Week of April 11th

Hey workshopers, both newcomers and current participants! (Though if you are new, please refresh yourself on the previous week's prompt as well of the rules of the workshop found at the beginning of this booklet)

This week, rather than give you a brand new prompt to attempt, I thought I'd share my tips for continuing with an idea, even if you may have already lost the motive/inspiration for it. Sometimes, you can make your own "prompt" for revamping a novel or piece just by using the ideas already circling in your brain. I call it, the "List Trick."

Task #1: To get started, you simply make a list of something you REALLY WANT to write. It can be a simple concept that you can't wait to tackle or it can be a big one. Gauge how big of a role you want this concept to play in your story plot as a whole and go from there. This idea can be as small as "I really want to try writing in the first person present tense," to something like "I really want to try writing as a different gender. I really want to tackle cheating. I really want to open a story in a swamp."

Anything that gets you excited to revamp an old idea or start a new one will suffice. Whatever it is, write it down.

Task #2: Next, you add to your list one item or concept that you DO NOT want to write. Something that makes you a tad uncomfortable. Something challenging perhaps? Try not to pick anything that will completely deter you from writing—more like something that will motivate you to tackle an unusual concept that you might not otherwise attempt. Some examples are "I don't want to write in the third person. I don't want to write a self-obsessed character. I don't want to write character death." Sometimes pairing something you WANT with something you don't can make for an interesting struggle.

Task #3: Finally, to round out your list, pick one minor thing that you would like to tackle. Typically, something small like a new narrative style, a different setting or a new character. This can act as a balance between your two bigger likes and dislikes and help you work the concepts realistically either into a new idea or your existing prompt.

So, your challenge for this week? Make your own list using the list trick outlined. Once completed, SHARE your list down below in the comments.

Then, still using the prompt from April 4th, either start a NEW piece while incorporating a want, dislike and a like into your initial word count (if you are a NEWCOMMER to the workshop) or continue with your current prompt while working in these new concepts. Try adding or writing at least 5,000 words by the end of this week.

Requirements for participating:

-Either new or old, you MUST comment on this page with your List of three items.

-If you are NEW to the workshop, please read the previous introductory post and be sure to complete the initial steps on that post.

-If you have any questions or concerns about THIS WEEK's challenge, please post them here. If you, for whatever reason cannot participate, PLEASE MESSAGE the @Malice_Authors account directly in advance.

Happy trails!