I don't know what to do with my storyline, and i need other peoples opinion on what to do.
[Sorry if i marked this in the wrong subreddit! It's my first time asking for advice on reddit.]
To start this off, I've had the same original characters for around a year now. I've grown a storyline, lore and attachment to these characters. Over time I realized my story was terribly written, so, i scrapped it and decided to start anew.
Every (And i mean every.) idea i've had has felt cliche, or just not right. I want to step out of the box that i've created for these characters and what i want to do with the story, but stepping out the box means ditching the actual plot and thing that makes this story special to me. So i'm stuck.
And, i'm asking the humble people of Reddit to help me out. I hope this doesn't fall into the 'Give me a prompt' category. i just hope someone can read the plot and help me actually form a coherent storyline.
The plot is super simple really. A 14 year old boy moves across Japan to the country because of his parents!' divorce. He has an encounter with a ghost boy, and through sheer bad luck, eventually finds himself attached to this entity. The two become friends, and the boy has an affinity for seeing ghosts/spirits/yokai. He becomes friends with a group of 4 Yokai (including the ghost attached to him) who inhabit an abandoned school.
The rest for me is blank. Every idea i've had for what i want to do with them has fallen flat what i actually WANT. The entire vibe is supposed to be very liminal, and horror-esc. I've wanted to do something similar to where he explores the countryside, and has fun with his new ghost friends. And the consequences that follow when his life begins to revolve around the dead. But it feels super cliche and not original at all. I take lots of inspiration from Takopis original sin, the summer hikaru died, Toilet bound hanako kun and omori.