Contagious

Read Leviticus 13-15

Leviticus 13:46 "All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be."

History is full of plagues that wiped out families, communities, and swept through countries. If we want to write a historical novel, we can pick either the period or the epidemic and follow the narration to flesh out the plot.

We don’t have to restrict ourselves to history. If we want to write a contemporary story, we can make up a disease. We could even use a known disease and imagine what would happen if it suddenly got out of control.

 

Another way to go could be to imagine what might happen if a cure was found for a disease, but the side effects took on a life of their own. Writing a contagion-related story can combine fact with fantasy.

No Mourning

Read Leviticus 10-12

Leviticus 10:19 "And Aaron said unto Moses, Behold, this day have they offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before the Lord; and such things have befallen me: and if I had eaten the sin offering to day, should it have been accepted in the sight of the Lord?"

What is a character is not allowed to grieve? A mother who can’t stop to grieve the loss of her husband and has to keep going because of her children. A man who can’t stop to mourn the loss of his job because he has to find a way to provide for his family. A daughter not allowed to mourn over the loss of a boyfriend her father didn’t approve of.

What kinds of problems might that cause for the character? Maybe she becomes unpredictable because of all the suppressed anguish. Maybe it spells trouble for the future like an explosion when the reason for keeping the grief inside no longer exists.

 

What kinds of problems might it cause for the other characters? Would that father ever feel guilty for forcing his daughter to stop mourning? It’s an interesting “what if” to think through to see if something like this might flesh out the plot.

Atonement

Read Leviticus 7-9

Leviticus 8:34 "As he hath done this day, so the Lord hath commanded to do, to make an atonement for you."

Atonement is a good theme for a story. Whether it’s making amends to someone they’ve wronged or punishing themselves, an atonement story can go in a lot of directions.

A protagonist might feel a great burden of guilt because of actions of herself or her family. A villain could be driven to heinous crimes because of a wrong he feels he can only set right by his actions.

 

Even minor characters trying to make amends could have a big impact in driving the plot forward—or preventing other characters’ actions. An atonement tale has a lot of possibilities.

Heedless

Read Leviticus 4-6

Leviticus 4:2 "Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a soul shall sin through ignorance against any of the commandments of the Lord concerning things which ought not to be done, and shall do against any of them:"

Having a heedless character in the story requires plot issues. If the character is a child he must be cared for, protected from the consequences of his actions, and taught to behave more carefully.

If the character is an adult with limitations, she can’t be treated exactly like a child because she would have more freedom. The characters who either are or feel responsible for her will be challenged as they try to balance the freedoms with caring, protection, and trying to prevent repeats of her behavior.

 

A heedless but fully functioning adult will cause conflicts in the story. He might hurt someone’s feelings and have to apologize. He might cause damage and have to make amends. But unless he’s comic relief, even a minor heedless character should show some growth by the story’s end.

Rituals

Read Leviticus 1-3

Leviticus 3:3 "And he shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace offering an offering made by fire unto the Lord; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards,"

We encounter rituals so often, we may no longer notice them. Rituals might be seasonal, spiritual, or personal. Traditions often involve rituals.

We can use rituals to paint a scene, for instance if a town has certain rituals that our characters are part of. We can use rituals to establish conflict, for instance if a character is trying to avoid becoming a part of a community’s ritual. The story’s climax could be a showdown between those insisting on the rituals and the individuals resisting taking part.

We can use it when introducing a character, for instance if a character has certain rituals he must follow to function. Character growth could be showing he no longer needs his rituals.

Buddies

Read Exodus 37-40

Exodus 38:23 "And with him was Aholiab, son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, and a cunning workman, and an embroiderer in blue, and in purple, and in scarlet, and fine linen."

A buddy plot involves two protagonists who have a common goal and common enemy, but who are also in conflict with each other. It’s most often seen in movies and television shows.

Screen and theater plays use a different format, but still need a beginning, middle, and end, and are visual mediums.

 

But it’s not impossible to write a buddy story or novel. Think of it as a protagonist and sidekick where the sidekick has a bigger role than usual.

Pariah

Read Exodus 33-36

Exodus 34:30 “And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him.”

Some story worlds' populations include a pariah—someone the other characters avoid or someone who has isolated himself. It could be someone the other characters are afraid of or someone who is afraid of the other characters.

It could be someone with unusual talents or someone who acts strangely. It could also be a misunderstanding—someone shunned in error, or someone who is trying to heal from trauma before mixing with others.

 

Not every story benefits from having such a character, but when looking to enrich the plot, it’s worth thinking about. As long as the character plays an important role at some point in the story, a pariah could make for an interesting addition.