We all want drama. Act 2 is the rising action of your story. It builds up to the midpoint of your central conflict and then drops your characters down to their lowest point (so you can have them rally for Act 3). For the next 7 days, you're taking your characters from their decision to go after their external goal, to the highest point in the story.
What to write today
Today, you're beginning to write the part of your novel where the main premise of your story happens [13,336–15,000 words]:
Show us how your protagonist is preparing themselves to solve the problem presented by the inciting incident (the central conflict).
Present a minor challenge or roadblock for your protagonist to overcome. They should not be able to overcome this easily, they may even fail. Make them struggle. They are still unsure of themselves and their abilities.
Show us how dangerous the world the protagonist has entered is.
Introduce an enemy.
If you want to introduce a sub-plot, this is the place to do it.
Want a different sort of prompt? One of your characters discovers an object that was hidden away many years ago. 🔎
Update your running editorial note
At the end of the day make a note of any off-course deviations, potential inconsistencies, areas to research further, or moments of inspiration to revisit when you edit in December/January.
More resources
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