Plot Ninjas

People get stuck when writing.
[Writer’s Stuff] [About Cat Hartliebe]

Especially during the midway crawl <that cursed time between the beginning and the end>, so how about we help out by making a “list” of plot ninjas.   What is a plot ninja, you ask?  Plot ninjas came about as a way to turn a blah scene into awesome by throwing ninjas at it.  Now that may not work for every point you reach ‘umm what should I write next?’.  Plot ninjas should be general and can more than likely be thrown into any story.  <I’ve collected these for the last few years.  The more the merrier.>

Such as: A nun (or another religious figure) walks by MC

MC climbs a tree and breaks a leg

Rogue animal attack happens nearby (newspaper/tv/random guy yelling it over and over tells you)

So let’s make a very random list for anyone to use at any time.  Throw out ideas to keep those scenes pulsing. You will probably throw it out in editing, but you never know.

• Zombie outbreak
• random gun shots are heard
• lost child finds mc
• gain free wine weekend tickets
• prank phone call
• find out about dead great uncle
• obviously ninjas show up
• Dancing penguins come down the road
• dance party (or flash mob)
• pizza delivery
• truck is on fire
• a man with a bow tie asks about his dog
• time lords enters scene
• crazy end of the world prophet
• velociraptor passes by
• fast and heavy rain storm
• stranger kisses mc/side
• falling star event
• dead body
• robot attack
• One of your main characters/side characters goes missing.
• someone decides to get a new pet without consulting everyone living with him/her
• oops someone dropped a cloth on the stove now it’s in flames
• the phone, computer, dishwasher, and heater all break down in the span of a week
• someone trips down the stairs, broken leg/twisted ankle
• A famous character walks by the group
• Everyone decides mc needs a haircut
• Drunkard hits on mc
• Someone’s glasses break
• Tiger lose from the zoo
• Power failure
• Puppet comes to life
• Bonfire occurs nearby
• someone pulls the fire alarm
• Reporter asks about random topic
• A winner asks for a celebration dance
• Emergency vehicle plows through
• Favorite color battle (And Green is obviously better than blue)
• Facebook crashes
• Pet dies
• Someone thinks protagonist is a celebrity
• Coldest day on record
• Involvement with guards (do they hit on you, chase you, capture you by accident, give you a job)
• tsunami! Tornado! Earthquake!
• a really bad storm.
• character(s) are joined by a conspiracy theorist
• A character spots his doppelganger
• a character is challenged to a game of badminton–to the death
• Character suspects that his tea kettle is possessed.
• Character’s last clean sock falls out the window
• Character knocks something large and heavy out a window onto a heavily trafficked street
• character’s SO joins celibate cult
• road rage from elderly woman
• traffic halted — bovine crossing
• International saffron shortage
• character is all out of bubble bath mixture/scented candles
• character awakens covered in red lumps
• character becomes obsessed with teen pop icon
• character’s boss drunk at work
• character is mistaken for famous person
• character stops a mugging. or is mugged
• character is mistaken for person of opposite gender
• receives invitation to high school reunion
• finds an awesome deal on medieval armor at the goodwill
• character is hit with a selfie stick
• character defaces a national monument
• character is asked to leave the building
• mattress flies off bed of pickup, blinds MCs windshield
• cat jumps out of tree, lands on MC’s shoulder, clings tight with claws
• major highway closed because of investigation into man found dead on shoulder of road
• MC’s oatmeal explodes in microwave
• A good bye letter
• trusted messenger
• Get a letter
• planned building implosion
• Kidnapper
• Metal in microwave
• Someone forgot about the dishes
• Rock Paper Scissors
• Firework display
• Someone bleached the characters’ clothes
• Someone turned the white items pink
• Old friend shows
• Old teacher from back in school
• A knock on the door
• Car/boat/truck/carriage breaks while they are traveling

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Add more in the comments. I can easily add to this post (and will as more ideas come to mind).

[Writer’s Stuff] [About Cat Hartliebe]