: Re: Story development: Multiple characters premises I am used to stories which have one premise which through sequential events is proven by the character. A few stories like war stories can have

@Ravi5107385

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I like the characters and I think it would make a really engaging story. What you have running there is a pretty good style and if done right, the readers won't put down the book. But then again, having just a style is usually not sufficient if you want the novel to be commercially hit. Most commercial novels have a generic structure - those three acts- the beginning, the middle and the end. More about the 3-act structure here and here.

What you may want to do is introduce the teen, the elder and the jihadist as the key characters and come up with their individual story goals and their individual conflict. For example, why would the teen frame the other guy? Why does she need his wallet? Can you come up with anything that happened to her in the childhood that she never talks about? Perhaps that made her the teen she is today, framing and stealing from people. What does she want to do with that money? Introduce the jihadist and come up with his problems and the way he thinks that it will be fixed should he sacrifice his life in the way of his god.

You can then make the elder talk to the jihadist. And you can start the novel with the jihadist having second thoughts. And those second thoughts can increase page by page. Do it right and you have a little of suspense going on here. You can make the teen thinking that this may be her last theft. That perhaps she is going to quit. Do it right and you have another slight suspense situation going on here.

Once you begin writing (or plotting your novel) after taking all these into consideration, you will know where to go. Place the blast in the end of the novel (and show how the jhadist gave way to his inner battle) or do it in the middle of the novel (and then explore what the teen does after survival) or don't crash the train at all (and show how the jihadist overcame his inner battle because he heard the teen and the elder talking about something and that made the domino tick). Play around with your characters. The kind of situation you have, I'm pretty sure it would turn out to be good.

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