothing past that.

I'd also like to go back and do a re-write on an old (and first) fan fic, Forgotten Destinies and finish it.

Singular Quartet · Post by **Singular Quartet** » 2006-10-01 03:01pm

Pick wrote:What do we all respectively mean by outline? Do you write a summary? A bullet-point style outline? What?

I just write as I go with some vague destinations in mind, and it seems to hold together quite acceptably.

I've tapped out a couple of outlines before, but I always find that I leave them rather quickly but execution is very different from original idea. I just write down vague ideas of the future (for example: There's a trio of huge fucking wars coming up. In a while. A loooooooooooooooong while.) and any other ideas that happen to come up (like what some of the other characters are, or where they'll be in a few dozen/hundred years)

Lex · Post by **Lex** » 2006-10-01 03:06pm

I've already attempted to write down my idea, but unfortunately I so far lacked both skills and determination to complete it... It would, however, be a SW/ST crossover, in which an Federation Ship discovers an apparently forsaken star ship, which actually contains the conserved bodies of 3 Sith Lords from the great Sith War. These Sith somehow stranded in the ST galaxy when they fled from republic troops and now they are awaken...and attempt so conquer, destroy, divide etc. and maybe to open a portal to their home galaxy...

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stories you want to write, but can't

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