In yesterday’s post I suggested that I ought to write down a list of bad things which could occur to a character and then roll dice every 500 words to pick which would happen next. Today I will start that list.
Caught in a lie.
Captured by authorities.
Sprain an ankle.
Shot.
Abandoned by friends.
Hit by a car.
Nearly hit by a car.
Thrown from a bike.
Spotted while eavesdropping.
Interupted sex.
Another character killed.
Arrested.
Detained by officials.
Break a bone.
Skin a knee.
Blocked by a train.
Lose a choice parking spot.
Run out of gas.
Misplace your phone.
Miss a call.
Flat tire.
Have a battery go dead.
Bit by a dog.
Arrive too late.
Rained on.
Lose your wallet.
Have your identity stolen.
Get lost.
Fall from a height.
Riptide.
Boat wreck.
Have a tree fall across your path.
Beset by dragons.
Knocked unconcious.
Snake bit.
Get pregnant.
Get sick.
Discover a locked door.
Burnt by a match.
Run out of food.
Have your horse bolt.
Get wounded.
Fall in love.
Lose a pen.
Spill your milk.
Throw up.
Be splashed upon.
Fall into a well.
Get abducted.
Pull a muscle.
Lose a bet.
Face a fear.
Bit by a spider.
Swarmed by bees.
Mosquito bite.
Go to the doctor.
Have to speak in public.
Fired from a job.
Drug to a bar.
Miss the trash truck.
Find your witness dead.
Lose the trail.
Blanket party.
Work a dead end job.
Be rejected by a crush.
Hit in the head with a sufboard.
Sunburned.
Grounded for life.
Trapped in a closet.
Poisoned.
Become deathly ill.
Watch a child suffer.
Mothballed.
Wake up in a strange place.
Fall down some stairs.
Be recognized.
Raped.
Bullied.
Forget your homework.
Raised by wolves.
Orphaned.
Lost at sea.
Heckled by a crowd.
Wander away from your parents at the department store.
Fall from a swing.
Quicksand.
Drop a hammer on your foot.
Have to replace a lightbulb.
Drafted.
Conscripted.
Shanghied.
Sold into slavery.
Conquered by invading hordes.
Excommunicated.
Opressed by mainstream society.
Goaded.
Branded by circumstance.
On the surface many of these read rather ordinary, but I think that with the correct context and scaling even something as mundane as losing your pencil might become the crux of a world altering threat. Plus many of these can be linked to compound the conflict.
xxx words on day 801