NanoWrimo Book 2022

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.
(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.
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Joal and Tony are walking down the street they grew up on talking about what girls they wanted to go with to their high school prom in just a couple of weeks. They had been neighbors since the 3rd grade, and this was a day like any other day.

The boys were laughing and joking. Tony was kicking a rock as he walked. Joal was describing his dream girl. "I want her to be not too fat and not too skinny. She would have long brown hair and green eyes. I want her to be at least average height. She needs to be talented and athletic, kind, hard-working, and smart."

Tony punched Joal on the shoulder, "Every girl can't look and be like July Wright, you know?"

"I didn't say that!" said Joal, rubbing his shoulder.

"You just described her!" Tony said, laughing.

All of a sudden, everything began going in slow motion as they heard a loud pop and Tony fell over onto Joal. There were 5 more pops, and then 2 more. What was happening didn't register at first. There were 3 more pops and Joal felt something like a punch and burning in his left arm. Then silence. Not even any birds were chirping.

Joal reached up and grabbed his arm. It felt warm and wet. When he looked down, he realized his arm was bleeding. Someone was running down the road toward them and yelling. "Are you okay? Is anybody hurt?"

That's when he saw Tony bleeding from his head and limp lying right beside him. Joal yelled back to the man coming toward them, "Yes, we need help!"

It wasn't long before the man reached their location. "I saw what happened! My wife is calling for help!"

Still feeling dazed and beginning to feel in shock, Joal answered, "I am bleeding from my arm, but Tony is bleeding from the head. What should we do?"

The man took off his shirt and tore it. Then he wrapped it around Tony's head to try to stop the bleeding and gave the other piece to Joal to wrap around his arm. Joal did as he was told still trying to wrap his head around what had just happened.