un: 
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
View Community
Send Gift Points
Send Awardicon
Community Feed
Puzzle Hub
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Writings
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Sheets
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
Workspaces
 |
Daily writing tasks to help you plan and develop your novel or nonfiction manuscript. |
|
Task 1 Brainstorm Project Idea Fiction: What If? ▶︎  Goal: Generate a story concept with enough potential to sustain a novel.Every novel starts with a question. Create at least five "What If?" story ideas. Push beyond your first obvious concepts. Ask questions that create conflict, mystery, danger, change, or opportunity. Examples: What if a young boy discovers he's a wizard? What if a girl discovers a world hidden inside her wardrobe? What if a cemetery brought buried pets back to life? What if dinosaurs lived again? Choose your favorite idea and write 1-3 paragraphs exploring its possibilities. Resources:  Free Mind Mapping Software: Freemind  Free Mind Mapping Software: Mind Meister Canva Free Online Whiteboard Tool Nonfiction: Brainstorm Book Ideas ▶︎ Goal: Generate a pile of possible book angles before committing to one.Set a timer for fifteen minutes and free-write. Use "What If?" prompts ("What if the conventional advice on X is wrong?") or mind-map your general subject area outward until you have a dozen possible framings. Don't filter yet. Quantity matters more than quality at this stage, since the best angle may well be buried under a half-dozen obvious ones. Try approaching the topic from multiple sides, based on what speaks to you: Nonfiction takes many forms - too many to list. Cookbooks, travel guides, essay collections or other works that are not necessarily meant to be read cover to cover are excluded from these exercises. The tasks are designed for books that have an overall arc. For the purposes of the Prep, these are grouped into four broad genre categories. Consider that more than one of the categories might work for your project, and your task today is to pick your angle. For example, true crime might be recounted in story form (historical narrative, which falls under the "Memoir" category), analyzed clinically through the lens of law enforcement (categorized under "Investigative"), or meant to convince you of an alternate theory ("Argument-driven".) CAUTION: Be sure to consider possible legal implications. Broad Nonfiction Genre Categories Argument-driven: A gap you've noticed in existing thinking, or a trend you think is under-discussed. These works focus on persuasion, using evidence, logic, or rhetoric to prove a traditional thesis or claim. May include critiques, manifestos, apologias, dissertations, editorials, and similar. Memoir: A personal experience or period of your life, or in the life of someone else, that demands to be written. These works are narrative, using story-driven structure and pacing. May include biography, autobiography, investigative and historical narrative, and similar. Philosophy: A question you keep circling back to, or a belief you're no longer sure of. These works focus on deep concepts, abstract frameworks, ethical arguments, internal transformations. May include spirituality, theology, existential exploration, reflection, social or political commentary, cultural criticism, ethics, wisdom literature, and similar. Investigative: A case, injustice, or unresolved mystery you can't stop thinking about. These works are narrative, driven by a central mystery, with high-stakes reporting and deep-dive research. May include journalism, disaster & survival, historical mysteries, scientific & medical mysteries, legal thrillers, true crime, and similar. Resources: Free Mind Mapping Software: Freemind Free Mind Mapping Software: Mind Meister Canva Free Online Whiteboard Tool Task 2 Main Character Profile Fiction: Protagonist Profile ▶︎ Goal: Build a character who feels like a real person.Draft a profile of your protagonist. Include detailed information such as name, age, physical attributes, occupation, education, culture, religion, family, relationship status, personality, likes, dislikes, strengths, weakness, motivations and desires. Use Google Images or equivalent to find an image of your character. The point of this exercise is for you to get to know your character inside and out before you write your novel. If you don't know your character, how can you expect it of your readers? Flesh out your pre-story character in detail. Keep in mind that your protagonist will grow in some way during your story. Resources: "Character Interview / Profile Sheet" "(Another, Very) In-Depth Character Profile" "Traits List" Nonfiction: Ideal Reader Profile ▶︎ Goal: Define exactly who this book is for, so every later decision has a target reader.Describe your reader as a specific person, not a demographic. What do they already know about your topic? What frustrates them? What are they hoping this book will do for them - solve a problem, change their mind, give them language for something they already sense? Sketch out: Their current situation and what brought them to this topicTheir level of expertise (novice, practitioner, skeptic, insider)What they'll do differently after readingThe sharper this picture, the easier every later decision becomes, from vocabulary to chapter length to which case studies to include. Resources: "Character Interview / Profile Sheet" "(Another, Very) In-Depth Character Profile" "Traits List" Task 3 Story - Main Character Fiction: Protagonist Background Story ▶︎ Goal: Practice storytelling while discovering a formative moment in your protagonist's life.Choose a single defining moment from your protagonist's past. Make your readers relate to them in such a way that we would be devastated if they were to experience conflict (which, ultimately, sometime in November, they will.) This should not be a summary of their childhood or a list of important experiences. Instead, focus on one specific incident that shaped who they became. Examples: The day they lost a friend. The first time they failed. The moment they discovered a secret. The event that created their greatest fear.Your story should include: A clear beginning, middle, and end. A conflict or challenge. A meaningful choice or realization. A lasting impact on the protagonist.This story should stand alone and remain understandable without the novel. OPTIONAL CONTEST: This task may be submitted competitively to Contest Round 1 in the "October Prep (Base Camp) Contest Rounds" .Nonfiction: "Before" Case Study ▶︎ Goal: Practice storytelling and ground the book's central problem or question in a real, relatable "before" story.You're going to write a narrative today, which might end up being the rough draft of a story you include in the finished work as a reference point for readers. This task varies by the genre category you landed on when you brainstormed your project idea the first day as follows: Write a short story about... Argument-driven: ...your ideal reader before encountering your book's ideas. What did they believe? What wasn't working? What's the cost of that gap in time, money, relationships, peace of mind? Memoir: ...the subject's own "before". Who were they? What did they believe? What didn't they yet know, before the events in the book? Philosophy: ...a seeker or the author's own earlier self, sitting with the question the book explores, before achieving any resolution or insight. Investigative: ...the world or victim before the crime and the sense of normalcy that the central event disrupts. This story just needs to be true to the experience. It will likely open your introduction or an early chapter, so pay attention to concrete, sensory details rather than abstractions. A reader should recognize themselves (or at least the stakes) within the first few lines. Task 4 Market, Theme & Voice Fiction: Market, Theme & Voice ▶︎ Goal: Discover who your target reader is and understand how to connect with them.Explain in detail what aspects of your novel will appeal to this particular audience and why. Identify: Genre: Identify your story type from this list of story types or define it with your own nomenclature. Target audience: Describe the demographic profile of your ideal reader (try using your character profile template!) Theme(s): What is/are the theme(s) you'd like to explore (see below)? Is there a moral of the story? Voice and tone: What narrative personality will connect most with your target audience?Don't worry too much about how accurate this is today. Later in the month, after we've worked through what our actual plot, characters and setting are going to look like, we'll have a chance to revisit our market, theme(s), voice and tone, and revise as needed. Resources This list of universal themes might give you some ideas, but don't let it box you in. Feel free to add your own. This article discusses the importance of marketing, and why targeting "mass appeal" or "all readers" isn't good enough: "Building Your Brand" Nonfiction: Market, Theme & Voice ▶︎ Goal: Position the book in its market and pin down its core message and tone.Identify a few comparable titles already on shelves. What do they do well, and where's the opening for your book? This isn't about copying them; it's about understanding the conversation you're entering and how your take differs. Then define: Theme: the one idea you want readers to carry away, in a single sentence Voice: how you sound on the page - warm and conversational, rigorous and academic, blunt and contrarian, etc. Market position: why someone would pick your book over (or in addition to) the comparablesKeep this brief for now, and don't worry too much about how accurate it is. We'll be revisiting this later in the month, after the book's shape is clearer. Resources This list of universal themes might give you some ideas, but don't let it box you in. Feel free to add your own. This article discusses the importance of marketing, and why targeting "mass appeal" or "all readers" isn't good enough: "Building Your Brand" Task 5 Premise Fiction: Define Premise & Identify Stakes ▶︎ Goal: Understand why this story matters and why readers should care.Identify a clear premise by exploring the story elements. 1. Setting(s). Where/when does your story take place? 2. Protagonist(s). Who is(are) the main character(s)? 2b. Flaw(s). What is(are) their major flaw(s)? 2c. Goal(s). What do they want (or want to avoid)? 3. Conflict(s). What stands in their way? 4. Antagonist(s). Who or what is creating the conflict(s)? Why? 5. Stakes. What happens if they fail to achieve their goal? 5b. Personal stakes 5c. Relationship stakes 5d. External stakes Just for fun: Write a provocative one-sentence description of your story. Example: A young, mistreated orphan discovers he is a wizard and must face the evil villain Voldelmort to fulfill his destiny. Resources: Wikipedia's definition of Narrative Conflict Nonfiction: Premise & Purpose ▶︎ Goal: Articulate the single idea the entire book exists to explore or prove.This task varies by genre. Write a sentence or two pinpointing... Argument-driven: ...the provable claim you'll defend with evidence. This is a thesis in the traditional sense. Memoir: ...the central theme or meaning drawn from lived events - less "provable," more true to the experience being conveyed. Philosophy: ...the central question or insight being explored. This might be deliberately open-ended rather than a claim. Investigative: ...the factual claim about what happened, possibly paired with an argument about why it matters (systemic failure, wrongful conviction, an overlooked pattern, etc.) Write it as one or two sentences a stranger could repeat back accurately. If you can't compress it that far, the book itself probably doesn't have a clear spine yet. But no worries! You still have the rest of the month to pin it down before you start writing. But this statement should be your north star during November. Every chapter should serve it in some way. Task 6 Cultural Setting Fiction: Cultural Setting ▶︎ Goal: Create a living world rather than a backdrop.Describe the cultural, political and/or religious setting in your novel, regardless of whether the cultural setting is fictional, historical, or modern. (1) What do your societies believe? (2) In what practices do they engage? (3) What do family units look like? (4) What laws or rules of society are in place? (5) Who/what enforces the laws and rules and how successful are they? (6) What technologies are in use? (7) How does the setting impact your protagonist(s) in their pre-story lives? (8) How does the setting impact the plot of your story? Nonfiction: Field Context ▶︎ Goal: Establish the current landscape the reader/field is operating in.Describe the state of your subject right now. What's commonly believed? What's changing? What tensions or debates are already in the air? This is the "world" your book is entering, much like a setting in fiction, except it's intellectual and cultural rather than physical. Consider, depending on genre: Argument-driven: What's the conventional wisdom your book will push against or build on? Memoir: What was the broader world (family, culture, era) surrounding the events you're telling? Philosophy: What's the current conversation or debate your question enters into? Investigative: What was the social, institutional, or legal landscape at the time of the events? This context will likely inform your introduction and help you justify why this book needs to exist now. Task 7 Freestyle Brainstorm & Research Fiction: Freestyle Brainstorm, Research & World Building▶︎ Goal: Let your muse out of the cage and get creative!Brainstorming: Over the next few days' tasks, things are going to go terribly wrong for your main character. Spend fifteen minutes today brainstorming with "What If?" or mind mapping, freestyle writing, making lists, or researching the possibilities. World Building: For fantasy, science fiction, or other speculative fiction, develop the history, economy, geology, ecology, and/or maps for your world. You might find this activity helpful: "World Weavers' Workshop" Research: For reality-based fiction, research aspects of your project that will lend credibility to your writing. Nonfiction: Freestyle Brainstorm & Research ▶︎ Goal: Fill knowledge gaps and add material you didn't know you needed.Spend this block reading, browsing, or free-associating without a strict agenda. Follow footnotes, search unfamiliar terms, skim adjacent books, revisit old journals or records, or simply ponder and jot down your thoughts around your core question. The goal isn't to find one answer. It's to widen your raw material before you start locking in structure Keep a running list of anything that sparks an idea: Surprising facts, statistics, or documents Quotes, phrases, or memories worth remembering Questions you now realize you need to answer Names of people or sources to follow up with laterDon't worry about organizing this yet. That comes in later reference tasks. Task 8 Status Quo Fiction: Beginning/Stasis ▶︎ Goal: Ground readers in the opening world.(1) Describe your protagonist's life in the beginning (Ordinary World or Stasis) of the story. Brainstorm ways you could establish normality through action and dialog to avoid boring your reader. Consider: Location Time period Mood Conditions Important detailsExplain why this is the best place to start the story. (2) Describe the inciting incident or trigger (Call to Adventure) that prompts your protagonist(s) to embark on this story's journey (whether literal or metaphorical) and face the conflict. This incident could be large and obvious like a death or disaster, or it could be seemingly insignificant, such as an offhand comment by another character. Check out Jeff is Carl & Princess Donut  's article about the Call to Adventure: "Action/Adventure Newsletter (February 4, 2026)" Nonfiction: Status Quo ▶︎ Goal: Pin down where things stand at the book's opening point.Narrow the field context from the Cultural Setting task down to the specific starting point of your book. If your book were a documentary, this is the opening frame - the situation as it exists before your argument, narrative, or inquiry moves the reader anywhere. Ask yourself: Argument-driven: What does the reader believe or do right now, before reading? Memoir: What was true of your/your subject's life, relationships, or self-understanding at the story's start? Philosophy: What's the settled or unexamined position most people (including you) hold before the inquiry begins? Investigative: What was known, assumed, or overlooked before the investigation began? Every later development in the book will push off of this reference point. Task 9 Opposition Fiction: Antagonist Profile ▶︎ Goal: Understand in depth who or what is creating the conflict for your protagonist.Draft a profile of the antagonist(s) you identified in the "Premise" assignment. Feel free to use the character profile templates from the protagonist profile task. If your antagonist is a situation rather than a person, either write about that, or choose another minor (but significant) character to profile. Include: Goals Motivations Strengths Weaknesses Resources Relationships PersonalityRemember that villains rarely see themselves as villains. Nonfiction: Resistance ▶︎ Goal: Anticipate where resistance will come from in order to be prepared to defend against it.Evaluate the list below and determine which types of resistance your book will face. Brainstorm as many sources of resistance as you can conceive. External resistance: real people, institutions, or systems with something at stake in the status quo (Memoir, Investigative) Intellectual resistance: a genuinely strong counterargument, rival theory, or skeptical reader you need to persuade (Argument-driven) Internal resistance: doubt, contradiction, or unresolved tension the author or subject is still working through (Philosophy, Memoir) Circumstantial resistance: conditions, events, or constraints that made the outcome difficult regardless of anyone's intentions (Investigative, Memoir)The more honestly you name the resistance, the more credible the book will be when it addresses that resistance later. Task 10 Story - Opposing Forces Fiction: Antagonist Background Story ▶︎ Goal: Develop empathy for your antagonist and practice writing from another perspective.Your antagonist is the person, situation, or thing creating the central conflict. Write a short story about your antagonist that helps us understand and empathize with their motivations. If your antagonist is a situation rather than a person, write a background story about that. The Tom Hanks movie "Cast Away" famously features only one character (unless you count Wilson), and his antagonist is loneliness. Could you personify loneliness? Why does loneliness exist? What motivates it? How would a lack of loneliness affect survival of the human race? How did it drive main character Nolan to survive for years alone on a deserted island? Loneliness has a job to do. Make us believe it's a valid one. Having trouble identifying your antagonist?: "When The Bad Guy Isn't a Person" "ANTAGONIST (Re: A LOT of confusing things)" OPTIONAL CONTEST: This task may be submitted competitively to Contest Round 2 in the "October Prep (Base Camp) Contest Rounds" Nonfiction: "Opposition" Case Study ▶︎ Goal: Practice storytelling and illustrate, through a real story, the force your book's central idea or subject has to contend with.Today, you're writing your second narrative, and like the "Before" Case Study, it may land in your finished work as a reference point. Write a story that embodies whatever your book is pushing against or working through. This case study could take very different shapes depending on your genre, and it's worth naming which one applies before you write the story, since it changes what you're looking for: Argument-driven: A person or situation that shows the cost of the conventional wisdom or misconception you're arguing against Memoir: A real person (an antagonist, rival, or difficult relationship) or a circumstance (illness, loss, an era) the subject contended with Philosophy: A figure, tradition, or moment of doubt that represents the worldview or question your book is wrestling with Investigative: The perpetrator's story, or a moment of institutional failure, such as the system that missed something it shouldn't haveWhichever form it takes, write it with the same specificity as your other stories and case studies: concrete details, not summary. This story often does the most work in establishing why the book's central tension matters, and it usually lands early - to justify why the reader should keep reading. Task 11 Destination Fiction: Climax ▶︎ Goal: Know where the story is headed.Where is your story going? Describe the climax, the point at which everything changes and the tension of the primary conflict is finally resolved. Use the 'What If' brainstorming exercise to create a list of possibilities, remembering to consider the growth of / change in your main character(s) as a result of this event. The climax can be as hidden and seemingly tiny as that moment when your character finally makes that decision they've been dreading or avoiding for fifteen chapters, or it can be as huge and obvious as an exploding planet. Sometimes, the climax is a little hard to pin down. Was it the moment Ender won his game? Or was it the moment he realized the moving images on his screen were not a simulation, not the game he thought it was, and that he had just personally wiped out an entire alien race? Describe: The final confrontation The critical decision The highest stakes The outcomeDon't worry about how characters get there yet. Nonfiction: Turning Point ▶︎ Goal: Identify the insight or discovery the whole book is building toward.Describe the destination - the pivotal shift in insight, perspective, or action your reader will experience. Unlike a novel's dramatic climax, a nonfiction "turning point" is often a slower cumulative awakening where key arguments, narrative threads, or evidence suddenly click into focus. Try to articulate: Argument-driven: ...the paradigm shift. What does the reader understand at the end that they didn't at the start? Memoir: ...the emotional or psychological reckoning. What changed in you/your subject by the end of the events being told? Philosophy: ...the conceptual or existential awakening: Where does the inquiry ultimately land - resolution? A better question? Or a hard-earned uncertainty? Investigative: ...the reveal of the system or truth: What does the reader now know that they didn't know before? Having this destination in mind now makes outlining far easier later. Task 12 Reaching the Destination Fiction: Rising Action ▶︎ Goal: Prevent a stagnant middle.Review your notes from the "Premise" and "Beginning" plot exercises, and tweak the conflict(s) and inciting incident as needed before proceeding with the "Rising Action" plot exercise, as follows: (1) Describe any initial refusals on the part of your protagonist(s) to face the conflict. (2) Describe the moment when your protagonist(s) makes the choice to face the conflict. (3) Describe the moment when your protagonist(s) crosses the point of no return and cannot change their mind. (4) Fill in some of the blanks: How will your characters get from the point of no return to the climax? Consider: Discoveries Challenges Conflicts EscalationsEach event should increase tension or difficulty. Nonfiction: Getting to the Turning Point ▶︎ Goal: Map the sequence that will carry the reader from where they start to where you want them to end up.Review your notes from the "Premise", "Status Quo", and "Turning Point" tasks. Start constructing a rough map outlining how you'll get from the Status Quo to the Turning Point, keeping your premise in front of you: Argument-driven: The evidence sequence - what the reader must accept first before the next claim will land Memoir: The sequence of events or scenes - chronological, or reordered for effect (flashbacks, etc.) - that carries the emotional or narrative arc Philosophy: The sequence of ideas or questions - each building on, complicating, or deepening the one before it Investigative: The sequence of discovery - what's revealed when, whether that follows the actual chronology of events or the order the investigation unfolded Sketch the overall shape, not chapter by chapter yet. Arguments, narratives, and inquiries all tend to have a natural order that makes later points land harder. Figuring out that order now saves you from restructuring later. List your major building blocks in rough sequence: What must come first, to establish footing What builds complexity, nuance, or emotional weight in the middle What lands with the most force, positioned for maximum impact, often near the endThis map is the backbone of your first outline. Task 13 Outline - First Draft Fiction: Outline First Draft ▶︎ Goal: Build the first roadmap.(1) Select a desired outlining strategy from the list below. (2) Review your plot elements thus far and organize them into your outline. (3) Flesh out your outline by adding more details. Outlining Strategies A traditional outline format with bullet points, numbers/letters, or chapters. Index cards (paper or electronic) which can be easily shuffled to change scene order later. The Snowflake Method. Use one of the following story models as a fill-in-the-blank outline template:- The Five-Point Story Structure.- The Eight-Point Story Structure.- The Hero's Journey Story Structure.- Any other appropriate model. Nonfiction: Chapter Outline First Draft ▶︎ Get a first working skeleton of the book's structure on paperUsing everything gathered so far, draft a rough chapter-by-chapter outline. List each prospective chapter with a one-line description of its job in the whole (advancing the argument, the story, the inquiry, or the investigation). Keep this loose: Chapter titles can be placeholders It's fine to have gaps or a chapter that's just "??? - need more research" Note roughly where your four case studies might landThis draft outline exists to be improved, not to be right the first time. Task 14 Freestyle Brainstorm & Research Fiction: Freestyle Brainstorm, Research & World Building ▶︎ Goal: Strengthen weak areas.Choose one area that needs development. Examples: Research Maps Magic systems Technology Family trees Historical eventsYou can also use this time to work tasks from previous days that feel unfinished. Nonfiction: Research & Background Reading ▶︎ Goal: Deepen the evidence base before locking structure further.Return to research, this time guided by the gaps your Outline #1 revealed. If a chapter felt thin, dig into that area specifically. If a claim needs stronger support, look for it now. Focus on: Filling identified gaps from the outline Strengthening weak or unsupported claims Finding additional examples, data, or expert perspectivesThis round of research should feel more targeted than Task 7, since you now know what the book actually needs. Task 15 People (Build a Reference) Fiction: Dramatis Personae ▶︎ Goal: Organize and store your character information such that it's easy to grab next month.(1) Identify allies and enemies encountered along the journey and describe how they help or hinder your protagonist(s). (2) Create a list of characters in a format easy to edit and expand (electronic, notecards, etc.) (3) Write a brief profile on each character. Name Age Occupation Relation to the main character(s) Rough physical description or image (try a Google Image Search or comparable)You can revise this list at any time (and that's the point!), so this is a draft and not expected to be fully accurate or complete yet. Nonfiction: Sources & Experts List ▶︎ Goal: Compile the experts, sources, and interviewees you'll draw on throughout.Create a list of people relevant to your book in a format easy to edit and expand (electronic, notecards, etc.). Include enough detail to reference them quickly later: their relevance, credentials, and how you might reach them with questions. Examples vary by nonfiction type: Argument-driven: Sources, experts, interviewees. Memoir: Real people from the subject's life. Philosophy: Thinkers, teachers, spiritual guides. Investigative: Victims, suspects, detectives, lawyers, witnesses. You can revise this list at any time (and that's the point!), so this is a draft and not expected to be fully accurate or complete yet. Task 16 Places (Build a Reference) Fiction: Settings List ▶︎ Goal: Organize and store your setting information such that it's easy to grab next month.(1) Create a list of settings in a format easy to edit and expand. (2) Add brief descriptions, drawings, images or Google Maps coordinates (find the location on Google Maps/Earth and record the URL) for each. You can revise this list at any time (and that's the point!), so this revision is not expected to be fully accurate or complete. Nonfiction: Locations & Institutions List ▶︎ Goal: Catalog the locations and/or institutions your case studies and research are anchored in.List every place relevant to your book: where events happened, where research was conducted, where your case studies are set, institutions central to your subject. Even for a book that isn't location-driven, most nonfiction still has geographic or institutional anchors worth tracking. Note for each: Why it's relevant to the book What details or facts about it you may need to verify Whether it connects to a specific case study or chapterYou can revise this list at any time (and that's the point!), so this is a draft and not expected to be fully accurate or complete yet. Task 17 Story - Narrative Description Fiction: Setting Description ▶︎ Goal: Practice revealing setting naturally through storytelling.Select an important location from your novel. Instead of writing a static description, write a short scene that allows readers to experience the setting through action. Include: Characters interacting with the environment. Sensory details.Include all five senses where possible. Movement through the space. Mood and atmosphere.The setting should feel alive and active rather than explained. The scene may be related to your novel or entirely separate. OPTIONAL CONTEST: This task may be submitted competitively to Contest Round 3 in the "October Prep (Base Camp) Contest Rounds" Nonfiction: Anchor Story▶︎ Goal: Build a richly detailed anchor story the book can return to.Write a story, a case study, demonstrating your book's premise, as follows: Argument-driven: An illustrative story you can return to multiple times to reinforce different points of your argument as it develops Memoir: A pivotal scene from the subject's life, written with full narrative weight, which may anchor an important chapter Philosophy: A parable, thought experiment, or exemplar figure explored in depth Investigative: A detailed timeline or incident reconstruction told in scene - e.g., the crime, the investigation, or the trial Write it with real texture: setting, sensory detail, dialogue if applicable, and a clear arc. This story may recur, so capture more than you think you'll need: Background and context on the people or situation involved Specific, verifiable details (dates, places, quotes) Multiple "beats" of the story you could deploy at different points in the bookYou will likely use the finished product in your book as a case study you'll go back to often, but for now, consider this a rough draft. You'll probably want to invest a lot of time in revisions later. Task 18 Raising the Stakes Fiction: Raise the Stakes ▶︎ Goal: Sharpen what your protagonist stands to lose or gain, so the reader feels the urgency.Spend fifteen minutes writing a clear statement of what's genuinely at risk for your protagonist by the climax physically, emotionally, or relationally. Vague stakes ("she might not get what she wants") are far less gripping than specific ones ("she'll lose the only family she has left"). Address: What does your protagonist lose if they fail? What do they gain if they succeed — and is it what they originally wanted, or what they actually needed? How can you make these stakes felt early, not just stated late?This raises the tension of every scene between now and the climax. Nonfiction: Raise the Stakes ▶︎ Goal: Make the reader feel why this matters now, before you complicate the picture.Write a clear, honest statement of what's at risk if the reader (or the subject, or the world of the book) doesn't engage with what you're presenting. This isn't about manufacturing drama; it's about being precise about real consequences. "Stakes" Defined By Genre: Argument-driven: Practical, financial, or reputational consequences of the status quo Memoir: Emotional and relational stakes - what was risked, lost, or changed Philosophy: Existential stakes - what's at risk in how one lives, believes, or understands the world Investigative: Literal life-and-death stakes, and often the stakes of justice being served or denied Address: What's lost by continuing with the status quo, or by the situation going unresolved? What's gained by the shift your book offers, argues for, or documents? Why does this matter now, specifically, rather than at any other time?This urgency will likely show up early in your introduction, giving the reader a reason to stay through the more complicated material that follows. Task 19 Complications Fiction: Complications ▶︎ Goal: Create problems that demand creative solutions.A story becomes interesting when things go wrong. After yesterday's worst-case-scenario brainstorm, you should now be able to identify at least three significant complications that could derail your protagonist's plans and lead them down a path toward that worst case. These should be serious enough that a simple solution won't work. For each complication, explain: What goes wrong? Why is it a problem? Why can't the protagonist immediately solve it?By the end of today's assignment, your protagonist should be in genuine trouble. Nonfiction: Counterevidence and Complicating Factors ▶︎ Goal: Earn credibility by honestly confronting whatever complicates a clean version of your book.Review your Opposition(s) task, and now address the resistance and opposing forces directly. What counts as a "complication" shifts by genre: Argument-driven: Counterarguments and evidence that cuts against your thesis Memoir: Complicated feelings, conflicting memories, or people who don't fit neatly into hero or villain roles Philosophy: Other traditions, doubts, or counter-readings that complicate a tidy resolution Investigative: Conflicting evidence, unreliable witnesses, legal ambiguity, or competing theories For each major complication, decide how your book will handle it - refute it, concede part of it, sit with it honestly, or reframe the question entirely. Readers trust authors who acknowledge complexity more than those who pretend it doesn't exist. Work through: The strongest complication you can't ignore, and your honest response to it Any evidence, memory, or perspective that resists a clean narrative Nuances or exceptions you'll need to flag rather than smooth overThis task often strengthens the thesis itself, since it forces precision. Task 20 Devices Fiction: Literary Devices ▶︎ Goal: Learn how writers make solutions feel earned instead of convenient.(1) Brainstorm possible solutions to your conflict and complications using the list of literary devices below or your own ideas. (2) Identify a mentor or helper who aids the protagonist(s) in achieving their goals. (3) Identify any other literary devices from the list you could use to enhance your writing. Literary Devices List Foreshadowing: Hints of something to come. Chekhov's Gun: The gun on the wall in Scene 1 is eventually fired. Repetitive Designation: An object or fact appears over and over. Symbolism: Small facts, objects, or characterizations represent something bigger. Self-fulfilling prophecy: Protagonist attempts to thwart prophecy but in attempting, fulfills it. Poetic Justice: Good guys are rewarded and bad guys are punished. Plot Twist: Surprises the reader with something unexpected. False Protagonist: The protagonist dies or turns out to be something other than the protagonist. Red Herring: A false trail diverts the reader's attention from what really happened. Unreliable Narrator: The narrator has been misleading the reader all along. Irony: The exact opposite of what the reader expects happens. Reveal: A hidden connection between characters or facts is revealed in time. Plot Device: Advances the plot forward, often pushing the main character past a hurdle. Object of Power: Either the protagonist wants it, or the object drives the plot of its own accord. MacGuffin: Something the protagonist wants for unknown and unimportant reasons. Quibble: Following the letter of the law, contract, or agreement instead of its intent, changing the outcome. Narrative Hook: Story opening that grab's the reader's attention. Cliffhanger: Ending a scene, chapter or story in the middle of action, hooking the reader. Ticking Clock Scenario: The threat of impending doom if the protagonist's objective is not met. Breaking the Fourth Wall: A character speaks directly to the reader. Or anything from this list: http://literary-devices.com/ For each complication, describe how you could use at least one literary device to prepare readers for a future solution.. Resources Wikipedia Nonfiction: Rhetorical/Structural Device ▶︎ Goal: Choose a recurring frame or motif that gives the book a signature throughline.Decide whether your book will use a recurring device to hold it together, adjusted for genre: Argument-driven: A metaphor or framing device you return to at key argumentative turns Memoir: A recurring image, object, or refrain tied to your emotional through-line Philosophy: A repeated question or thought experiment the book keeps returning to at a deeper level Investigative: A structural device like an evolving timeline, a repeated piece of evidence, or a running tally of what's known vs. unknown Consider: A metaphor or image that captures your central idea A structural pattern you'll repeat chapter to chapter A phrase or question that could recur as a refrainNot every nonfiction book needs an elaborate device, but even a light touch here can make a book more memorable and cohesive. Task 21 Freestyle Brainstorm & Research Fiction: Freestyle Brainstorm, Research & World Building▶︎ Goal: Discover answers hidden within the world you've already created.Now that your characters are in trouble, examine your setting more closely. Spend today exploring possibilities that already exist within your world, coupled with yesterday's literary devices. Ask yourself: What resources might be available? What rules have I established? What organizations exist? What locations could matter? What historical events might become relevant? What real-world research could inspire solutions?Do not force solutions today. Simply gather possibilities. Nonfiction: Freestyle Brainstorm & Research▶︎ Goal: Close remaining gaps before finalizing the outline.This is your final open-ended research pass before locking the structure. Focus on anything still unresolved: weak chapters, missing case studies, unclear transitions, or claims, memories, or facts you haven't fully verified. Prioritize: Any remaining thin spots in your argument, story, or inquiry Fact-checking or sourcing you've been putting off Final inspiration for chapter openings or the device from Task 20Treat this as your last chance to gather raw material before locking down the structure. Task 22 Outline - Second Draft Fiction: Outline - Second Draft ▶︎ Goal: Create a coherent sequence of events.Review your premise again. (1) Review your plot elements thus far and organize them into your outline. (2) Add a chronological timeline to your revised outline, using whatever measure of time is appropriate in your story. Determine when plot events happen in time (which is not necessarily when you will reveal them in your novel.) See this example composed by JK Rowling while outlining one of her famous Harry Potter novels.  (3) Optional: Brainstorm the best chronology(ies) for your story and work it(them) into your outline. Chronology Strategies Linear Narrative - the story is told in the order the events occurred. Non-Linear Narrative - the story is told out of order. Reverse Chronology - the story is told backwards. In medias res - the story starts in the middle, goes back to explain how it got there, catches up, and then resolves. Flashback/forward - individual scene(s) that take place prior to or after the current action.Note that the difference between these chronological devices can be minute. Read the examples below to see how most stories use more than one style of chronology. Your job is to plan the order in which you will tell your story to the reader. Don't get hung up in the nomenclature. EXAMPLES: Lord of the Rings is mostly linear. The events of the story are revealed to the reader as they unfold for the characters. Some flashbacks occur, such as when Gandalf tells the Fellowship how he defeated the balrog and what happened when he visited Saruman. The hit TV drama "The Walking Dead" is famous for beginning episodes in medias res and then going back in time to explain how the characters got there. On an academic level, these opening scenes could also be construed as flash forwards because, much of the time, the scene at the beginning of each episode is not actually the climax, or the action in the middle of the story, but rather, it shows where the characters end up at the very end of the episode. In medias res is technically the middle, not the end. One episode of "The X-Files" featured a character who woke up each morning to find that it was one day earlier than the previous day. On the "first" (last, for the character) day, he was on trial for murdering his wife. On the "second" (previous) day, he was meeting his attorney. The plot continued to move backwards in time until it reached the day of the murder, at which point, the protagonist had enough information to prevent the murder from occurring at all. This is an example of reverse chronology, a rare but effective tool for revealing mysteries. Nonfiction: Chapter Outline ▶︎ Goal: Revise the structure with stakes, complications, and device now integrated.Rewrite your outline from Task 13, now incorporating everything from Tasks 14-21. Chapters should have clearer purposes, case studies should have assigned homes, and the stakes/complications arc should be visible in the sequencing. Check that your outline: Follows the sequence devised when you evaluated getting from the status quo to the turning point Places your four case studies where they'll have the most impact Reflects the recurring device from the "Devices" task, if you're using oneThis version should feel much closer to a real table of contents. Task 23 Things (Build a Reference) Fiction: Glossary / Definitions List ▶︎ Goal: Establish consistency.(1) Create a glossary / list of definitions (see below) in a format easy to edit and expand. (2) Optional: Brainstorm and describe an object critical to the plot. Add to definitions list. In your definitions list, you'll flesh out details that you'll want to remember later for consistency. You won't have to dig through pages of scribbled notes to find whatever you decided about these definitions - they will all be compiled into a neat list / binder / database / note cards / whatever your favorite form of organization happens to be. Example definitions for the Harry Potter series: rules of magic the Ministry of Magic modes of transportation (apparition, Floo network, portkeys, flying, etc.) the four Houses at Hogwarts the sword of Gryffindor (note: this would also make a good plot background story)Non-speculative examples requiring definitions: a fictional student organization to which your protagonist belongs the fictional company or division of the FBI for whom your protagonist works the disease afflicting a character, which is a real condition you need to research the antique artifact your protagonist intends to heistYou can revise this list at any time (and that's the point!), so this revision is not expected to be fully accurate or complete. Nonfiction: Glossary & Key Terms List ▶︎ Goal: Define key terms so language stays precise and consistent throughout.List every specialized term, concept, or phrase your book relies on, along with a working definition. This matters most if your subject has jargon that needs translating for a general reader, or if you're coining or repurposing a term central to your thesis. Include, depending on genre: Argument-driven: Technical or field-specific terms readers may not know Memoir: Family shorthand, era-specific references, or terms unique to your world Philosophy: Terms you're using in a specific or nonstandard way — precision matters most here Investigative: Legal, forensic, or procedural terms readers will need to follow the investigation Consistency here prevents confusion later, especially if multiple terms are close in meaning. Task 24 Story - Background Fiction: Plot Background Story ▶︎ Goal: Strengthen the foundation of your plot while practicing complete narrative structure.Write a short stor that sets up your plot. This story should answer the question: "What happened before Chapter One that made this novel possible?" EXAMPLE: The Lord of the Rings story revolves around the One Ring, its significance, and how it's destroyed. But how did Frodo get the One Ring in the first place? We learn that in The Hobbit. You obviously can't write a full-scale novel in 15 minutes, but you could write the scene where Bilbo encounters Gollum and stumbles across the ring. That would be a background story that sets up the plot in Lord of the Rings. Other examples: The fall of a kingdom. The discovery of forbidden magic. The murder that remained unsolved. The business deal that started everything. The family argument that fractured a relationship.Like your novel, your story should include a protagonist with flaws and goals, a conflict, rising action, a climax, and a resolution. Readers should understand how this event influences the novel, even if the story itself never appears in the final manuscript. OPTIONAL CONTEST: This task may be submitted competitively to Contest Round 4 in the "October Prep (Base Camp) Contest Rounds" Nonfiction: Foundational Story ▶︎ Goal: Build depth through storytelling while crafting an opening anecdote that hooks the reader and sets up the book's central idea.Write a complete narrative about an event that shaped one of your book's central ideas. What this might look like is genre-dependent: Argument-driven: A story that implies the thesis before you state it directly Memoir: Often a flash-forward or a defining scene that captures the book's emotional core before the chronological story begins Philosophy: A question, parable, or moment of encounter that draws the reader into the inquiry Investigative: Frequently the crime itself, or its discovery, told with restraint and precision rather than sensationalism Aim for: A self-contained story with a beginning, middle, and end. A concrete, specific opening scene rather than a general statement A natural bridge from the story to your central idea Enough intrigue that a reader wants to know what happens next, or how the story resolves This story may explain why the topic matters, where an important discovery originated, or how a major issue developed. Task 25 POV, Perspective & Market Revision Fiction: POV, Perspective, and Market Revision▶︎ Goal: Enter November with a clear, complete vision of your novel.Revisit the original "Market, Theme(s) and Voice" statement you drafted earlier this month. Now that you have more clarity on the novel's content and shape, decide on a point of view (1st person, close 3rd, omniscient, or multiple POV) and perspective (whose eyes the reader experiences the story through, and when that might shift), and make sure your voice has stayed consistent across everything you've drafted so far. Confirm: Your theme statement still accurately describes the project Your chosen voice fits both your ideal reader and your story's needsRevise these as needed. Nonfiction: POV, Perspective, and Market Revision ▶︎ Goal: Finalize genre, theme(s) and voice, and confirm you have the right market and reader identified for your project.Revise your earlier description of your book's market, theme(s) and voice, now that you have more clarity on the book's content and shape. Pick a point of view and perspective (examples: 1st person, journalistic 3rd person, 2nd person "you", or a blend. Make sure your voice has stayed consistent across everything you've drafted so far. Confirm: Your theme statement still accurately describes the project Your comparable titles are still the right positioning Your chosen voice fits both your ideal reader and your subject matterRevise these as needed. Task 26 Interview Fiction: Protagonist Interview ▶︎ Goal: Clarify exactly what should change in your protagonist by the story's end (the character arc). Write a short imagined interview with your protagonist, once before the novel's events and once after. Ask them what they believe, what they want, and what they're afraid of. Answer as they would after everything that happens in the novel. This exercise reveals: Whether your novel actually delivers a meaningful character arc Gaps between the transformation you intend and what the plot as outlined would actually produce Language or attitudes that could sharpen your character's voiceIf the "after" answers feel vague or unchanged from the "before," that's a signal to revisit your plot or character arc. Nonfiction: Before/After Interview▶︎ Goal: Clarify exactly what should change - in a reader, a subject, or an understanding - by the last page.Write the "before" and "after" as a short imagined interview, in each subject's own voice. Who or what you're interviewing shifts by genre: Argument-driven: Your ideal reader, once before they've read the book and once after. Ask them what they believe, what they're struggling with, and what they'd say about your topic. Memoir: Your past self and your present self (or the subject at two points in time) about the events the book covers. Philosophy: Your seeking self and your settled self, or a reader before and after sitting with the book's central question. Investigative: What the public believed vs. what the evidence actually shows = especially useful if your book corrects a popular narrative. This exercise reveals: Whether your book actually delivers a meaningful before/after shift. Gaps between what you intend to convey and what a reader would actually absorb. Language that could sharpen your own voice. If the "after" answers feel vague or unchanged from the "before," that's a signal to revisit your thesis or structure. Task 27 Final Outline & Synopsis Fiction: Narrative Voice Synopsis▶︎ Goal: Generate a final outline and synopsis of your novel ready to draft from or pitch.Review your outline and give it the necessary final pre-November tweaks based on all your completed tasks. Then write a synopsis of your novel using the same voice you will use to tell the story. Identify and pay attention to the tone of your narration. Is it formal or informal? Is it witty? Dark? Sarcastic? Whimsical? Is it optimistic or pessimistic? Make a deliberate choice about the tone of your writing so you can stay consistent when you launch into writing your novel. The tone should be appropriate for your target audience. Nonfiction: Final Outline/Synopsis▶︎ Goal: Generate a final outline and/or synopsis of your book ready to draft from or pitch.Review your outline and give it the necessary final pre-November tweaks based on all your completed tasks. Each chapter should have a clear title, a one-paragraph description, and a sense of how it connects to the thesis, them, question, or investigation and the chapters around it. Don't forget to map out placement of your four stories/case studies. Then write a synopsis paragraph (150-300 words)summarizing the whole book, using the same voice you will use write the book, suitable for a pitch or proposal. Rest Day Everyone: Rest ▶︎ Rest and let your ideas simmer. You have four Rest Days, which you may use whenever you like during the October Base Camp event. Rest Day Everyone: Rest ▶︎ Rest and let your ideas simmer. You have four Rest Days, which you may use whenever you like during the October Base Camp event. Rest Day Everyone: Rest ▶︎ Rest and let your ideas simmer. You have four Rest Days, which you may use whenever you like during the October Base Camp event. Rest Day Everyone: Rest ▶︎ Rest and let your ideas simmer. You have four Rest Days, which you may use whenever you like during the October Base Camp event. |
© Copyright 2026 Brandiwyn is Dean Winchester (tuozzo at Writing.Com).
All rights reserved.
Writing.Com, its affiliates and syndicates have been granted non-exclusive rights to display this work.