October Novel Prep Challenge

Good morning all,

Hope the planning is going along as smoothly as it could be. Today's assignment focuses on the Plot's Climax. Where is your story going? It is a brainstorming day. Consider possible options and see where they take you.

Remember these "What ifs?' need to move your story forward. These will build the conflict of your story and also develop your character - helping them to grow and change throughout their story. Consider who else they meet. Are they friends and allies or more problems?

When I was doing my own story I found my character can talk to a ghost in Washington Square Park… and this added a dimension to my story I had not even considered.

Don’t be afraid to surprise yourself. Brainstorm and have fun with it.

Oct. 7: - Plot: Climax (Where is the story going?):
Where is your story going? Describe the climax, the point at which everything changes and the tension of the primary conflict is finally resolved. Use the 'What If' brainstorming exercise to create a list of possibilities, remembering to consider the growth of / change in your main character(s) as a result of this event. The climax can be as hidden and seemingly tiny as that moment when your character finally makes that decision they've been dreading or avoiding for fifteen chapters, or it can be as huge and obvious as an exploding planet. Sometimes, the climax is a little hard to pin down. Was it the moment Ender won his game? Or was it the moment he realized the moving images on his screen were not a simulation, not the game he thought it was, and that he had just personally wiped out an entire alien race?

Check out: Endings: The Good, the Bad, and the Insanely Great - this is on the prep calendar. It is very long.

I've added this much shorter video:


And an Example - Finding Nemo: