# How to: adventure story (not action adventure)



## auntiebetty (Feb 14, 2015)

I am writing a short story (POV dead guy). I believe his experience is an "adventure." However, something must be missing because my critique group says it is not an adventure story. What are the keys to an "adventure" story?


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## K.S. Crooks (Feb 14, 2015)

For me the characters need to:
1) Go somewhere uncommon or exotic.
2) Be at risk from the environment a few times.
3) Have a goal that affects more than only the characters in the book, especially if the characters fail.
An extra would be gaining knowledge beyond what they were initially looking for.
I think for me an adventure story goes places to a variety of locations, the goals are rare and failure has a an affect beyond the lives of the characters. Hope this helps.


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## bazz cargo (Feb 14, 2015)

Hi AuntieBetty,
nice to meet you.

Hmm... Adventure. Thrills, spills and the occasional chills. 

I'd say things happening, not just a load of talking. 

You need ten useful posts and then I suggest you post a portion of the story in the Prose Workshop where I can help you properly.

Good luck
BC


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## Jeko (Feb 14, 2015)

There's a difference between an 'adventure' and an 'adventure story'.

The right genre will find its way to whatever you write as long as you write it well. I'd just focus on telling the best story you can, whether it turns out the way you envision it or not. People may positively appreciate your work in ways you never will.


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## auntiebetty (Feb 14, 2015)

Dear K.S. Crooks, bass cargo, and Cadence: Thank you for your help. 

K.C.: your specific tips are Gr8.

    Cadence: I am writing a short story to meet a required theme: Adventure. I had hoped my story would evolve to that. While my story is fun and interesting and unique, it doesn't yet meet the specifics suggested by K. S. Crooks.the specific tips posted by K.s. crooks. My POV character is dead and in the place narcissistic, self-centered people go after death. it doesn't yet have the necessary risks and broad important payoffs.

bazz cargo:  I have been a Forum member for years. I haven't been on the site for years. All my credits for old posts are probably gone. I'll thnk about starting over. I don't like to post whole stories here because it is considered PUBLISHED!


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## Terry D (Feb 14, 2015)

auntiebetty said:


> Dear K.S. Crooks, bass cargo, and Cadence: Thank you for your help.
> 
> K.C.: your specific tips are Gr8.
> 
> ...



If you post your work to the Prose Writer's Workshop it is protected from visibility by search engines and is not considered 'published'. That would be a safe place to post and preserve your first rights.


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## bazz cargo (Feb 14, 2015)

^Wot Tel said. 'Sides, if you already have a record somewhere you don't need to start again, go on, post an excerpt in the 'Prose Workshop' where it is safe from being published and PM me a link, I know you want to...


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## Jeko (Feb 14, 2015)

> I am writing a short story to meet a required theme: Adventure.



Again, there is a difference between the theme of 'adventure' and an adventure story. If the people critiquing you can't see that, then taking their advice too much may limit the potential of your work. There are many ways you can bring out the theme of adventure without anyone going on any so-called 'adventures' at all.

Just look at how the movie _UP _handles it; as much as the story screams 'adventure', the theme is brilliantly fleshed-out through the marital relationship we get to see unfold beneath the action and 'adventure' of the story. Everyone may dream of going to their own Paradise Falls, but marriage is one of the greatest adventures you can have.


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## auntiebetty (Feb 14, 2015)

Dear Terry D, bazz cargo, and Cadance: I can't thank you enough for your help and suggestions. Since my last critique group session, I  have incorporated some "fixes" into my story (but have not yet incorporated the #2&3 tips from Cadence. I'll work on that over the next few days. Then, I will post to prose workshop. I would also send a PM a link to bazz cargo if I figure out how to do that. Thanks again. I'll be back ASAP.


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## Morkonan (Feb 15, 2015)

auntiebetty said:


> I am writing a short story (POV dead guy). I believe his experience is an "adventure." However, something must be missing because my critique group says it is not an adventure story. What are the keys to an "adventure" story?









When Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin and the rest of the crew go on "an adventure", where do they go? How do they "go on an adventure?" They go to "The Hundred Acre Wood." It's not Wallmart and it's not "Fred's Farm", it's "The Hundred Acre Wood."

An "adventure" can be best summed up as "A Journey Into the Unknown." That is the most critical of any component in an adventure story. The characters are not going to a well-known place or even one where they can have realistic expectations of what they might encounter. Instead, it's a mystery. And, with that "mystery", there must always be an element of risk or danger. That's another component of an adventure story - There must be risk. Risk, not only upon arrival, but risks that must be faced along the way. The risk of travel, itself, is often an important part of many adventure stories.

So, what's another important component? Why go on an adventure at all? In other words, there's a reason that they go on an adventure. That's the final, major, component in adventure stories - A reason for going. Usually, that's tied to the basic premise of the plot. So, a magical talisman that will heal a friend's wounds can only be found by those brave enough to dare to venture into the Depths of the Unknown Temple. The Unknown Temple is located in the Mysterious Slain Lands, inhabited by foul beasties and giant man-eating lawyers... 

What do you need to do before you go on an adventure? Why, you need to prepare, yes? You must gather your allies or find some on the way. You may also need to consult with knowledgeable persons in order to give you clues about what to expect. Except, these clues aren't for the heroes! No, they're for the reader, in order to heighten the drama by presenting a palpable risk that is known amongst all these mysterious components. 

It's important to note that an "adventure" differs from the concept of a "Hero's Journey" in that there is little or no initial refusal, may not be much internal growth or change of the principal character and doesn't require the Hero to bring back a boon or secret knowledge. An adventure is simply what it is - A dangerous journey into the unknown where the risks are serious, the destination mysterious, and the goal rewarding enough, or desirable enough, to motivate the characters to endure the journey and the dangers in order to gain it.


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## auntiebetty (Feb 15, 2015)

Dear Morkonan: OH-thank you so much for your eloquent reply. I am working on my story this morning. this current effort is a challenge for me as I have never written either adventure or fantasy and I'm combining both in this short story limited to 2,500 words. I will use every bit of your advice. And, I will keep working it until I get it right. Please stay tuned for updates.


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## Carousel (Feb 15, 2015)

My POV character is dead and in the place narcissistic, self-centered people go after death. it doesn't yet have the necessary risks and broad important payoffs.

Sounds a little like a fantasy to me; perhaps that’s why it was turned down as an adventure story. The inhabitants are not there for adventure, just that the act of dying placed them there.

The past is a very fertile ground for an adventure story and can give the setting an exotic feel. The downside is it will demand a little research but what you need to give the story an authentic ring can be found easily on the web.
To illustrate what I mean imagine an adventure set on the Orient Express or the Trans Siberian Express of the 1930s. The search for Amelia Earhart' the missing American female flyer or lost in the Bermuda Triangle, the list goes on and on.

Regards Cari.


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## auntiebetty (Feb 17, 2015)

Dear Cari:

I think I have a fantasy on my hands vs an adventure. The fantasy is purely from within myself and not based on any research or similar story. I am going to post the roughly two-thousand words I have ready to the Prose Workshop. Maybe it is garbage, maybe it just needs tweaking, maybe it is ready to publish and I'll get some ideas of where to submit. The place I wanted to submit it as an adventure has a 2,500 word limit. Perhaps with some work, I can convert what I have now to introduction leading to rising action--introduce some risk . . .

I'm always trying.


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