Day 5
Word count: 9,270 words
Word count goal: 10,000 words
Mapping the Hero’s Journey: The Refusal
Save The Cat
Today, I dove into my surreal images folder on Pinterest. Today my character will be convincing himself that his ordinary life is better than the call to adventure. He’ll be considering the structure he has created that constitutes his home and relationships.
Plotting with Tarot
Today’s Hero’s Journey reading is The Refusal. The center card is The Refusal card, the one to the left is your MC’s biggest fear about the Call to Adventure. The card to the right the responsibilities that can’t be abandoned. It is why he can’t refuse.
Page Of Cups – Deep personal relationships
Six of Cups Upside-Down – represents a relationship you’ve had since very young or a soulmate connection
King of Wands Upside-Down – Inspired creativity
My interpretation – This reading makes sense for my Main Character. He does not want to answer the call because he wants to stay home with his family and enjoy his retirement. The Six of Cups in the reverse position represents his fear of hurting or losing these relationships. The King of Wands in the reverse represents his daily responsibilities to others, not wandering into creative solutions, but the repetitive and expected behaviors that create trust in these relationships. His refusal has to do with maintaining what is expected of him, but he will have to respond to the call of adventure to maintain this daily life and protect his relationships.
Ask Your Character
- What words of wisdom would you like to pass on?
- Is there something you’ve always wanted to know, but never asked?
- Is there something you’ve never told anyone, but want to?
Word Of The Day
eldritch: adj. eerie, other worldly, weird, spooky
8 Action Verbs:
acquired built continued earned
grouped litigated produced shaped
Poem prompt
Write a Constanza about doubt.
Threats to Fear
I sit and ponder deepest doubt
To lose the ones that I hold dear
For them to turn from me, my fear
I protect them, day in day out
If I should go who will fix things
Resist decay and loss time brings
And who will tend the little sprout
A stranger’s hand won’t be the same
A different voice his rage to tame
What if the soil dries up from drought
Wells of wishes not to be found
Who will tend the fertile ground
Too far away to hear the shout
I will not know when dangers near
Impossible these threats to clear
I linger here and ponder doubt
But know I have no choice to stay
I hope my heart will know the way
Awesome Sentence Challenge
noun (or noun phrase) + verb (or verb phrase)
Write a page full of two word sentences. Try to convey as much information as possible with only two words by using specific nouns and strong, active verbs.
Today’s Simple Task
Think of your favorite scene from any movie or TV show. What makes it so great? Try to incorporate its strengths into a scene you write today.
Warm-up Exercise
Have your MC write his or her will or manifesto.
Recommended Word Crawl
Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy crawl.
Sunday Summary
This was a short week. Hard to believe we’ve only been at this since Wednesday. How’s it going so far? I hope everyone got a good start, but if you didn’t, there is no time like the present. Grab a prompt and write a scene.
Have you found any of these prompts particularly helpful? Is there something you would like me to add? What do you think of plotting with the Tarot?
For me, I’m finding that doing the reading and writing my daily poem, get me focused on the day’s scene(s). They help me focus on the characters I’ll be writing about, really diving into their feelings and motivations. Then, when I open up my story and start writing, the words flow. I feel more prepared and organized than I have in the past.
This week, in The Hero’s Journey, we’ll be hitting The Inciting Incident and heading into Act II. We’ll meet mentors, allies and enemies. Exciting! So many fun things to explore.
I hope you’ll continue to join me in 2017’s National Novel Writing Month adventure.
Happy Reading and Writing!
NaNoWriMo Tools
Novel in 30 Days Worksheet Index
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Oxford Extreme Index Cards, 3 x 5 Inches, Assorted Colors, 100 per pack (04736)
Experience Writing 
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