Object of Great Importance

Some people are born great. Others have greatness thrust upon them.

The Object of Great Importance is what sets your adventure story into motion. It changes your Hero's life and causes all of the terrible and/or amazing things to happen.

It can come in several different forms, and I will elaborate on four of them.

1. Hero finds something that may or may not appear to be important, but it is important just the same.

2. Someone entrusts something into Hero's possession.

3. Hero invents/makes something that sets off a chain of danger in his/her life.

4. And lastly, the object of great importance could be the Hero him/herself.

I am going to explain each of these examples using the acronym 'OGI' for Object of Great Importance.

1. Discovery

Discovery means your Hero stumbled upon OGI during a normal day. Maybe he/she finds OGI in the forest, decides to bring it home, and soon realizes that it is far more special than he/she first thought.

Two ways to tell:

- Your Hero is chased/followed/captured after finding OGI.

- Strange things start to happen after your Hero finds OGI.

2. Greatness Thrust

Greatness thrust means that your Hero was either forced to take OGI from its former holder (because of some terrible circumstance), or that OGI was entrusted into your Hero's possession without his/her say.

Two ways to tell:

- OGI's former holder dies/is killed in front of your Hero, no longer able to take care of OGI, and Hero is forced to take it.

- OGI's former holder is being chased and bumps into your Hero, shoving OGI into your Hero's hands and disappearing.

3. Creation

Creation means that your Hero invented/made something new - something that was supposed to help others (or your Hero). But this creation might also be used for evil if found in the wrong hands.

Or your Hero might have been forced to create something that the villain intends to use for evil.

Two ways to tell:

- Your Hero created OGI (on his/her own) and someone takes it, using it wrongly.

- Your Hero created OGI (by force) and knows it will be used for evil unless he/she finds a way to destroy it.

4. Realization

Realization means your Hero finds out that he/she has special gifts/abilities/powers and is therefore somewhat an OGI. It could be anything from being extremely smart (mental gifts), to fire-breathing abilities (physical gifts).

Two ways to tell:

- Your Hero is stuck in a life-or-death situation. Just before he/she is killed or captured, your Hero unleashes a power he/she didn't even know he/she had and escapes the situation. On the flip side, maybe your Hero almost witnessed a person's death, and he/she unleashes his/her powers to save the person.

- Your Hero discovers his/her powers when he/she was little and didn't really know how to use them. Throughout the story, your Hero learns how to use them for good.

Questions? Thoughts? Plain old (much appreciated) comments? By all means, share!