Son of a bitch, it’s February already. Which means it’s time again for my “10 Plots in 10 Days” fun.
Sure I scream and yell, but I had fun last month and expect to again this one. Grandstanding aside, I think this is the event to get me out of my cold induced doldrums. That’s right, I’m blaming my health for the crap I’ve written and posted and the crap I’ve written and not posted. Screw off.
A note about the format I follow for 10 Plots: I put the plot from Ronald B. Tobias’ “20 Master Plots and How to Build Them” down in the Theme slot. I am aware that a theme includes more than such a limited one-word scope, but I believe a theme develops during the writing of the story more than it does in the bare bones plotting, so instead of “Temptation leads to blah blah blah and ruin” my theme will simply be…
Theme – Temptation
I am desperate to avoid going meta on you here and talking about my temptations to do things other than write. WML.
Setup – A successful but lonely assassin, Henry, tries to meet other people like himself.
Hook – Obviously some characteristically establishing assassination.
Plot Point 1 – Henry has relatively begged his handlers for information on their other contractor, but they politely refuse. Left alone in an office (or something like that) he’s able to snap a grainy cell phone pic of names and assignments.
Pinch 1 – He rigs an online dating service to hook him up with one of the women on the list. She’s quite wary at their first dinner date and walks the check on him.
Mid-point Twist – Henry discovers all the people he thought were assassins were actually the marks. Which means on the list he was a mark!
Pinch 2 – While trying to do something plot-worthy Henry accidentally runs into his first dinner date and she’s feeling guilty about stranding him and comes on gushy. He falls for her, and needs to protect her.
Lull – Feeling safe in her arms in bed; they talk. After a bit, the conversation gets serious and then turns into a fight where she reveals…
Plot Point 2 – …she’s an assassin. OMG! Was he wrong about which side of the list was assassins and which side was marks? Twice?
Conclusion – They team up; avoid other shooters; make it back to the handlers’ office to confront them. And it all works out. Ta-da! I’ll need to think about this. I’m worried I’ve drifted well away from the Temptation theme and would like to pull that back in better. I’m also inclined to make the list a bit of a McGuffin here too, or a cross between a McGuffin and a Deus Ex Machina. But in a nice way.
477 words on day 668