The Day of - NaNoPrep Assignments

Plot: Beginning (Where We Start)

Protagonist's Normal Life:

As a boy and as a teenager life was never so joyful for Solomon as it was during the last two months of the year, November and December. The house was so festive, and joyful when Christmas music started to be played in November, and life was so full of colorful lights as well as red and green decorations all over the house. His mother was decorated with joy and happiness then, too.

Christmas Day was a different story. The Day of Christmas was at the same time the best and worst day of the year. Christmas morning when all the presents were under the Christmas tree, it was a time of joy and excitement. However, after the presents were all opened, Solomon felt so sad, that it was all over.

All that lay ahead was normal life, sameness, and eleven months before he could return to the Christmas season. More than that his mother switched back from being joyful at Christmastime to being sullen and moody the rest of the year. That's why high school graduation, and going off to college in another town seemed so filled with hope for Solomon. New place, new things to do, and Mom was not around with her moods to drag him down emotionally.

However, something left with him, and he soon realized that he was often moody. His tongue was often fiery and foul. It could be set-off at the least provocation. "Will I ever get better?" he thought. "Is there any hope for me?"


The Inciting Incident (The Call to Adventure):

A simple walk to the mailbox would change Solomon's life forever. As he opened the mailbox door a sea of mail (advertisements and fliers, mostly,) didn't flow out onto the ground as usual. On this day there was only one small, plain, white envelope with the handwritten address, "To Solomon Carl Plain, Esquire." No return address. No stamp. Nothing to identify the sender, except a distinctive, lovely handwriting.

He opened the envelope, carefully. Inside he found one piece of cardstock in the same simple, plain white color as the envelope. It was mostly bare, except for these few cryptic words, "You will be a success on the day of." The last three words had apparently been written multiple times to make the letters bold for that was the only trait, that set them off from the rest of the sentence.

For the rest of the day, and for many days to come, Solomon would not be able to get this message out of his mind. He chewed it over, like a cow, chewing the cud. It stirred in him a passion to find meaning behind the phrase, "The Day of." His journey of discovery would change him, and everyone, who knew him.

by Jay O'Toole
on October 3rd, 2022