The Travelling Shovel of Death

Happy Wednesday, Everyone!

Today we're going to look at one the classic NaNoWriMo memes: the Travelling Shovel of Death (TSoD).

Posted here in it's entirity, directly from the forums, I present all you could ever want to know about our belowed TSoD:

For a while now there's been a tradition amongst the NaNo crowd that likes to kill things. We call it the Travelling Shovel of Death.

The rules are simple. In your NaNo, you kill somone. With a shovel.

It is named the "Travelling" Shovel of Death because, well, it seems to be everywhere. Characters are killed by shovels in droves as soon as their authors find out about this mystical shovel- whether their world has shovels or not. It seems to be infectious. I know a number of characters have died at unfair hands wielding a shovel in my novels, granting me many words to add to my wordcount.

Desperate for a few thousand words? Got a character you don't really like any more? The Travelling Shovel of Death is the solution for you!

Travelling Shovel of Death FAQs (stolen from yangnome, 2009)

What can I do with the shovel?

Use it as a murder weapon. Kill a main character, a supporting character, or even a background character.

What if I don't like violent scenes?

Have the shovel show up bloody on the ground, or maybe just a body that has been beaten. You don't need to describe the murder to use the shovel, though I'm sure it wouldn't stop you.

Why use the shovel to murder someone?

Easy, it provides conflict. Conflict drives stories.

Couldn't I just use a gun or a knife, maybe a sword?

I'm sure you could. Personally, I haven't seen any guns knives or swords traveling around from novel to novel wreaking destruction though. The shovel is something bigger than you or I. It is bigger than our novels. It is a weapon of mass destruction if you will.

What if I don't want to use the shovel?

No one is forcing you. Don't be surprised though if it pops into your novel. It popped into mine. Others who heard of the shovel couldn't resist. Can you?

Does it have to be used as a murder weapon?

I suppose not, but the shovel has developed a taste for blood.

What do I do with the shovel when I am done?

Return it. Set it free so it can travel to another place, another land, maybe even another world.

I'm still not convinced.

Well, use of the shovel will provide you with words. Anyone could easily milk a small 1,000-word scene from the shovel. Those more talented could get more. Heck, I'd bet someone could even get a whole novel out of the shovel's exploits.

Are there any rules regarding the use of the shovel?

No, but we would like to hear about its use. Post the fact that you send it here, and maybe the excerpt from its use.

This sounds silly. It couldn't possibly fit in my novel.

Maybe you are correct. I don't know what you are writing about. The first year the shovel visited me, I wasn't writing a silly novel and it fit in mine with little problem. TSoD does not discriminate based on genre.

Anything else I need to know about the shovel?

No. Well, don't turn your back on it.

And yes, I'm including the TSoD in my novel this year. In fact, the TSoD is going to be featured in the opening scene, nay, the opening sentence of my book. Now if only I had a plot to go with it...