Right, so we’re nine days into NaNoWriMo and I’m a tad behind my target. This is where I start to need some plot ninjas to keep me going through the month. I’m glad I asked some friends to think some up for me, though of course, now they’ve done that, they’re going to want to see them written down somewhere, even if they don’t make it into the actual story. So (and don’t blame me – I didn’t come up with them!) here goes …
1 – Somebody in the story gets stopped for speeding, by a policeman who is clearly only interested in extracting a bribe …
Interesting. If I’d set this story in the UAE, where I set most of my stories, I wouldn’t touch this one with a barge pole! But as I’ve set it in a fictional, English, Midsomer Murders – type village, it could definitely provide a useful little plot twist.
2 – Either the hero or the heroine gets framed for shoplifting by a love rival …
Again, one I wouldn’t want to use in a Dubai setting (without time to research all the local, legal aspects of it, which I obviously don’t have, for NaNo). But for the purposes of my story – where things keep going disastrously wrong for the heroine – yes. I like that one.
3 – One of the characters becomes a victim of identity theft…
I’m starting to wonder about my friends! But yes, that has loads of potential!
4 – One of the main characters finds a lost toddler and has to look after it until the police come …
That’s one which could be used pretty easily. It could also start a new story thread, which could be woven back in, later on.
5 – A childhood nemesis returns/turns up to give one of the characters some grief …
Yep, another possibility. And a chance to throw in a good chunk of backstory.
6 – Somebody turns up, mistakenly (or not) claiming to be the illegitimate sibling of one of the protagonists …
Hmm – that sounds to me like the basis of an actual plot rather than a plot ninja. But I could be wrong – I’m happy to be corrected!
7 – A storm knocks all the power out for an hour and a group of characters are stranded together. Without their hi-tech gadgets, all they can do is talk to each other …
Obviously inspired by last week’s storm. This would be a good plot ninja for writers like me who love writing dialogue.
8 – Include a messy incident involving a bottle of ketchup …
Easy enough. Although it won’t generate a huge amount of writing.
9 – Somebody has a catastrophe at the hairdressers …
Actually I’ve already got something of that nature planned for later in the story, with a bride-to-be in a spray tanning booth.
Some of these should come in useful as the month progresses. Next week we’ll be halfway through this year’s challenge and I’ll be checking in with some fellow participants to compare notes. I hope I’ll have been able to catch up …
Picture courtesy of Morguefile.
April Hardy - Writing in the Sand 