Happy New Year! I started my diary challenge today and I’ve completed today’s task already. I did it at 2 in the morning last night after returning from my parents’ party so I’m not sure it made sense, but I started, and that’s what’s important. I found the A5 page limit a real challenge and only just squeezed my story onto it, but I was a bit too wordy at the start. I have to remember that the point is to get something down, not to write something polished. It can get longer in edit if it needs to.
Now it’s time to think about new week. It’s the first full week of the challenge, and it’s the first full week of the year, so in honour of all things new next week will need a brand new character. If you’re doing this with me make sure it’s a character you like because you’ll be working with them all week. Here’s the challenges starting from Monday:
Monday 3rd Jan – Description Challenge
Describe a brand new character to work with this week. They can’t be from something you’ve already written/roleplay character etc. The point of the exercise is to make someone (or something new). Any race, any genre!
Tuesday 4th Jan – Dialogue Challenge
Your new character needs a friend or companion. Write a conversation between them to show a bit about each of them and their relationship.
Wednesday 5th Jan – Scene Challenge
Put your new character in a scene that shows them doing something ‘in character’. Maybe their a thief, so in this scene they’re going to steal something. Or they’re a princess and have to go to another ball to try and find prince charming. You might like the scene to tie into Saturday’s challenge somehow.
Thursday 6th Jan – Dream Challenge
This one is always going to be the same. Write something based on a dream. Give that new character a rest a give yourself a couple of days to muse over your looming flash fiction challenge!
Friday 7th Jan – Poetry Challenge
The poem can be anything but should be inspired in some way by something about your character. It could be about them, it could be something they would write, but it doesn’t have to be as obviously linked to them as that. Just use something from your character to help get you started and write what you like.
Saturday – Flash Fiction
Can you guess what it’s going to be? That’s right, a super short story starring that character you’ve been fleshing out all week!
Sunday – Potluck Challenge – novel idea
I’m not sure how well this will work, but the challenge is to take everything you’ve done this week and think about a much longer story your character could be in and do a brief outline.
And that’s week 1. We’ll see how that goes. That’s it for now!