Welcome to...
The Novel Carnival
Five days of lessons, prizes, and invention. By the time the funfair departs, your novel may never be the same.
(in a good way)
This is day one of the Novel Carnival.
Today's dare: kill your protagonist
Today's video: are you actually getting your main characters in trouble?
Today's bonus: what "stakes" really are
Day one: the fortune teller
The circus does not seem fully open yet.
Most of the rides and theatrics are still being worked on, and you are allowed in without buying a ticket.
Perhaps it was a mistake to come here.
However, one tent appears already set up and ready: the fortune teller, Madame Fortinbras.
In the dark interior, her eyes look very green and her teeth, quite long.
She regards you with surprising kindness.
The Dare... are you ready?
She does not check your palm or deal out cards. Instead, she merely says: I see a tall stranger in your path, carrying a scythe.
Perhaps she sees alarm in your eyes, because she quickly laughs. The reaper does not always mean an ending. The winter is a reaper of the old year, clearing out what is tired and gone, making room for new growth. Our own beginnings, too, require freedom from what has passed.
- Madame Fortinbras
The dare for day one: kill your protagonist
This is just a "dare," and you don't actually have to do it. Rather, this dare invites you to think afresh about your story.
To earn your place on the leaderboard, you should share a one-sentence idea of how you might apply this to your current novel-in-progress.
For a brief moment in your story, someone believes your protagonist is dead.
Or your protagonist could have a scare -- a fall, a car crash -- that provokes a surprising reaction in another character.
Or if it makes sense for the magic or tech of your story's world, they really could die and be brought back.
Or, if you have a lot of protagonists, you could Games-of-Thrones one of them.
What does this brief brush with the reaper change or add to your story?
When you have an idea, good, bad, or "THIS DEFINITELY WON'T WORK" -- share it in one sentence to earn your place on the leaderboard.
Excellent!
Now watch your craft lesson and download your bonus for the day:
"Why is death so important in stories? Why does change always seem to require risk?"
- Madame Fortinbras
Craft lesson: Why writers don't always put their protagonists in enough danger
Click to play
Now get your handout for this craft concept:
Okay! That was day one of the Carnival!
Have you tried out the dare, watched the video, and downloaded the handout?
A new lesson will appear on this page tomorrow.
Ready to join the leaderboard, and share your dare?
All you need is a one-sentence description of how you might apply the dare to your story: