I’m a bit disappointed that I trashed my own outline yesterday by coming up with another reasonably OK idea. So, I will back up a day and see if there is another way to interpret the original events by changing the milleu.

OK, what if the setting is not contemporary at all, but fantasy? I had tried to steer away from either historical or fantasy worlds on the assumption that it would either require lots of research or lots of other preparation to make the world believeable. However, if I don’t do *something* I will fail to start at all. At least fantasy can be generated by imagination rather than depending on research.
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Lost a lot of time this weekend dealing with international nameserver issues. At least they didn’t call me this morning at 2AM like they did Saturday morning.

Michelle called me from Texas on Friday and I couldn’t talk, as I was in a meeting (about international nameserver, woo). Anyway, Saturday morning I reset my cell phone and it forgot her number, so now I can’t call her back. I’m sad.

I wanted to spend the weekend writing, but the international foo happened, and also I didn’t have my outline done beforehand so I am having trouble getting an idea to start on.

At first this was shaping up to be a Character story, tracking A’s development and secret and life changes. However, in writing this scenario, it becomes clear that the story here is really about C. Since we dropped A’s special ability or whatever, and thus his reason for unrest, it’s not about A any more.

In other words, I went from not really knowing how C fits in the picture, to having way too much info on C and not enough on A.

Going further down this rabbit hole…

Okay, now that I have gutted my previous outline, and made my already-written 234 words useless, time to go to bed!
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I am adding: A noble death
I am numbering the events to try and decide how far apart the related events are
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Some things I want in my story

love, perhaps between apparent rivals, a and b
a game, with high stakes, possibly illegal or secret
psychic powers, or a gift, (martial arts? mysticism? mutation?)
OR perhaps a magic item that slowly takes over the user
An unlikely hero A, placed in a difficult situation and acting well
Someone who falls from grace, or betrays himself, but hides his flaw: C

Some events:
First introduction of hero A
When the audience discovers the game
First experience of the rival B and possibly C
??When one person discovers his/her gift (or finds the magic item)
When one person C starts down the wrong path
When two lovers part ways (B and C) or perhaps they are friends or siblings and they just have an argument
When two rivals discover they are in love (A and B)
??When someone else discovers the gift or item (possibly a lover)
When two lovers are forced to compete (A and B)
When one person (A) has to choose between the right deed and his career or station
Fight between the hero and the betrayer (B and C)