Plot changes to That Which Binds Us

The original plot to TWBU was actually quite different when I conceived the central idea of the book. In fact, it didn’t even remotely resemble the book it became! I’ll tell you how I thought of the central idea, what my thoughts on plot would be, what Mei would be like, and then the fateful moment it all changed…

Central idea

Most writers come up with an idea and then an entire story or book from one key question: What if…?

For me, that question was ‘what if superstrength really existed?’. Cynic that I am, I immediately figured it would be heavily monetized. My thoughts went to superheroes and I figured, well, they would probably only save the people who could afford to be saved. This gave me the idea of rescue insurance.

Original Protagonist

I knew that I had to write a book about a ‘chosen one’ who would stand out from the corruption of the world and use their strength to help people who couldn’t afford rescue insurance. This sprang forward to hero school, where they would learn to use their strength.

I wanted the protagonist to be really special. So, I decided they would have the incredibly rare, almost unheard of, mutation of having all 5 lines. They would be one of only 2 people in the entire world who had this. The story would follow a classic hero-villain conflict where the other person with all 5 lines was a supervillain.

Mei

I started writing the book with Mei as my main character. I don’t really outline that much so I just wrote the first few chapters. It became clear to me that her having all the strength in the world didn’t really make for that much conflict. Why go to hero school if she was just naturally the strongest already?

So I started her towards her first major character evolution. I took away the most important line, the center line. Then I had her fail saving Dave. It seemed like a pretty good set-up for Mei: she’d be strong, but not too strong. She’d have a clear arc – go to school, get strong, fight the villain in an epic conflict.

She opened the door…

Mei opened the door to her cabin and met Devi. It all immediately changed. Suddenly, Mei was interacting with Devi and there was an irresistible attraction between them. My plan for wanting Mei to be a superhero to fight the big bad didn’t matter in the slightest. Devi grabbed a hold of her and didn’t let go.

As I said, I don’t really outline. I just follow the characters. And they took me someplace that I didn’t expect at all, but that’s the adventure of writing!

The new plot

The original idea of the book still held firm. Mei’s determination to help people who couldn’t afford rescue insurance. But the path to realizing that dream took her and me for a wild and unexpected ride.

I have all sorts of ideas for the next book. I think I’ll write them all down and look at them in a few years so I can laugh at the nonsense I thought the book would be about!