01-05-2012, 06:10 PM
sounds like you need to start with deeper characters. what kinds of personalities do they have? what exactly would they be looking for in an adventure? how big is the boat they're on? are there other people on the boat? what is the world like? it would help if you could design the entire world, and just take a slice of it. there is something in acting called the 'iceburg character' where the actor will make up the character's entire life up until the beginning of the story, and use that in their portrayal of the character. i know it sounds dumb to come up with a bunch of backstory that you may not even use, but it would really help shape the characters, and then the story should write itself. if it doesn't, just add more depth to your characters.