Fatal Flaw?

[Steven Jenkins]

I just spotted a huge flaw in my story - but think it isn't critical. Just after some advice

My plot is about getting a mem-stick with vitally important data on it to a particular person & place.

My flaw is that this data could feasibly be uploaded to the person via the internet, or the mem-stick posted in the mail, which kinda undermines my hero's hazardous trek across the country.

I'm covering this flaw by exposing that the mem-stick is hardware protected, so if it's inserted into a standard USB port the data gets fried - and if it's posted in the mail it could get intercepted by the authrities who are hunting for the mem-stick.

This arse-covering seems a bit feeble I know, but I'm still feeling kinda safe here because my flaw is the self-same one I've just spotted in STAR-WARS, and nobody else ever seems to have done so.

What do you think? Am I safe on this one, or not?

Many thanks

Steve Jenkins
rebel base
3rd planet on left past death-star
galaxy far-far-way

hmm!
Maybe I just answered my own question.

[Richmond Weems]

Originally Posted by Steven Jenkins

I'm covering this flaw by exposing that the mem-stick is hardware protected, so if it's inserted into a standard USB port the data gets fried - and if it's posted in the mail it could get intercepted by the authrities who are hunting for the mem-stick.

I think you did just answer your own question. Those sound okay to me. And I'm not sure how much comedy you have in your script, but you could have your main character try to mail the mem-stick, but when he goes to the UPS store to send it out, maybe he's not confident in their ability to get the package out without damaging it. (I'm thinking of the opening of Ace Ventura, only I don't think you need to be as broad as that.)

As far as fatal flaws, there is no greater flaw than in The Fellowship of the Ring when they're discussing what to do with the One Ring: Just have the eagle drop it into the volcano. Yeah, yeah, before all the Ring fans get up in arms about how the eagles wouldn't be involved in the affairs of man, blahblahblah...but you woulda thought SOMEONE would've mentioned it.

HH

[Steven Jenkins]

Thanks for the reassurance HH

Nice one spotting that about the eagles And I always wondered why the Valar let Melkor out of his prison in the first place (in "The Silmirillian").

I think I've covered my flaw up further, by having a twist that the hero's quest is just a dummy to let the bad guys recover the plans, leaving somebody else free to deliver a copy of them unlooked for.

hmm - maybe there''s some more milage in that one too - unless this idea itself is a big plot-flaw...? I mean, imagine if Luke's quest was one of many, with 20-30 other messangers showing up at the rebel-base long before he does.

[Ronaldinho]

Originally Posted by Steven Jenkins

This arse-covering seems a bit feeble I know, but I'm still feeling kinda safe here because my flaw is the self-same one I've just spotted in STAR-WARS, and nobody else ever seems to have done so.

Back when Star Wars was made, most people didn't know what a floppy disk was and hadn't even heard of email. Besides which, it's science fiction: "the rules of the universe are that this much data requires a specialized droid to hold it" - even though it was "beamed" to Leia's ship - and people accept it.

Things are very different today, in a film set in our world. I think you need something like it can only be read on a certain machine or something, as a security feature.

The mail thing you can dodge in a variety of ways - you know the post office requires you to hand packages above a certain size to a person, you can't just drop them off, right? Well, you can, if you just bought the postage in such a way as its trackable to your credit card.

You could probably work something in along those lines.

[jonpiper]

Originally Posted by Steven Jenkins

I'm covering this flaw if it's posted in the mail it could get intercepted by the authrities who are hunting for the mem-stick.

Perhaps there's no delivery address. He must deliver it in person at a public place.

[Ravenlocks]

Originally Posted by haroldhecuba

As far as fatal flaws, there is no greater flaw than in The Fellowship of the Ring when they're discussing what to do with the One Ring: Just have the eagle drop it into the volcano. Yeah, yeah, before all the Ring fans get up in arms about how the eagles wouldn't be involved in the affairs of man, blahblahblah...but you woulda thought SOMEONE would've mentioned it.

HH

Wow. I can't believe in all the times I read the books I never, ever thought of that.

Originally Posted by Steven Jenkins

hmm - maybe there''s some more milage in that one too - unless this idea itself is a big plot-flaw...? I mean, imagine if Luke's quest was one of many, with 20-30 other messangers showing up at the rebel-base long before he does.

That would be kinda cool, and kinda funny, and also kinda anticlimactic. If you were to go that route, you might need to have your protag learn about all the other messengers in late Act II, and then go on to save the day himself in Act III. Somehow.

[tgg001]

Maybe he does mail it and then it keeps getting returned mysteriously... Or maybe there is a USPS strike after he mails it. Then he's gotta go pry it out of one of those big blue metal mail boxes on the street? That could be fun.

[Steven Jenkins]

Thanks for all the help and great ideas everyone

Makes me feel this idea isn't totally nonsense

Many thanks

[Southern_land]

i'm assuming the protag will accompany the flash drive ao maybe the drive is password protected and he's scared of the password being intercepted too.

Remember the old say "don't ask if you're paranoid, ask if you're paranoid enough?"
________
CHILIS GIFT CARD

[Steven Jenkins]

No. The protag doesn't have a big part in this one - it's one of those split protag/MC stories. The MC is caught up in the struggle between the protag/antag, neither of whom get much screen-time.

The MC has to work out what's going on, and make plans on-the-fly.