Ideas and scenarios can be difficult and The Block impedes those as well. There's nothing wrong with taking inspiration from books, TV shows or films; it isn't a crime to see something you like and think "I want something like that for my character" as long as you're willing to put in the effort to tailor it to your character's situation and motives. If you just effectively copy and paste then it's a crime.
When deciding on an event there are three things you need to keep in mind along with a fourth that governs them:
Situation - Why is your character where they are? What were the prior events that brought them to this point? What did they learn from that and could it be applicable here?
Role - Each character has their own role within a self contained story. There's usually some form of protagonist, but there may even be a love interest or a rival, a villain or overbearing elder, perhaps? The role a character has in the writer's eyes can help dictate how they approach their situation and overcome the conflict it provides.
Motivation - But make sure that the character has enough motivation to carry out those actions, even if it fits their role. There's nothing more jarring that when a character acts out of turn merely to push the story forwards. Fred joins the Space Exploration Corps because the author wants Fred to be a spaceman? Or Fred joins the Space Exploration Corps because earlier on he promised his dying mother that he would do so to find his missing father, who vanished into space with the SEC years ago, and make amends?
Finally, the fourth that you should keep in mind for every event you start planning out:
Plausibility - It's all well and good having the protagonist character make it into the castle and strike down the Evil Emperor Zulu, whom he pledged to defeat way back in Chapter 1, but if Zulu is an Omnipotent Uber-God with dragons for toenails and lava for sweat it's unlikely that our dairy farmer protagonist will do much to him without some serious support. The reader will be irked if a couple of sword strikes takes down this supposedly powerful being.
That's what a I love most about writing. It's like a building block game. Every event should be geared towards making your climax understandable and reasonable. Before events there is characterisation, and before that there's the lore of the world. So like; In Jimmy's world there are ghosts. Jimmy is a lonely ghost. Jimmy is a lonely ghost who finds love. Jimmy, against all odds, makes his love last. Happy ending for Jimmy the Lonely Ghost.
Kinda want to write that now...
In terms of Role Plays, each post is essentially a miniature event. So, erm, good luck with the writer's block!
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Anyway, I'm going to disengage Lecture Mode (cause I think it makes me sound like a b!tch) and hopefully by this evening have written my own post. Let's have fun everyone! heart
