Ok I need some input on something. I have had a couple story ideas floating in my head for a few years and even some recent ones. I need some ideas on how to improve, change, or even disprove my concepts. So here goes, a short outline of each:

Dragon's Tear

Alright the basic outline of this one goes as follows: The story is of course set in a medieval time period when dragons existed. In the time period it is an all out war between humans and dragons, but the case wasn't so a century or so ago. Before the war, dragons and humans coincided with one another without harm and even some light interaction between the two races. One day a dragon decided to demolish a complete town and devour its inhabitants without any warning or any reason. After this initial shock to the humans all of the dragons that were once docile acted in outrage against all other living things. Thus the war between the two races started. The reason behind why this clash would begin is still being speculated, but the theories whispered behind closed doors is that a Master of all of the elements (FYI haven’t decided if it should be a wizard or some kind of powerful warlord, still debating) had somehow ceased the Dragon's Tear, a mysterious jewel left by the gods, which was well ensconced in the Dragon Temple (FYI temporary name for now). If this had been any other mortal relic the problems caused by its capture would not be so significant. The importance of this relic is tantamount in the continual peace and existence between the two races. The creator of the relic is still unsure but the popular idea, which is also lightly touched upon in ancient texts, is that the jewel was created by the gods to keep their all powerful creation under tight reins.

Now that I have described the preface I will continue on the story, which is about a young man around fifteen to sixteen years of age, still a boy in some cultures. (FYI Name still not created but his temporary name is Emery) Emery is just your average peasant boy working with his family in a rural village, except for one trait that sets him apart from the rest, he was an expert marksman with a long bow. Emery could rival any of the oldest well trained marksmen and even trained soldiers with solid years as a veteran. Day in and day out Emery’s life was the same, grueling labor, hard living, and fear of the occasional dragon attack. As dawn broke on a day that was thought to be a normal, albeit dreadful, but normal day a dragon happened upon Emery's small village and decided it looked all too tempting. In Emery's short lifetime he had only seen two dragons before this event, each time he had been hidden with the rest of his family as the village militia attempted to fend off the great beasts. This day was very different then the previous, Emery was now a man. He decided to fight alongside his brethren to protect his home and the loved ones that inhabited it. (FYI Without going into much detail) The local militia was having trouble dealing with this offender of peace, but one very lucky boy and a well placed shot was more then a match for the goliath. The arrow fired from Emery's long bow was so well placed that it managed to impale the dragon in between two scales where the massive heart resides. A resounding cheer was uttered from every throat that was able to utter a sound after such a terrible attack. Out from under an upturned hay cart crawled an elderly man by the name of Archimedes (FYI once again temporary name) who had watched the entire event from his place of refuge. After a very brief consideration Archimedes decided to approach the young savior of the village. Little did Emery know that this meeting between the two would set him on a path that will change the course of history forever. Archimedes (FYI who for now will remain a character without detail until the story is actually written) will send Emery on a journey that will introduce the young man to new wonders, the cruelty of the world, new friends and foes, and ultimately to the salvation of the human race as it is known.

This has been one of my better thought out story lines thus far and will have a variety in its cast and locale. Hopefully it will turn into a beautifully woven story which will leave the reader yearning for much more.

Next in line is:

(FYI Title still not decided but for now)
A Nation of One

I hardly have much of a base outline for this story but I have some concept ideas, which are as follows:

The story starts in a totalitarian world where one unspecified country controls the entire world. The way said country was able to even consider gaining control was to harness the natural ability of certain women to bear multiple children at once. These women are harvested like crops to continually supply a massive army that grows at an exponential rate with new children to form into perfect fighting machines. The reasoning behind using women who can bear twins, triplets, quadruplets, etc. over using cloning is the simple fact that cloning requires massive facilities and labs. The shear efficiency is more then enough to continue the practice over traditional cloning. All the women need are shelter and food. A genetic virus was developed to control how many boys and how many girls a mother will give birth to. Birthing boys is highest in the priority list so they can be placed in the armies, but there is still a need for girls as well. The young girls are recruited into the Haven (FYI temporary name) as potential children bearing machines.

This is all a preface to another story but it gives me a general landscape to create my imaginings. More will be developed in the future
(FYI by the way this is just a story. I by no means am trying to say that women are inferior or that they should be used as cattle. It’s a post apocalyptic/catastrophe world where there are no more rules except those imposed by the most powerful.)

And last but not least:

(Name undecided but for now)
In the Grip of Death

This story is actually one that came to me recently after reading The Zombie Survival Guide. I have had absolutely no time to develop this story as of yet so this is more or less a melding of random ideas. In the blink of an eye our nation is over run with the virus Solanum, a virus that reanimates a victim’s corpse into a grisly life of imbibing human flesh. Our world is utterly destroyed by this scourge with only a few pockets of humanity left. All of this was created by our own country's (FYI country remaining nameless for now) urge to completely obliterate any enemy with a weapon of unimaginable proportion, Solanum.

I'm still debating on the finer details of this story such as whether this should be a narrative of a specific group's survival, a collection of tales from several different group's fight, or if it should be a story based upon great military figures training elite forces to deal with the undead. This one is really a toss up, but I think it might turn into an amalgam of all the story types into one. Maybe the world is being defended by a great power, but this great power enforces ridiculous, even radical, laws upon its survivors. As these laws become more strict certain groups band together to fight both the undead and the tyrannical rule of a great power. As of right now, anything goes.


Now that you have read my story concepts, let me know what you think. Tell me how to improve them, how to get rid of bad ideas, how to make it a good story. Any input would be great!

Thanks to everyone that took the time to read this, I love you all!

-Chris