All fingers and thumbs

Oct 4 The story starts

"2021 Prep Calendar"  [E]

Oct. 04: - Plot: Beginning (Where does your story start?) ▼

(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.

Wolf Meyer's Ordinary world is described in "Backstory Protagonist - Contest entry" .
A fairly ordinary guy is living his life in Los Angeles with a new dog. He is a bike courier by day and a poet by night.

How to establish normality through action and dialog? (Do not bore the reader!)

By his funny dialogue with his dog Brigadier while feeding him. […]
By his witty dialog with neighbors while leaving or entering the apartment. […]
By his funny talk with customers while delivering packages and folders. […]
By his witty dialog with neighbors while walking Brigadier. […]
By citing funny quotes or jokes whenever he got the chance. [Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac? - George Carlin; If toast always lands butter-side down, and cats always land on their feet, what happens if you strap toast on the back of a cat and drop it? Steven Wright; Crocodiles are easy. They try to kill and eat you. People are harder. Sometimes they pretend to be your friend first. - Steve Irwin;]

Blog on Spicing up Dialog  

(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.

After purchasing the book and meeting Poppy, there are a few trigger incidents that prompt him to take on this journey to investigate and leave for China.

Call to Adventure:
- When Wolf feels the urge to buy the Book at the auction. (first call)

- There is a fire in the basement while nobody is in the house; Poppy's cat is missing, and Wolf's dog gets a freaky accident. They experience mysterious phenomenons like knocking sounds in the middle of the night, pawprints in the bathroom, reflections in mirrors. They trace the incidents back to the Book.(second call)

- Wolf wins 100,000 dollars in the lottery. He can quit his job and investigate in China with Poppy. (Accidental, deliberate, or divine intervention?)(third call)