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CNN (July 21, 2023) 15 of America’s best small towns and cities. Available at: 15 of America’s best small towns and cities | CNN (Accessed: 25/02/25).

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Racing my innocence

All's quiet in the town of Havensfield, a town full of peace, prosperity. A town where nothing could go wrong...

Until it does.

Eris Harper is a 32 year old teaching assistant, who has worked in Havensfield Primary School for the past 9 years. Only to have her life turned upside down by a story on the news. A serial killer had been making their way through town the last few weeks and now, the police seemed to have a suspect. Eris. The news reported claimed that they had a comment from a source inside the station that they had their suspect and would be arresting them shortly. Eris had to run. She had to find some way to prove herself innocent while on the run.

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The Blade (June 28, 2015) A tour of historic Key Bank building on Superior Street . Available at: A tour of historic Key Bank building on Superior Street - The Blade (Accessed: 25/02/2025). 6 photos down

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Bank Robbery Gone Wrong

A classic run of the mill robbery goes down at a local bank. men in masks, carrying guns, emptying out the vaults. Trapped in the middle of the situation is Nagu Owens. A 26 year old retail clerk. Nagu will have to navigate his way though the bank robbery and make it out unharmed and without drawing attention to himself, otherwise he risks revealing his true identity.

Will Nagu keep his cool - and his cover? What will happen if the bank robbers find out his true identity?

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‘Most [stories] begin by establishing an Ordinary World as a baseline for comparison. The Special World of the story is only special if we can see it in contrast to a mundane world...The Ordinary World is the context, home base, and background of the hero,’ Vogler, C. (2007, p.87) The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers. California: Michael Wise Productions

I plan to use the first few hundred words to set a scene of undisturbed normality in my story. To portray the normal verses the abnormal. Undisturbed normality can be used to inform readers behind the scenes that something will go wrong in the future of the story. The most memorable example of this I can think of is in All My Sons by Arthur Miller.

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The Blade (June 28, 2015) A tour of historic Key Bank building on Superior Street . Available at: A tour of historic Key Bank building on Superior Street - The Blade (Accessed: 25/02/2025). 11 photos down.

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The reader expectations for this idea would centre around the protagonist, Eris, being innocent, as the reader follow's her journey to try and prove herself innocent of the crime she were framed for. The whole story would centre around the idea of her being innocent, rushing to try and prove herself as she's hunted down by police officers and detectives.

I would then have the options to either conform to the idea and have Eris not be the killer, or I could subvert their expectations and have her truly be the killer, just unaware of it until the end, while writing the story as if she were innocent.

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For my second idea, I sat and thought about how stories of bank robberies would usually go, most took the perspective of the bank robbers or the police catching them. I had the idea to subvert these expectations and have the perspective come from either a bank worker or even a hostage. I then has the idea for a twist. What if an undercover police officer happened to be trapped in a bank robbery, unable to blow their cover and help? I would use this to engage the reader, slipping in hints of something not quite usual about Nagu and his behaviour.

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Eris Harper - 32-year-old female. Teaching assistant. Lives in Havensfield, a small, rural town with a loving neighbourhood. A sweet, kind natured woman who cares deeply about her students.

Killer - Unknown age. Unknown occupation. Unknown hometown.

Detective Hart - 34-year-old male. Detective for 7 years. Lives in Havensfield. A cool, quick-witted detective who's well respected in the community for his hard work and dedication to keeping the town safe.

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Nagu Owens - 26-year-old, Male. His day to day consists of him going back and forth between his work and his motel room, with once a week trips to the bank.

Bank Robber 1 - Unknown age, Male. History unknown.

Bank Robber 2 - Unknown age, Male. History unknown.

Bank Robber 3 - Unknown age, Female. History unknown.

Bank Robber 4 - Unknown age, Male. History unknown.

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Racing my innocence.

Eris rushed out of her house, her heart pounding in her chest as she heard the sirens creeping up to her home. Going from a teaching assistant to a wanted criminal in mere moments was no small feat, but a feat she never believed she would accomplish. She had heard about the murders over the last few weeks, parents mumbling about them in the hallways, teachers gossiping in the teachers lounge. But she never thought that she’d manage to be caught in the middle of it all. She had to escape for now. So she could find the real killer, the one who had somehow framed her for the horrible crimes they had committed. But for now.. she had to hide.

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Bank Robbery Gone Wrong

Nagu slipped into the bank. A 26-year-old retail clerk. That’s all he was. He walked up to the queue that had formed in front of one of the three bank tellers he could see. He waited in the third teller’s line – it was slightly longer but he was in no rush. If anything, it gave him more of an excuse to be out of his crappy motel room. Just waiting day in, day out for something to happen.

After about half an hour of waiting, it was his turn, but just as he walked up, the doors to the bank swung open a group of masked figures barged into the bank, guns drawn and raised up to the ceiling as the shots fired off. Nagu instinctively ducked, his hand reaching to his hip, only to flinch as he remembered nothing would be there.

“Nobody move!” one of the robbers shouted, his voice muffled by the mask. “On the ground, now!” Nagu watched as people started to slowly lower to the ground. Nagu kept his head down. There was no need for anything irrational on his part.

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Exposition - Eris enjoys her evening, switching off the news as it talks about gruesome murders that have happened in town.

Rising Action - Next morning, turns on news with cup of coffee, news report of sources from inside police saying they have a suspect and releasing a photo of Eris on the news announcing her as suspect.

Climax - Sirens draw closer to the house, Eris makes her escape through the backdoor and alleyways behind her home. Creates a plan to find the real killer herself.

Falling Action - As she almost finds the killer, she's caught by the police. enter Detective Hart. Detective Hart reveals the evidence they have against Eris.

Resolution - Ending 1: It is revealed Eris was the killer all along, with video evidence placing them at the murder scenes as well as DNA evidence.

Ending 2: Eris is wrongfully imprisoned - true killer's perspective at end in joy of their plan working as they leave town to go underground for a few years.

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Exposition - Rinse and repeat of Nagu's life. Wake up, get dressed, go work, go home, dinner and bed again. Once a week trip to the bank to deposit something - not mentioned to reader.

Rising Action - Enters bank, waits in line, bank doors fly open. Three men and one woman enter the building wearing masks, holding guns, generic bank robbery.

Climax - Hints towards Nagu's real career, no full reveal. High tension as Nagu is worried about the bank robbers figuring out his real identity - especially while unarmed and without backup

Falling Action - The bank robbery sinks closer to the end, the group ready to leave.

Resolution - Ending 1: Group leaves, Nagu goes about day like nothing happened.

Ending 2: One of the group recognises Nagu from a drug bust a handful of years back - cover as a police officer blown. Last thing Nagu hears is a gunshot before it all fades to black.