#WriteCBC – 5-Act Festive Story
BY Katie Smart
30th Nov 2020
Welcome to #WriteCBC's #5ActFestiveStory! This blog has the details of the story and competition structure, and will also be used to announce our daily winners.
Find out more about our special festive writing competition, which is taking place on Twitter @cbcreative, including how to play and the rules here.
Photography by @gazmadustudios
We are so thrilled that special guest author Abi Daré has chosen the above photo prompt to serve as a jumping off point for our story. Abi is the author of the internationally bestselling novel The Girl with the Louding Voice, and a judge for the inaugural Discoveries Prize for unpublished female novelists (the prize was set up by The Women’s Prize Trust, Curtis Brown, Curtis Brown Creative and NatWest, and is open for applications now).
This special festive edition of #WriteCBC will follow a five-act structure. Read on for a bit more on this traditional story arc and its relevance to our Festive Story:
Act I – Opening & Setup
This act should introduce the protagonist and tell us when and where the story is happening.
We're asking you to use the photo prompt from special guest Abi Daré as your inspiration to set the scene and introduce us to a character.
Well done to our two runners-up @GATaylor3 and @_L_MO. You've both won a £50 discount to be used on the six-week online course of your choice.
Congratulations to our first winner! Our opening act comes from Emma Finlayson-Palmer @FinlaysonPalmer:
Saffy holds my hand tight, heading straight for the ruins at the top of Whisper Hill. The sky is clear and dotted with billions of stars waiting to be wished on. Frosty grass crunches underfoot as I think about the secret we promised to keep here a year ago today.
We love that Emma introduces two characters straight away, and includes subtle details like the 'frosty grass' letting us know where we are and that it is winter. This opening has also set up some intrigue and mystery to be unpacked across the story: Why is there a sense of urgency from Saffy? And what was the secret promise they made?
Act II – Rising Action
Following on from our Emma's Act I scene, we'd like you to give us an inciting incident… Something must happen to our protagonists that will force them to face a problem!
Well done to our two runners-up @kakenzie101 and @howardteece. You've both won a £50 discount to be used on the six-week online course of your choice.
Congratulations to our next winner! Our second act comes from Rachael H. @Shoequeeny:
My foot skids; Saffy doesn't falter, drags me on. We're on a deadline, after all. The wind drops as we reach the ruins; an unnatural stillness. I shudder despite myself. Then I see it – the chess board, just as we left it a year ago. It looks like they've taken their move.
Rachael's done a great job of seamlessly continuing the story with details like the skidding foot on the previously mentioned frost. Then the tone shifts with a change in the weather and we're introduced to our problem, a mysterious game of chess. Who made the move? Why did they have to wait a year? Is finishing the game part of the secret promise? Let's find out some answers to our questions in the next act.
Act III – Midpoint & Climax
Following on from Rachael's Act II, our characters should have a revelation about how to solve their problem, but something goes wrong. This is the turning point and the part of our story with the highest amount of suspense.
Well done to our two runners-up @CarolineNeaves and @leanwaters. You've both won a £50 discount to be used on the six-week online course of your choice.
Congratulations to our next winner! Our third act comes from Sarah Jessen @burray_bonxie:
Like the crumbled ruins around us, I feel the last of my resolve begin to pulverize. Whatever move we make next is futile. The game is lost. Midnight approaches, and with it, our last hope to claim back what Whisper Hill stole from us one year ago: our voices.
Sarah's tied in the name of Whisper Hill from Act I in an exciting new plot point. There are still some unanswered questions to be resolved, so when working on Act IV be sure to follow on from Sarah's scene but also remember the details revealed earlier on in the story so far.
Act IV – Falling Action
Following on from Sarah's Act III scene, our story is coming to an end, but there are still some unknowns and plot twists to be revealed and wrapped up.
Well done to our two runners-up @bethanhay_ and @BellieBidRich. You've both won a £50 discount to be used on the six-week online course of your choice.
Congratulations to our next winner! Our fourth act comes from Den Cartlidge @CartlidgeDen:
Why did Saffy drag me here if it was hopeless? The Voice Thief emerges from the dark. We didn't know the board was his or the cost of that first game. Midnight chimes rise from the town. Saffy runs to the King and tries to tip him over. Of course! But is it already too late?
Our Act IV winner was selected by special guest judge Viola Hayden from Curtis Brown literary agency. Read more about Viola in our interview.
Here's what Viola had to say about Den's entry:
Den has done a fantastic job of moving the story towards it’s resolution. Our characters come face to face with the Voice Thief, the person who stands between them and completing their quest. But hope is not lost, Saffy has a plan and the chiming of the bells at midnight is significant in a way we don’t yet understand. Is it too late? We’ll have to read on to find out.
Act V – Resolution
Following on from our Act IV winner’s scene, we need the resolution of our story! Perhaps there’s a revelation and maybe a moral or lesson is learned.
Well done to our two runners-up @ldnkatyarcher and @DarrylSamson20. You've both won a £50 discount to be used on the six-week online course of your choice.
Congratulations to our final winner! Our fifth act comes from Martin Ross @MartinR87271882:
As the King falls, the voiceless of the centuries swarm from the ruin. Laughing & talking at last before fading. The Voice Thief points to his tongueless mouth & evaporates. As the bells stop, Silent Night drifts to the hill. It's Christmas Day. Saffy sings & I join in.
Our final Act V winner was been selected by special guest judge Curtis Brown literary agent and Discoveries Prize judge Lucy Morris. Read more about Lucy in our interview.
Here's what Lucy had to say about the end of our story:
Uplifting and festive – but with a dark edge: Martin’s is a gift of a resolution! It picks up on existing threads of the story, the sights and sounds, and the tolling bells signal a landmark moment. I thought it was so clever to bring in the strains of Silent Night to celebrate the victory of the voiceless. And yet, despite the festive cheer, that sinister image of the tongueless Voice Thief lingers…
Across the weekend we invited illustrators to take part by illustrating an image inspired by one of the scenes of story so far. We love this drawing of the Voice Thief by Emma Finlayson Palmer. Emma's won a £50 discount to be used on our Illustrating a Children's Picture Book or Writing & Illustrating a Children's Picture Book courses.
by Emma Finlayson-Palmer @FinlaysonPalmer
Thank you all for taking part in the festive fun. We've had so many outstanding writers take part in our #5ActFestiveStory over the past week. As it is coming up to Christmas, we're awarding three bonus runner-up prizes to these top contributors. Well done @N1icky, @thisislaurent and @JeannaLStars you each win a £50 discount to be used on the six-week online course of your choice.
Helpful tips
This is a festive story, so bear this theme in mind when you're writing the acts of the story. Try to think about the magic and mystery of this time of year. Use the atmosphere evoked by Abi's photo prompt to inspire you.
Remember that you will be asked to continue the story on from the previous winner's act, so make sure you read the story so far and keep the tone, themes, character names and setting the same.
Consistency is important, but remember to enjoy the collaborative nature of the task. There's nothing wrong with a few twists and turns!
Join in the fun on Twitter @cbcreative!
If you're one of our lucky winners or runners-up please email cbccourses@curtisbrown.co.uk to claim your prize.