Advice/Help Stranded Island Plot Help

[Lord Aphrodite]

So, I’ve had a plot idea bouncing around in my head for a while now. I want to develop it as a side project, and capitalize it when I’m not busy.

The plot idea extremely simplified is “Guy and girl are stranded on an island.”

This make the idea more complex, the idea is sorta mixed with Tarzan, if any of you are familiar with that time period (around the 1900’s).The man is one of the classic “tough male heroes” and the woman “dainty and delicate.”

This is to give the idea that the two could have contrasting personalities that they need to overcome in order to survive. The man needs to be more caring, the woman tougher.

The characters can be changed obviously, but I like the time period and thus, there would be prevailing gender roles that are present.

So with that backstory put forth, here’s my problem:

How to I make a very simple plot more complex? Because the current plot (if you haven’t guessed it) is “get off this God forsaken island.”

I have ideas for character development, but it doesn’t mean squat if my partner and I are getting bored. Any tips?

 

[NilsiFjel]

I don't have any specific suggestions for plot, but if you have never read / seen Swiss Family Robinson, perhaps read or watch and see if there are any sprigs of inspiration?

Hipe this helps!

 

[Lord Aphrodite]

I don't have any specific suggestions for plot, but if you have never read / seen Swiss Family Robinson, perhaps read or watch and see if there are any sprigs of inspiration?

Hipe this helps!

I’ll have to do that! Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Onmyoji]

Give them adventure! They shouldn't just sit around trying to survive

* They get attacked by a wild animal and need to escape
* One of them gets injured and other needs to help them
* The island is not uninhabited and they stumble upon wild tribes that can either capture them or become their friends (or both)
* They can explore the island and stumble upon the remnants of an evil cult (if you want some fantasy or mystery)
* They can spot a passing ship and will try to attract its attention but fail in the end

I think I watched a bit of that show that was suggested and it could be quite a good source of ideas indeed!

 

[Idea]

Well, by design a deserted island doesn't have a lot of space to branch out. So I say, rather than outward, maybe inward is where you want to look for developing the story.
->Prior relation between the man and the woman
->How did they get on the island and how does that affect their situation there
->Has either of them perhaps incurred an injurry and now they need to find something to help them? Like if you broke a hand or a foot, or just had a big wound, you'd need to improvise means of dealing with it
->They must have gotten in the island somehow. Maybe they want to retrieve something lost in the wreck, like an important family trinket?
->If the two innitially don't get along and go their separate ways, maybe you can explore the psyhological side effects of isolation and how it impacts their actions and perception within the island, creating a plot where they have to learn to get along better so they can avoid their own mind becoming a danger to themselves
->Uncovering something important about the island worth exploring and which might create conflict between them
->more externally, something which could kill them and which they have to stop so that they have a chance to escape at all

That kind of thing.

Spoiler

Other ideas
*first person that rescues them is a douchebag who has conditions for rescuing them
*it is all secretely a reality show