trying to flesh out an idea

[asher marquering]

i've had the following line stuck in my head for the last few weeks and im having trouble fleshing out the characters the line is

i had a dream i bought my way into heaven
when i woke up i spend that money on a weapon

having trouble grasping enough from it to even form a scene

any ideas

[areader]

Scenario 1
Character is of the religious ilk and has just had a major revelation that undermines all of their values.
Scenario 2
The Gods of this character's world have just given them a mission.
Scenario 3
Character has spent their entire life living according to the rules...until....
Scenario 4
They're an arms dealer looking for the perfect weapon or deal.
Scenario 5
Moral dilemma: they're living a dual life....split character ...do they know it?
Scenario 6
They are getting dream links with someone else ...that will change the basis of their lives.

Yep, all been done before...but probably brainstorming is needed and a couple of drafting outs along different ideas and things will start steering themselves perhaps.

[Talysia]

Hmm, another possible suggestion is that they're dreaming of a past life, or of memories long buried (which is somewhat similar to areader's 5th scenario).

That certainly is an interesting concept, though.

[timelord4]

Or possibly a mercenary, sick of the wars, fighting, has a reversal of values and decides to become a God faring citizen.

His dream is his fate which will lead him into an adventure and determine his true destiny.

Could be

[Interference]

(I would think Twilight Zone, possibly one of the lighter ones)


It is easier for a camel to fit through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God - unless you have the right contacts.

Jefferson Harley III had led a cruel and sinful life and now he was going to die at the hand of a genie. Could one of his three wishes before he dies get him into Heaven against the odds? Does even St Peter have his price?

Enter now a world where anyone - and that means anyone - can be bought ... Including you.


(Maybe he wakes up, It Was All A Dream-like, and decides what he really needs is the firepower to kill the genie)

(Oh, and if you don't write it, I will)

(if that's ok with you, like)

(and genie was just the first thing that popped into my head. Something magical, anyway, I think)

[Laura Stamps]

Originally Posted by asher marquering

i had a dream i bought my way into heaven
when i woke up i spend that money on a weapon

This could be the first sentence in a dark urban fantasy novel written in first person. The narrator is telling about the night that changed his life forever. Formally, he had been a con man...not a nice guy. Then one night he wakes up in his bed with bite marks all over him. He has no idea what has happened to him until the next full moon when he turns into a were-leopard (a shapeshifter).

The first sentence tells you about his life before that night. The second sentence tells you about the novel, what he goes through to find the person who did this to him, his anger, and what he plans to do when he finds that person. Of course this all changes during the course of the novel. I can see a faerie in this novel and a vampire as well as assorted weres and shapeshifters.

Could be big fun to write!

[Daniel Hetberg]

Maybe the sentences don't have to describe events that happened one after the other... maybe the speaker bought his way into heaven, then a lot of things happened (there or elsewhere) and only then did he buy a gun the next morning.

Maybe time is reversed in the dream, or maybe the recounting of events is not chronological (although 'that money' seems to indicate it). Maybe buying the gun was in reality before buying his way into heaven (due to events after buying the gun).

[Marvolo]

Originally Posted by asher marquering

i've had the following line stuck in my head for the last few weeks and im having trouble fleshing out the characters the line is

i had a dream i bought my way into heaven
when i woke up i spend that money on a weapon

having trouble grasping enough from it to even form a scene

any ideas

The underlying principle of what you just wrote seems to be the character realizing his path to heaven would be forged through war or maybe a single battle. Perhaps he was among those attempting to change the realm through a peaceful mission, only to realize that until the king died, there could be no change. Maybe it is something far more personal, an abusive father or mother who dominates their life through religious sermons and crippling moral scrutiny. The character realizes that his heaven is freedom and freedom lies in matricide or patricide.

[Auron221]

Here's an idea

After having a dream about donating funds toward a church in his town which desperatly needed donations, the main character was inspired to follow the dream and withdraw a large sum of money from his bank account, readily prepared for donation. His wallet full, he proceeded into his car where he was immediatly put at gunpoint. In an agreement to save his life, the main character hands the stranger all of his money, and agrees to work for the man's organization. The stranger smiles, then hands the main character a gun. Caught in a web of conspirists; can the main character learn about who this mysterious stranger is, what orginazation he works for, and what it is that they're truly planning? Can he thwart this new threat from the inside out, without shaking hands with the devil to do it?

(If this idea intrigues, you, feel free to ask, I've already thought out some of the more detailed aspects if you have need of them. Thanks for the interesting brainstorm! )

Also of note: the idea came surprisingly easy to me, so forgive me if it is a cliche.

[Dexter]

Originally Posted by asher marquering

i had a dream i bought my way into heaven
when i woke up i spend that money on a weapon

Maybe the first line indicates that the character no longer feels a need to be 'pure/good' (to get into heaven), since there is a back door available? The second line notes 'that money'. Is that the dream bucks spent on the ticket to Heaven's Gate? Or maybe money that had been tagged for another, presumably less lethal, purpose?

To me it sounds like someone crumbling before temptation. The first line is a kind of permission to be bad and then the next line implies grand impulse, so powerful it was acted on first thing upon waking.

Wait a moment. What about this: This person was trusted with a large sum of money (from a criminal source) and has decided to spend a part of it on a weapon, because he's taking off with the remainder. The character intends to pull a Robin Hood and do good things (getting into Heaven). The criminals behind the money, other petty criminals, and the local law are after the suddenly money-ladened hero.

Thanks for the exercise. This was fun.