you never can begin to live until you dare to die...

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Booby Traps wanted!! My Novel strikes again! A dilemma for the Devoted Scribblers... AND anyone else who can help!

Meet Marion. Well... this isn't really my Marion. This is a character from WoW or some other video/computer game like that. I wouldn't know, exactly. I'm not a gamer.

But this picture is about as close to Marion as we get... besides the sketches that I've spun up of her, which are not uploaded on this computer. Her leather arm guards/armour are amazing.The red hair is perfect, though her expression is a little dark. She just needs a ski-jump nose, like she has in my book. =D

But I could do a character bio later. What were we discussing again? Ah yes. My novel dilemma.

I'm stuck.

If you'll remember, several months ago I mentioned a novel that I'd been writing since spring about Maid Marion Fitzwalter... and how she meets up with Robin Hood after he returns from campaigning for Richard's throne.

Are you willing to help me out? *Grins sheepishly*

Here's where I'm at:

Right now Guy of Gisbon (NOT Gisborne, and 'Guy' is pronounced the old English way--- "G-ee," rhyming with 'tree' and spoken with a hard 'G' sound) is setting a trap for Robin Hood, as so many legends tell. And yes, according to tradition, Marion is the bait. She's stuck in his castle... etc. The Gisbon/castle/trap scene is a minor excursion in relation to the plot of my entire book, but nonetheless, I'm stuck.

Guy is trying to trap Robin. But how?

Frankly, I need ALL your ideas concerning medieval booby traps. I need a really ingenious trap that will surprise both Rob and my readers. But what?

Whatever it is, Robin DOES get stuck in the trap... and then, of course, has to get out, making everything more exciting as danger piles upon danger.

Will you put on your thinking caps for me?

I'm not just looking for a trap door that collapses when he walks over it. It can be a 'trap' in any sense of the world. My mom suggested a moat with imported alligators. =D

Cleverness and creativity are what I need. I just don't know why I can't find mine. I've thought about this 'trap' so much that my brain refuses to give me any more ideas!!

Pull out your made-up or Medieval booby traps and head over to the comment box... if you dare. There are Gisbon's poisonous porcupines down there (how was that, Mom?)!

11 comments:

Lady Nai said...

Hmm. I'll think on that, eh? I love Robin Hood sneak-in-disguised-get-trapped-and-escape scenes. XD

Haley said...

Well, say Robin learns that Marian is trapped in Guy's castle. He with his merry men go to rescue her... then... they are surrounded by a lot of Guy's henchmen. Or perhaps Robin goes alone. And before he can blow on his horn for his men, he is surrounded, overpowered, and the horn stolen from him.

Or he could walk in the 'deserted' castle and the door slams shut behind him. But that's rather cliche.

Or Guy could make Marion go out to the gardens, acting as a visible lure. When Robin draws near, his henchmen... jump out?

Well, these aren't very exciting ideas. You've probably thought of them before. I'm sorry. I'll try to think of more, and exciting, ideas later. But I'm excited you're writing a story about Marian and Robin Hood! Have you posted any chapters on the forum??? I want to read it!!

Lady Nai said...

Hey, I just got an idea--don't know if it's any good, but I'll leave it here and think on it some more. There are a LOT of cliches to Robin Hood, so I'm thinking more on the wild side...

What if Marian isn't where Robin expects?

I can't think of a book I've read where Robin didn't *know* where she was. It's always a question of getting her out of the room or dungeon (has she ever been put in a dungeon?), not of finding where she is. Maybe Guy moves her around...puts her somewhere where there are a lot of servants and things anyway, or something. Haha, this is making me laugh. Kitchen. The kitchen was usually separate from the castle, I think (I know it was in Nottingham). I don't know what kind of Robin yours is--go on his own or take all the men--so you'll have to mess with it. You'd have to be careful not to get to "hanging scene rescue"-like, but someplace odd...hrm. Maybe he even moves her OUT of the castle and no one notices? So Rob's running around INSIDE the castle, trying to find her...okay, enough ramblings. Hopefully that'll spark an idea...(now, I'm not sure how you'll get him out of this lovely predicament, but...haha. I loved a book I read where Robin rescued someone from the dungeon by using BEES. So different! I laughed so hard...)

Eek. Helpful? I wish I could do a rescue scene. *sigh* Alas, Robin has already rescued her, and wishes he hadn't.

Robin: Well, I--

Me: Don't protest. I'm your author, remember, I know these things.

Robin: It depends on the day...

Me: I know, I know! You're already making this post long enough, now be QUIET.

Robin: Yes, m'author, dear.

Me: Not that again...>.>

Qwip said...

I say Guy stations his men so that Robin can slip past them all, but ties a huge rug up on the ceiling of a hall, and, once Robin thinks he's safe, drops it on him.

Anonymous said...

Idea - (weird idea, but idea)
Robin walks into a room in the castle looking for Marian (an obvious room) that has a huge rug on the floor.
What he doesn't know is that the four corners of the rug are attatched to ropes and draped over a thingie being held by evil henchmen (mwahahahahaaa) and so when Robin hood is in the middle of the room, BAM, they pull up and he's caught.

And I'd be glad to make you a signature!

hazel marie said...

Mmmm.. Seems as if Robin's been caught by every trick in the book(s), hasn't he?
My idea is rather...elaborate... and I don't know if it would at all fit your story.. But, how about a maze?
-He wanders in warily(of course. Would you go in to a suspicious maze confidently? XP) and Marion, alerted that he's there, calls to him. Saying that she is in the center, when actually and unbeknownst to her, she isn't. The real center holds some terrible danger, a den of hungry lions... or something... lol Yeah... I don't think anyone has thought of that :D-

I hope I've at least given you an idea of what you could do <:)
~Gwyn

ElizabethMarieKauffman said...

Ok, so I don't know if this idea would help at all, but the minute I read your post my mind immediately went straight to that one technique that was used during medieval warfare. When the attackers would dig a passage right under the castle wall using supports to hold it up, then once they were out, they would burn the supports and BA-BOOM!!! The castle wall would collapse. See, what I'm thinking is that maybe Marion is being kept in an outer turret, just for this purpose, so when Robin goes to save her, the turret just collapse under the both of them, but they somehow miraculously survive. . . . . Okay, this is sounding really cheesy. . . . And why would Sir Guy collapse his own castle??
. . . . .Unless. . . maybe, like Lady Nai said, Marion isn't where Robin thinks she is, and she ends up being in a cottage or some other building outside of the castle. Ooo, oo!!!! This is going to be good!! Ok, so Marion is in this cottage, and Robin finally realizes where she is, and goes to save her, but. . . (this is where it gets good!) little does he know, that the cottage has been rigged, so that it is pretty much set over a large pit, and if you step in the wrong place it'll collapse, and Maid Marion is tied right in the center of it.
Well, I hope that some of my rambles helped at least a little bit. You now know how dangerous it is to get me set off on exciting adventure thoughts having to do with writing an exciting story!!! :) lol.

Assr vísa ykkarr or∂.

~ElizabethMarieKauffman~

ElizabethMarieKauffman said...

Ok, so I don't know if this idea would help at all, but the minute I read your post my mind immediately went straight to that one technique that was used during medieval warfare. When the attackers would dig a passage right under the castle wall using supports to hold it up, then once they were out, they would burn the supports and BA-BOOM!!! The castle wall would collapse. See, what I'm thinking is that maybe Marion is being kept in an outer turret, just for this purpose, so when Robin goes to save her, the turret just collapse under the both of them, but they somehow miraculously survive. . . . . Okay, this is sounding really cheesy. . . . And why would Sir Guy collapse his own castle??
. . . . .Unless. . . maybe, like Lady Nai said, Marion isn't where Robin thinks she is, and she ends up being in a cottage or some other building outside of the castle. Ooo, oo!!!! This is going to be good!! Ok, so Marion is in this cottage, and Robin finally realizes where she is, and goes to save her, but. . . (this is where it gets good!) little does he know, that the cottage has been rigged, so that it is pretty much set over a large pit, and if you step in the wrong place it'll collapse, and Maid Marion is tied right in the center of it.
Well, I hope that some of my rambles helped at least a little bit. You now know how dangerous it is to get me set off on exciting adventure thoughts having to do with writing an exciting story!!! :) lol.

Assr vísa ykkarr or∂.

~ElizabethMarieKauffman~

Rachel Kimberly said...

Okay, my idea is pretty outlandish... possibly bordering on cheesy.

Guy sets up a small trebuchet (they're so awesome!) so that it is somehow hidden inside the castle. When Robin gets inside the castle, he tries to find Marian, who is hidden on the other side of the secret trebuchet. Robin goes toward her voice and gets caught in the trebuchet's sling, and he gets flung hard against a wall. Ouch.

*wince* Maybe the others have better ideas for you. :) Anyway, blessings on your writing!

Sarah A. said...

Guy could get marion to tell Robin that she no longer loves him (on pain of death of course) and then Guy makes the then attractive offer to let him join him as his head man. Robin is suspicious but follows and as they go to shake hands Guy clubs robin over the head and throws him in his dungeon!

Cjay said...

Try googling medieval traps and see what you come up with or just traps and maybe that will spark some ideas. Have a great Christmas. Jeff