Would you read any of these?

[Vern5]

I've been messing around with a few writing projects and I was wondering how some of these ideas would appeal to the the interesting folk of the Escapist. These are just base ideas; I can't divulge the full details of their associated stories mostly because I haven't decided the details myself. Rate them however you wish and then choose a favorite if you like.

1)The story of a man digging around a destroyed and abandoned city. He struggles to survive while being hunted by undefined creatures that may or may not even exist. His mind is filled with voices he does not recognize and, besides fighting to survive, he is hell bent on ridding himself of these voices. (A psychological piece starring only the protagonist, the creatures, and the voices)

2) A small time con-artist explodes into a realm of global conspiracy and subterfuge. His main bargaining chip/resource/weapon is a formula that grants staggering amounts of charisma, confidence and sheer willpower for a short amount of time. He hooks special individuals onto this formula in order to contract their services as parts of a yet unrealized plan.

3) A victorian-esque society graced by the "civilized" enslavement of demons as part of a working class. The story, however, centers on the growing minority of human/devil hybrids trying to make a living against the extreme disadvantage of racism and demonic appetites. The story is characterized by the interactions between the aristocratic upper class, the lower class displaced by the cheap labor provided by enslaved demons, the hybrids trying to find a way to peaceably integrate themselves into society, and the dangerously violent hybrids that wish to take advantage of their technical abilities as "free devils".

4) A parody of classic Epic Fantasies where renowned heroes have begun to commit suicide en mass for unexplained reasons. (Not sure where to go with that one but the first suicide is pretty dramatic by the time I finished writing it; it was part chase scene, part action and that action was the bashing of one's head against a boulder until both broke).

 

[Heartcafe]

snippy

Story 1: This seems very interesting but it seems to be very short in terms of story size (if you are making a novel.) I don't know the full details, but I think you need to add a little more plot loops. Out of all of these stories I give this 2nd place.

Story 2: Meh, it's probably because of my own opinion but there are so many stories about global conspiracies, cons, etc. It doesn't really stand out to me. 4th place.

Story 3: This one is my favorite; partly because I think you can go so many places with this. The interactions between the demons and humans might produce interesting characters and plot. Plus it's in a victorian-esque society which I do like. 1rst place.

Story 4: I like the idea, but I don't know where you would go with this. Yeah, I don't what else to say XD 3rd place.

Overall, I think they are very imaginative and the stories can go anywhere. I wish you success!

 

[ElectroJosh]

I think story 1 and story 2 could be combined into a single story. Story 2 would be the main narative but, every couple of chapters, the story could be from the POV of the character from story 1.

 

[Sonicron]

My rating (from most to least interesting): 3, 1, 2, 4

The class conflict scenario has a lot of potential; make sure you write a rich background, and don't bother explaining too much why there are demons, but rather take their presence as normal/established and focus on the intricacies of the plot. (Just my opinion.)
I'd definitely read this.

The psychological piece also sounds promising, but probably makes for a good short story (i.e. anywhere between 30 and 80 pages) rather than a novel-sized project. I'd most likely read this as well.

The con-artist bit probably stands and falls with its characters and their actions, personalities and development. Mildly interesting, but probably not an instant pick if I stumbled over it at the book store.

The fantasy parody... nah, not really into fantasy. Sorry.

 

[CrowdControl85]

I agree with the points made about 1 and 3.

I actually really liked the second story. I think it was the idea of a con-man getting other people/con-men hooked on the formula, which caught me.

I think you may have to set this in some kind of futuristic (or near-future) setting to justify the science of the 'formula'. This would also allow you some creative space for the story (ie, how society has developed economically and from a governmental viewpoint - this could also feed into the type of cons you want to explore, eg moral decay in organised structures like banks, parliament, etc).

I also think it would be interesting to see how the different supporting characters react to the formula and are aware of it's control over them, and also seeing how some/all of them anticipate the ultimate plans of the main character.

I guess I'm just thinking about the Ocean's 11 movies and BBC's Hustle, but I thought the disparate characters, and opportunity for a futuristic setting would make it different and interesting.