2021 Nano Prep

Oct. 04: - Plot: Beginning

(1) Describe your protagonist's life in the beginning (""Ordinary World"" or ""Stasis"") of the story. Brainstorm ways you could establish normality through action and dialog to avoid boring your reader.

Angela was put in a children's home at age 6 with her 3 year old brother. Their mother dies in prison when Angela was 8. Her mother was incarcerated for vehicular manslaughter with a pedestrian, driving drunk with the kids in the car, and multiple drug charges.

She meets Doc when he starts volunteering at the children's home. He had a little workshop, and that is where he tinkers with his idea that was the cause of his disgrace and expulsion from the academic community. He is killed in an automobile accident right after his discovery. Angela takes the device and jumps back in time one day to flatten his tire.

An English assignment about Robin Hood put the idea in Angela's head about using the device to go back and steal from the misers that had all of the gold. Then selling the gold in the current day.


(2) Describe the inciting incident or trigger (""Call to Adventure"") that prompts your protagonist(s) to embark on this story's journey (whether literal or metaphorical) and face the conflict. This incident could be large and obvious like a death or disaster, or it could be seemingly insignificant, such as an offhand comment by another character.

When Doc passes away from pancreatic cancer in his 90s, his great-grandson, Gregory decides that maybe the old man wasn't really crazy. Maybe he did have a device to travel in time. He tells Angela that at the funeral and she discounts him. Plays it off, like Doc was a bit off his rocker.

Gregory convinces his friend, Buddy, to earn Angela's trust and find out about the time travel or at least be a friend to Angela. Tells Buddy that Angela has stolen from him, his birthright, so very valuable. Gregory follows them for a while and eventually Buddy and him ambush Angela and takes the device. They take Sandy and lure Angela in with the threat of death or bring the device.

Where the story should begin is something I am still thinking through.

Oct. 04: - Plot: Beginning ▼

Oct. 04: - Plot: Beginning (Where does your story start?) ▼

(1) Describe your protagonist's life in the beginning (""Ordinary World"" or ""Stasis"") of the story. Brainstorm ways you could establish normality through action and dialog to avoid boring your reader.
(2) Describe the inciting incident or trigger (""Call to Adventure"") that prompts your protagonist(s) to embark on this story's journey (whether literal or metaphorical) and face the conflict. This incident could be large and obvious like a death or disaster, or it could be seemingly insignificant, such as an offhand comment by another character.