Previously, we took a quick look at the Battle Royale theme of Escaping Writing Contest. Seven questions have been answered three. If you have not read it, feel free to check the first article here.
Now, let’s dive into the rest~
4. How to set supporting characters?
Supporting characters are crucial when it comes to a good story plot. Everyone can have different backgrounds, some maybe friends or maybe in the same situation as the protagonist. The supporting characters have something exceptional, though, which could be a simple idea to help in a case or much more complicated as special abilities.
Supporting characters should also be different enough that you can relate them to the game.
In addition, to make the supporting characters more interesting, you can properly describe their stories and behaviors when arranging plots for them. Note that the part of the supporting roles should be appropriately arranged and never be bigger than the protagonist; otherwise, readers will be easily confused by the poorly constructed plot.
5. How to set the rules of the game?
The first principle in setting the rules of the game is making the rules easy to understand. The simpler the game, the easier it is for readers to understand, and then easier to lose themselves in the storyline. If you have difficulty setting the rules, the classic Battle Royale is always a good reference. Give the contestants equipment, make them fight within a specified time period, and the last survivor wins the game.
If you want to make a more special setting, you might as well learn from Squid Game, which includes only simple children’s games as introduced above.
With the cruel reality that failure results in death, those childlike games have a strong emotional impact on readers.
Just imagine, when you play Hide and Seek or Blind Man’s Bluff, how would you feel if you would die once you get caught?
Or when you play a drinking game, what if the punishment is death, not drinking?
With such a mindset, you can create your own thrilling games!
6. How to set the ending?
In general, the simplest ending is that the protagonist overcomes all hardships and completes his original goal. But if you want to lay the groundwork for your next story, you can imply that although the protagonist wins, the fundamental problem has not been solved.
For example, the protagonist is a policeman, who destroyed the organization behind the game but was dismissed from his post. The truth of the game was not revealed, and the organization behind is still watching him.
7. How to attract readers?
We have analyzed Battle Royale games and provided some tips on this genre writing. While now, let us step a little further, discussing how web novels attract readers.
Whether it is Battle Royale or a novel of other genres, readers are mainly attracted by the protagonist’s growth.
For example, in a novel about the cultivation of Eastern Fantasy, the protagonist upgrades from low to high level as if playing a game, and finally top this cultivation game.
In LitRPG and System novels, the protagonist gets rewards by completing various tasks the system gives and keeps growing.
In novels of other genres such as Fantasy, we can also see the exciting growth of the protagonist within adventures.
Just imagine, don’t you want to see the protagonist become more robust, more prepared, and more mature to face coming challenges when watching a movie? The same is true when readers are reading novels. Therefore, writers should construct a plot based on the growth of the protagonist’s ability and mind during novel writing. When an editor reviews a book, the growth of the protagonist is one important criterion.
Back to Battle Royale novels, the following settings should give your story its strength:
How does the protagonist use his unique advantages to clear the game while the number of survivors keeps decreasing?
How does the protagonist deal with their relationship with other contestants?
How do other contestants cooperate with or betray each other?
Hope the tips above could help you better learn the Battle Royale theme. If you have any idea, write it down and apply for a contract! Let your imagination blow our mind!
This article is also posted on Ringdom Writing Guide. For more tips, add this book to your library so that you will not miss our updates!
(By Alan & Chris)