Is this a cheesy concept?

An elf exiled to a realm of darkness, and manages to survive for centuries without the use of sight. When he emerges from this realm, he finds a witch and trades his eyes for a bow that never misses.

Where does this character fit it? Well he's suppose to be a character of child stories -- think Baba Yaga -- to keep eleven children from venturing too deep into the wood.

I came up with this idea yesterday and I'd like to get some input, because I'm a bit unsure as to whether this is a bit too much. Give me your two cents.

There's no such thing as a concept that can't be turned into a good story.

That being said there are some concepts that are less practicable than others.

What you really need to ask yourself is what this character wants before you worry about the setting and the premise. If you have a good character with a direction that's compelling then a good plot should follow.

Of course that's the Literary Fiction angle...from a Genre Fiction angle just start writing and see if the story is cool/makes sense.

Originally posted by Omega Vision
There's no such thing as a concept that can't be turned into a good story.

Originally posted by Omega Vision
What you really need to ask yourself is what this character wants before you worry about the setting and the premise. If you have a good character with a direction that's compelling then a good plot should follow.

I've more detailed characters and arcs planned out, but I'll withhold them for the sakes of spoiling it.

Originally posted by Omega Vision
Of course that's the Literary Fiction angle...from a Genre Fiction angle just start writing and see if the story is cool/makes sense.

I think it's pretty original to have a character struck with blindness. Then you have to use their other senses to describe what they're feeling, as sight is obviously the easiest thing to describe.

Using an elf as a character might be a little unoriginal - you mention that the character has to mind eleven children. I would make the character something that has experience minding kids - in fairy tales or fables, I've seemed to have noticed that a hedgehog is a kind of motherly creature. Or a bear.

But if you don't want to use an animal, I would try to think it out with a human. A teenaged archer? Plenty of room for flaws, plenty of room for virtues, having been 'lost in the woods' himself, he would be eager to keep the children out as well. You could turn this into a drama, a legend of a hero [especially if you follow the character through the future, and perhaps one day, through his deeds, he gets his eyes back?

If you're going for the fairy tale, there are probably some rules you should follow - you know, numbers are either twelve, seven or three, or thirteen if you have one is bad, if you do a good deed with great sacrifice to yourself, especially when you can't imagine any sort of reciprocity, you get rewarded for it, there are curses and blessings, it may seem as if untamed majick is kind of sparking the air, etc.

You know, an elf giving up his eyes is more unusual then I first thought, especially since in the general sense they are known to be great archers. It would be strange to give up the sense that most helps you to be an archer, especially if the character is taking a risk [i.e. doesn't get a chance to use the bow, or the bow looks completely usual, or even less than a bow, flawed or something.] Because without eyes you must trust instinct, gut feelings, faith, etc.

I think this it the beginning of a great story, especially if you try to plan the whole thing rather than just using the starting materials to just begin.

Good luck!

Thanks for the input, I'll drop this character.

Originally posted by Astner
That depends on the definition of what it means to retain a concept.

Yes, but I was hoping for some detailed input.

Originally posted by Astner
Thanks for the input, I'll drop this character.

Ugh, I hate to be responsible for a character killing! Just make sure you were thinking your own thoughts too!

ETA. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions that you want a serious discussion about. I'm a rabid reader, all kinds of fiction. I've written a few of my own things too, so I'm a lot more confident with my decisions.

I really like the concept allot, i would not drop the character totally.

sounds like a fairy tale to me

Astner,

The plot seems a bit far-fetched as I am not much of a fantasy buff. It seems derived from movies of the previous decade.

Jim Colyer

Originally posted by Jim Colyer
Astner,

The plot seems a bit far-fetched as I am not much of a fantasy buff. It seems derived from movies of the previous decade.

Jim Colyer