4 cents

One more idea that I think will drive a lot of your posts away from plot and into character. I think there's too much dialog about plot, but I'm a strong believer in that if you have nailed down a solid, likable character, then the plot will unfold itself naturally. So it would really benefit you guys if you start talking about the main character in each of these stories. What's the ghost's personality like? the bear? and the others in the other two stories? Character association helps sometimes too. (Bear is like Marlin Brando in Godfather) It's the Homer Simpson Theory: you take Homer, put him in any situation and you've got an instant entertaining story. Why? Because Homer is such a solid character. The audience is more entertained with Homer, than they are with the plot. Characters should really drive story, not the other way around.