Another week, another 7000 words. I have now navigated what might be described as the Inciting Incident, in that it sets the action in train for the rest of the novel. Although I want to be as open as I can about the process of writing, I cannot bring myself to reveal it, since it is the book’s big selling point.
However, it means that there has been a major gear shift. Olly, our protagonist, has been driven to make a dramatic change in his life. It turns his whole existence upside down. And it’s all in pursuit of the goal that was set out clearly at the beginning of the story - literary fame. Character desire is very important for any story, because it is what usually binds the plot together.
Olly is terrified what it it is he is doing, and so is his partner, Heather, who is in on the plot. So before the inciting incident takes place, a lot of pressure is applied. Like desire, pressure has to be mounting all the time in a story. Characters are being forced into a position that makes them very uncomfortable - so uncomfortable that the have to make a choice that leads to dramatic action. Choice, like desire and pressure, is absolutely key to any story. Why? Because we all struggle with choice, and books , specifically novels, help us navigate that journey, by providing a sort of flight simulator of choice.
Our protagonist is going to have to live with the consequences of his choice, which of course turn out to be very different to those which he expected. As a result he is cast into a kind of limbo state, which is very typical of Act 2 of any story, where the protagonist has lost his or her way, and needs to work out how to escape the deep and dark woods they have wandered into.
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