2021 Nano Prep

Oct. 09: - CONTEST ROUND: Protagonist Background Story ֎

Write a story about your protagonist that takes place outside of your novel. Make your readers relate to him or her in such a way that we would be devastated if he or she were to experience conflict (which, ultimately, sometime in November, he/she will.) The object of the contest is to make your judges root for your protagonist! Simply put: the character we like best wins. If your protagonist is a drug dealer or someone similarly ""unlikeable"" (a.k.a, an ""anti-hero""), never fear! I love Vlad Taltos, the professional assassin. You can make us love your character, too.


Angela decided that this weekend she was taking time for herself. She hopped in her little convertible Mustang and took off to parts unknown. She stopped when she was hungry and landed up in Bryan, Texas. She parked, grabbed her backpack and headed off to explore.

It was a comfortable afternoon, and there were kids on bicycles, moms jogging behind high tech baby strollers and dogs taking their owners for a walk. She found a little café with tables outside, and settled in for some lunch.

She checked Google maps to see if there was anything interesting in the area. She hears a noise as a kid runs past her table. She looks up and sees a young boy sprinting away with her backpack over his shoulder. She jumps up, knocking her chair over and starts chasing the little thief.

Loaded down with a burger and fries, Angela struggled to get going, but quickly found her rhythm. She could see the boy turn the corner and slip out of sight. She kicked it up a notch. She just made the corner when she saw him duck into a vacant lot.

She went through an accounting of what all she had in her backpack as she turned into the unkept lot. She really needed to catch that kid. Her life was in that bag minus her cell phone in her pocket.

There was a beaten path that ran through the lot to a chain link fence with a good sized gash cut into the wire on the far side of a parking lot. Angela could see the boy making his way into a small building. Angela ducked into the opening and sprinted up to the building.

It was an old gas station being readied for demolition. The glass had been broken out of the front door. Angela approached the building quietly. She listened near the door and could hear rustling in the back right corner, behind empty snack shelves. She could see the other door was boarded up. Hopefully that meant only one way out.

"I know you are in here," said Angela.

The boy was quiet.

"I just want my bag back. You can have the sixty bucks in there even. Just come out, and we'll settle up. Deal?"

There was no response.

She moved into the store stepping in the areas free of glass from the broken door. She edged close to the nearest shelf and tried to look over it. She could see the edge of her bag. She backed away to the doorway, turned her head to the left and said, "Come on, dude."

She hear him bolt, and as he came around the shelf, she grabbed the strap of the backpack and slung him to the ground. He crashed into the front of the checkout area. She slid down to her knees and grabbed the backpack strap in her left hand and his shirt in the other.

"Okay, buddy. What's going to happen now?"

He looked up at her. His face was smudged with dirt, and his clothes were several days past the acceptable dirtiness. He looked homeless.

"I just want all my stuff. You can have the cash. Now hand over what you have. Don't make me call the cops."

His looked panicked when the mentioned the police, and he struggled to get up.

"No cops if you cooperate." She pulled the bag from him and stood, pulling him up with her.

He made for the door, but she anticipated that move and stepped into him retreat. She pushed him backwards, and he landed on his butt.

"Don't!" he yelled. He sat up and scooted back against the shelving.

"Then cooperate." Angela stuck her hand into her bag and felt around at the contents without taking her eyes off the boy. At least her keys and her tablet were in the bag. "Where's my wallet?"

He looked up and shrugged.

"You want to play hard ball? Want to go to juvie? Been there yet? I know what it is like. So hand over the wallet or else, little man." She approached him and went back down on her knees.

He shot up, charged her and knocked her backwards and made it past her.

She laid on her back, and slapped her right hand on to the floor. "Man, I hate going to the driver's license office."

She stood up, dusted herself off and began the walk back to the café. Hopefully she could pay with her phone.




Oct. 09: - CONTEST ROUND: Protagonist Background Story ▼

Write a story about your protagonist that takes place outside of your novel. Make your readers relate to him or her in such a way that we would be devastated if he or she were to experience conflict (which, ultimately, sometime in November, he/she will.) The object of the contest is to make your judges root for your protagonist! Simply put: the character we like best wins. If your protagonist is a drug dealer or someone similarly ""unlikeable"" (a.k.a, an ""anti-hero""), never fear! I love Vlad Taltos, the professional assassin. You can make us love your character, too.

*Contest Round entries may be any rating. Submit your ITEM or ENTRY number by 1200 noon WDC time on Sunday to compete. WDC time is New York City time and can be found at the top of the IM Console. If you miss this deadline or choose not to compete, you must still log the assignment complete (without linking your work) for the grand prize, per the standard Prep guidelines.