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Day 7 Assignments
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ASSIGNMENT
Create your Life Threatening Sequence.
Answer the question “What I learned is…?” It’s far easier to list out the tenets of the threats your respective characters will face and overcome giving you an overall feel for the stakes that your audience should perceive.
Subject Line: Mac’s Life Threatening Sequence
What is the Villain’s plan and how does that put the Hero in danger?
Besides the ever-present threat posed by Mosko, his little girl and the lethal cult that’s been inspired by them, it’s Peter’s plan to remove a loose end (Mosko) so he can go legit. Leveraging Mac’s prior history with cults, he forces Mac on a collision course with Mosko.
What other potential dangers could your Hero experience as they try to solve the mystery and confront the Villain? In addition to Mosko and cults around every corner, there are rogue bands of cartel gangs that have chosen sides: some on Mosko’s side, others looking to take him out. Peter has also sent his personal enforcer, Eloy, along to ensure Mac’s compliance.Sequence those dangers in order and make a list like the one I did for Basic Instinct above.
– Mac and Bella are taken from a safe house in Mexico after a gunfight with forces unknown, until it’s found out that it’s Villarreal who led the ambush. (Mac met Villarreal earlier during an investigation of a murder so it’s a surprise to him and the audience that Villarreal is a bad guy)
– Mac finds out that Villarreal works for Peter. At Peter’s compound, Peter shoots Villarreal in the head for making a sexual pass at Bella
– Mac, Bella and Eloy chase down Mosko and are joined by Mac’s old Texas Ranger, Joe Crowley who takes an immediate dislike to Eloy
– The quarter come upon a festival in a town, come up the side of a mountain to avoid being seen. Eloy tries to kill Bella. She gets the drop on him but falls off the side of a cliff and is presumed dead. In the aftermath, Mac continues on with his investigation of Mosko and his presumed kidnapping of the American girl he has hostage with him.
– Rival cartels have gathered in the town to kill Mosko. Mosko kills a townsgirl as part of a resurrection ritual for Rosario which initiates a full riot. Mac attempts to intervene. Crowley is killed just as he is about to rescue the American girl – Rosario slits his throat.
– Mac wakes up in the middle of the desert, confronted by human traffickers who threaten to set him on fire. He gets the drop on them and frees the women.
– Bella returns, having survived a fall from the cliff and sets off with Mac to the Texas border, following a trail of putrified bodies with tell tale signs of ritual sacrifice.
– at the border, Peter takes matters into his own hands now that he knows the final whereabouts of Mosko from tracking Mac. He’s beheaded in an ambush in a ravine by Mosko’s acolytes.
– Mac and Bella find Mosko in a cave where Mosko admits he only wants to die and rejoin his murdered wife, Irina. His little girl, Rosario, kills Bella then kills Mosko for betraying her (she expected her mother to be resurrected) and maybe becomes the Goddess Coatlicue. In so doing, she perceives an opportunity of the devastated Mac to achieve her goals. Will she kill him? The story fades to black with her smiling up at him with a bloody machete in her hands.
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ASSIGNMENT
Create your Life Threatening Sequence.
5. Answer the question “What I learned is…?” and put it at the top of your assignment.
All 15 of the potential dangers and 9 out of 10 of the “dangers could also come from” list are include in the first novel in the series. That’s 24 out of 25 listed added over years of crafting on the book that I already published! The vast majority will be in this book as well.
1. What is the Villain’s plan and how does that put the Hero in danger?
Kombinat: They want to take over Russia in a coup and bring former Soviet states back into the Russian sphere of influence.
Puts the hero in danger because MJ must lead a covert invasion of a Russian Kombinat base to steal back a kill switch that can shutdown U.S. Military technology without getting caught.
Chinese President Liu Yong: For China to become the dominant power and seize full control of the South China Sea.
Throughout the book, an escalating weapons race makes a war with Chinese increasingly likely. This jeopardizes not only the heroes, but the entire world.
Yu Gong Yi Shan: In the beginning, his goals are to serve China. As his mind becomes god-like his goals are beyond human understanding. All humans can discern is that if the AI is not stopped in minutes, not hours, there will be no tomorrow for mankind.
The AI wages a global cyberwar against other AI that might interfere. Given that None of the Above has an AI in his head, this puts him in danger.
The AI launches the American land-based nuclear arsenal, although it’s role is hidden. This puts the world in danger, including the heroes.
2. What other potential dangers could your Hero experience as they try to solve the mystery and confront the Villain?
Threats (throughout book, too many to list, especially in geopolitical plotlines)
Talking about the danger (throughout book, too many to list)
Physical danger (MJ in danger in base attack, None of the Above in danger in Chernobyl fight)
Surveillance / watched (None of the Above/Ada watched during AI murders)
Chased (sub chase after attack on Kombinat base in Russia)
Lured into a dangerous situation (MJ must do base attack while tensions high during military exercises)
Closeness to the villain (MJ must work with Renquist to recover kill switch)
Trapped / Abducted / Arrested (None of the Above is trapped by entity in his head)
The chance that a relationship could end. (None and Fernando both at risk for losing relationship with MJ)
The threat that their own secret could be revealed. (MJ must keep the secret that she shot down plane with Americans on board, even though they conspired to assassinate president. Must also keep secret that she attempted to kill Renquist on American soil with an illegal drone strike)
Public humiliation. (Entity in None’s brain takes sexual advantage of him during an important meaning, proving her absolute control of his body)
Loss of a job or career. (None must keep entity in his head a secret or MJ won’t let me him return to presidency)
A demand to stop pursuing the mystery.(While None tries to figure out the mystery of the Chinese AI, the Russian leader begins killing None’s teammates until he stops America’s nukes.)
Betrayal from someone close. (MURICA AI launches American nukes)
Someone operating covertly around them. (Zelda will work as spy against Kombinat)
Other parties who need to solve the mystery first. (Chinese must solve the mystery of stopping Yu Gong Yi Shan before None can stop the American nukes)
Other parties who want the Villain dead.(A reveal makes Zelda want the leader of Kombinat dead.)
3. From the list of potential dangers, choose the ones that work for this story.
See answer for #2
4. Sequence those dangers in order and make a list like the one I did for Basic Instinct above.
Opens with smoldering White House from attacks and the discovery of the kill switch that can stop American military technology.
None deals with losing his beautiful brain in an assassination attempt, gets function back from brain implant.
Deal with Renquist(book 1 villain) to keep MJ’s secrets and recover kill switch in return for dropping charges of treason and allowing access to funds, but not his company. (MJ must keep the secret that she shot down plane with Americans on board, even though they conspired to assassinate president. Must also keep secret that she attempted to kill Renquist on American soil with an illegal drone strike)
MJ and Renquist lead special forces attack on Russian arctic base of Kombinat.
Defeat Kombinat and confront Zelda. Renquist reveal turns her against Kombinat’s leader. Zelda wants him dead and will act as a spy.
MJ leaves with kill switch, but Russians approaching
Sub chase and narrow escape.
U.S. anti-missile technology, Eagle Eye, pushes Chinese to full scale nuclear arms race.
None modifies his implant, against warnings that he could lose his sanity. He feels smarter than ever, but later realizes he’s hallucinating. He can’t let MJ know or he’ll never be president again.
The rock-paper-scissors technology escalation continues between China and U.S. making world less safe.
None might be crazy, or he might have an entity in his head. The entity traps None in his own body and takes sexual advantage of him during an important meeting in front of MJ and people he cares about. Setback in taking back the presidency.
Back and forth with relationship as None and Fernando vie for MJ and the entity in his head tries to sabotage None. They both face losing their relationship with MJ at various times.
Entity in brain says being watch, explains AI are being murdered.
Cyberwar, entire Internet now wonky. AI disappearing in greater numbers.
MURICA AI launches American nukes
None got presidency back, but gives it back to MJ to pursue plan to stop American nukes, travels to Chernobyl.
Air Force One normal plane gets destroyed by enhanced EMP. None narrowly escapes in another plane. Berlin taken down, lose refueling plane, won’t have fuel for return journey.
MJ with Fernando lead army to stop nuclear counterattacks.
None realizes the bigger threat from Chinese AI. Chinese must solve the mystery of stopping Yu Gong Yi Shan before None can stop the American nukes.
Russians helping with Chernobyl plan attack. While None tries to figure out the mystery of the Chinese AI, the Russian leader begins killing None’s teammates until he stops America’s nukes. None sounds crazy.
Chinese nuke their own city.
None stops American nukes.
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Sue Swenson’s Life Threatening Sequence
What I learned is that it really helps to break down the story into small steps in order to figure out the elements of the story and get them down in some kind of sequence. This detailed building of a complicated story such as a thriller requires this organized step-by-step development in order to grow the story in a way that works. It also reveals and exposes the flaws in the story early on for correction before I get too far into the process.
1. What is the Villain’s plan and how does that put the Hero in danger?
The Villain, who is the head of the Department of Psychology, has secretly acquired a contract with a stealth organization that plans to experiment on a small, remote population of people. They actually have already started their experiments.
An experiment to mass hypnotize a large number of people to control them. So they’ll be more amenable to the authoritarian billionaires taking over.
A program of mass hypnosis. They plan to spray people first to prepare them to be triggered on a mass level to act in a certain way.
It’s something that’s dangerous, dark, evil and something that this dark operation is funding through the university’s psychology department. The funders are hiding the true purpose of the project, but throwing a lot of money at the psychology department to conduct these experiments as part of the project. They’re presenting the project as a benign project.
How does the Villain’s plan put the Hero in danger?
While working as a hypnotherapist in the Villain’s psychology department, Carla inadvertently uncovers some cryptic evidence that points to a missing colleague through a session with one of her patients.
This is critical information that the Villain needs Carla so he isn’t connected to the disappearance of their colleague. He needs to find out from Carla what she knows and then silence her.
He’ll press her for information, threaten and cajole her to silence her, or kill her.
2. What other potential dangers could your Hero experience as they try to solve the mystery and confront the Villain?
The head of the paranormal psychology department appears impressed with her findings and fascinated with what she’s researching. He invites her to join his team and encourages her to report to him directly rather than her female supervisor who is furious with him, but takes it out on Carla who happily welcomes him as her new supervisor and mentor.
When she can’t figure out why she’s having these nightmares, she joins a dream group that’s being run by a colleague and friend of hers, in order to get to the bottom of the nightmare mystery.
He is the head of the paranormal psychology department that Carla works in. He discovers that Carla has acquired some information through her research on hypnotherapy regression and remote viewing.
Carla’s toxic female colleague resents not having Carla as a direct report anymore and attempts to get her fired, or at least, censored. This former supervisor is threatened by Carla and tries in all kinds of ways to undermine her. This character is a red herring who becomes an ally later on.
The Villain lures Carla’s patient to a remote location. He finds out some secret that this man has been harboring. The Villain murders him, then disposes of his body.
He creates distractions to confuse the authorities and the other members of the department when they start investigating members of the department about Carla’s patient’s death.
He sets up Carla, the heroine, as a suspect by connecting Carla to the deceased patient’s phone and computer records that the authorities have found.
The Villain monitors her more closely in order to keep apprised of her progress with this disappearance.
He spreads misinformation and shares this false information with the police and the missing patient’s wife and the other members of the department regarding what happened to the missing patient.
He scares Carla in different ways to distract and frighten her away from the search. He sends a couple of fake FBI or State Police detectives to interrogate Carla. She tells them about her dream group. The fake FBI agents tell her to only confide in them. Don’t tell anybody else.
They report this info to the Villain who stays close to Carla to keep on top of her activities and progress.
The Villain gets into Carla’s head and brings out her secret, flaw or a vulnerability that he will use against her later on.
The Villain plants a spy in the dream group. The Villain uses this spy to set someone up as a red herring.
Carla finds out more information about a location where her patient’s body may be. She shares this info with the fake FBI agents. They beat her to the location and try to kill her.
Carla escapes the fake FBI agents after she leads them to the site of the body. She is on the run. She contacts her mentor for help since she still thinks he is an ally. He tells her to lay low and he will come get her.
3. From the list of potential dangers, choose the ones that work for this story.
I am choosing the full list of potential dangers because they can all work for this
story. Please see above.
4. Sequence those dangers in order and make a list like the one I did for Basic Instinct above.
Carla has been regressing a patient through hypnotherapy. Carla starts having nightmares and can’t figure out why. Her patient is a professional remote reviewer who belongs to a group of remote viewers who are paid to find missing people and items.
Could his nightmares be related to her subsequent nightmares?
The patient gives Carla information about her missing colleague through a cryptic remote drawing that she can’t make sense of.
Carla starts researching dream groups, joins one. When she can’t figure out
why she’s having these nightmares, she joins a dream group that’s being run by
a colleague and friend of hers, in order to get to the bottom of the nightmare mystery.
The head of the paranormal psychology department appears impressed with her findings and fascinated with what she’s researching. He invites her to join his team and encourages her to report to him directly rather than her female supervisor who is furious with him, but takes it out on Carla who happily welcomes him as her new supervisor and mentor.
The Villain monitors her more closely in order to keep apprised of her progress with this disappearance.
Carla’s toxic female colleague resents not having Carla as a direct report anymore and attempts to get her fired, or at least, censored. This former supervisor is threatened by Carla and tries in all kinds of ways to undermine her. This character is a red herring who becomes an ally later on.
The Villain, the head of the paranormal psychology department that Carla works in, discovers that Carla has acquired some information through her research on hypnotherapy regression and remote viewing.
Carla’s patient suddenly goes missing.
He creates distractions to confuse the authorities and the other members of the department when they start investigating members of the department about Carla’s patient’s death.
The Villain, the head of the paranormal psychology department, spreads misinformation and shares this false information with the police and the missing patient’s wife and the other members of the department regarding what happened to the missing patient.
The Villain plants a spy in the dream group. The Villain uses this spy to set someone up as a red herring.
The Villain gets into Carla’s head and brings out her secret, flaw or a vulnerability that he will use against her later on.
The villain sets up Carla, the heroine, as a suspect by connecting Carla to the deceased patient’s phone and computer records that the authorities have found.
He scares Carla in different ways to distract and frighten her away from the search. He sends a couple of fake FBI or State Police detectives to interrogate Carla. She tells them about her dream group. The fake FBI agents tell her to only confide in them. Don’t tell anybody else. They report this info to the Villain who stays close to Carla to keep on top of her activities and progress.
Carla finds out more information about a location where her patient’s body may be. She shares this info with the fake FBI agents. They beat her to the location and try to kill her.
Carla escapes the fake FBI agents after she leads them to the site of the body. She is on the run. She contacts her mentor for help since she still thinks he is an ally. He tells her to lay low and he will come get her.
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