Standing brainstorming/plotting post

[guardiansverse]

This is a standing post for brainstorming, plot development/unfuckening, character unwrangling etc. Comment here with your distress and perhaps someone can help!

1. Discussion below in thread format. Anonymous comments welcome.
2. If you are talking about something currently being posted to FFA, please clearly mark for any possible spoilers!
3. Please don't post story bits for comment here; take it to the Concrit Post. Similarly we have a Worldbuilding Post for more general discussion not related to a specific story.
4. Keep in mind authors' preferences as expressed in our introduction post.
5. FFA by-rules apply: don't be an asshole.

Comments

[sigridharem]

So one of my WIPs (Belinda and Endymion) has a huge betrayal at the center of it, and although I originally started it in chronological order I'm now wondering if it would be more dynamic to have a post-betrayal prologue and then go back to the past and have the rest of the story be chronological.

I guess my main concern is that although there are plenty of hints from the main character, if the beginning is too sweet for too long the readership might be the ones feeling betrayed by such a dark turn.

Does this sound reasonable, or like a terrible idea?

[anastasialeigh]

My preference, from what I've read, would be not to have a post-betrayal prologue. Belinda does think about the fact that the plan is to betray him, so that potential darkness is there from the start. But starting with a post-betrayal prologue eliminates the tension of whether she'll go through with it or be persuaded by Endymion's sweetness to abandon her plan.

[sigridharem]

You bring up a good point I hadn't considered about the tension. Thank you! I think I'll keep it chronological for now then.