Archives
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A Challenge Cycle consists of a number of weeks that corresponds to the
current number of members. Each member will host one Challenge during the Cycle. When we
near the end of the current Cycle, an announcement will be made and members can then
request a slot for the following cycle. All members are expected to complete at least one Challenge per week.
Current Challenge Calendar
Previous Challenge Calendar
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Week #34 (March. 17,
2001) |
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| l. Easter is not far away, write
a 'Bunny Tale' or since today is St. Pat's, write about a leprechaun 2. complete this sentence in a story.. The Black Rose Queen glided________ 3. WIP 4. Scene....write a murder scene 5.Write a poem, haiku, cinquain, whatever.. with a spring theme 6. Something is missing from the museum, what is it, and what happened |
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Week #33 (March. 10,
2001) |
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| 1. CHARACTER CHALLENGE: It's sometimes difficult to put yourself into the perspective of a character of the opposite sex. While we might think "in their head," we will sometimes have them doing or saying things out of character. Take a current character and choose a scene where their internal or external emotion is crucial. Change the sex of your character, and write the same scene from this new perspective. How did he/she change? What were the key differences in the reactions or emotions? 2. POINT OF VIEW CHALLENGE: Many writers have an ongoing habit of breaking POV in their writing. Take a scene from a W.I.P. (work in progress) that uses more than one POV and modify it to be from a single POV. Show us the before and after. 3. EDITING - ON ASSIGNMENT!!! Publishers, Agents and Editors are always complaining about the use of "Passive Voice." What exactly is it? How does it hinder a story? Your assignment is to ferret out information on what Passive Voice is, develop a definition, and give us an example both with and without it. NOTE: If this one turns up any really good results, I may ask to publish it as an article in the CNYRW newsletter. I can't pay, but the credit will look nice on your writing resume as this is a National group. :) 4. GENRE CHALLENGE: Many new authors color outside the genre lines when writing. Pick a genre and give a brief but detailed description of what it is and what characteristics are specific to it (vs. other genres). Give an example. 5. SENTENCE CHALLENGE: As we all know, the opening line of a story is *THE MOST CRUCIAL* part. It is the first thing a reader sees, and the first (and maybe ONLY) thing an agent or publisher will see. This week I'm going to turn the tables on you. Instead of giving you a sentence, I want *YOU* to come up with a killer opening line. It must be ONE SENTENCE ONLY! It must capture a feel, grab our attention, and make us NEED more! Can be dialogue or narrative, any genre. |
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Week #32 (March. 3,
2001) |
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| (1) Low-ku This is an exercise in altering the voice from which you write. Compose two or three haikus as if you were a common, uncouth, profane lout, the kind of man who says, "Gimme beer" and smokes cheap cigars, or the kind of woman who screams incessantly at her children in the shopping mall. (2) The Unexpected Many of the stories I have read on Wizards World and elsewhere were predictable. The ugly man at the door really WAS a killer or a demon. The fantastic reverie turned out to be a dream after all. Surprise, the unexpected twist, is a cornerstone of strong writing. Take a pivotal plot segment from a story you've been working on and give it a fresh spin into the unpredictable. (3) Developing Critical Skills Take a short story written in a style you admire and wish to emulate, and provide a thoughtful discussion of what elements of craft make it strong, captivating writing. (4) Story is tension and resolution in a context of character. I know I harp on this, but I want you to grasp it like you would hug your firstborn. Take a story you've been working on and exaggerate the tension: increase the size of the monster, reduce the time before the axe falls. Jack up the suspense: make the outcome totally in doubt and hold that doubt. Inflate the resolution too. Have her slice the rapist like a salami. Let us smell the severed peppercorns. (5) Flash Fiction Exercise Write a piece of 300-500 words beginning with one of the following opening lines:
(6) Write a free verse poem.
Use strong, vivid images. |
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Week #31 (Feb. 24,
2001) |
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| 1 - Character Sketch Wherever you choose to go, pick someone out of the crowd and write a character sketch for them. Tell us how they live, what they do for money, whether or not they are married, and most of all, what motivates them. 2 - Dialogue You guys know this one would scare me, so I'm forcing myself to confront it with you. Pick out a piece of evesdropped conversation and write it out. Finish it with your own stuff. Use the conversation as a starter. 3 - Character WIP's Take your characters you know and love with you. Write outside of the WIP and get them to do something that has nothing to do with what you are writing. Maybe they are your date tonight for your field trip. Get to know 'em better. 4 - Update on WIP's 5 - WIP Critque or outline I'm trying to learn more about each of you and would love to learn more about your WIP's. Take some down time to fill me in. Tell me either the outline of your works or give me a critique you hope to see on the book jacket. 6 - Flash Fiction - 100 words Write a story while you are on your field trip that has nothing to do with what you are currently working on. Send it to us without ANY editing. Kill that internal editor! Let us see you for you! Have fun! 7 - Writers Block First Aid You know you have them - all those slips of paper of story ideas that come to you when you don't have time to write. Clip out things that catch your writers attention from magazines, the newspapers, whatever. Put them together for a Writers Block First Aid jar. Keep them near your favorite writing place so when you find yourself staring at white you can reach into your trusty jar for an idea you have been wanting to write on. Send us a list of what is in your jar. |
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Week #30 (Feb. 17,
2001) |
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| 1. Interview with a Character: Choose a character from one of your stories and interview them. You can focus on the character itself or the role they play in the events of your story. The interview can "take place" before, during or after the time the story occurs. 2. Title: Force of Change 3. Sentence: "You always were more trouble than you were worth." 4. Flash Fiction: In 300 words or less write a story with the theme of "something broken." (Yes, I'm giving you a little more room to play with in this one than the usual 100 words.) 5. Something New: Write a somewhat detailed outline, or a 200 word description of a story idea that you haven't started working on yet, or have only just started. 6. World Building (Fantasy): Magic has always played a large role in the fantasy genre. Describe how magic fits into your universe. Some questions to consider: What is the cost of magic? Is it rare or common? Feared or accepted? Are there any cultural systems set up to deal with those who practice magic? What are the taboos and/or laws involved with practicing magic? |
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Week #29 (Feb. 10,
2001) |
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| Title: Through His Eyes or Through Her Eyes Sentence: The scent of him lingered in the air, long after...... Erotica: need I say more? This one is up to you... Children's fiction: Remember the boxes and valentines of our youth? Tell a story from a child's vp about a special valentine and why it is so special. World-building: What is considered romance in your world? How do the beings mate (if they not be humanoid)? Maybe write a sex scene or romantic scene for two of your characters. WIP: What are you working on? Can we have a nibble? |
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Week #28 (Feb. 3, 2001) |
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| 1. Theme: Insomnia. I'd like to see some humour
here...hehe 2. Sentence: Once upon a time, on a planet far, far away, in a galaxy hitherto undiscovered by the Hubble Telescope, NASA or even SETI, a child was born. 3. Character Development/Sketches: Do them for a proposed story and/or yank them out of a WIP. Let's see some heroic qualities in these. Or something secretive that they don't want revealed. Or perhaps they're not who they seem. (Shapeshifter alert!) 4. Write an epistilary story. (That's the form where the story consists of letters to oneselt, to an imaginary other, back-and-forth to someone, etc.) 5. Write a story with a frame (e.g., where it begins and ends at the same place, different times, etc.) 6. Don't forget those WIPs! 7. Locate three-five web writing contests, provide the URLs, and then work toward entering them--and winning! 8. Write a piece of flash-fiction for Valentine's Day. Try putting it on another planet or in another dimension. 9. Write a book jacket blurb for your novel-in-progress. 10. Write a new bio (or 2, or 3) to include when those zines who accept your work ask for one... |
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Week #27 (Jan. 27,
2001) |
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| 1) Sentence - "Remind me not to do THAT
again!" 2) Title - 'She's Got Blue Eyes and a Cold Heart' 3) W.I.P. - Submit a section/chapter of your current work-in-progress for critical review. 4) Pick and Choose - Pick at least one word from each of the four lists and include them in your piece. 1 - Heart, Hand, Head or Heel 2 - Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall 3 - Water, Fire, Earth or Wind 4 - Production, Election, Reduction or Reproduction 5) Story Seed - I did this one on another list and had a good response. Anyone here done any travel writing? Anyone want to? With your words and imaginations, take us someplace we've not been. |
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Week #26 (Jan. 20,
2001) |
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| Title: Crisis Sentence "I know what you are thinking …" Story Seeds Read an article in the local or national newspaper, or internet news site. Rewrite the story as if it were fiction and bring it to resolution. (Provide the reference.) Theme Make lemons from lemonade -- basically take a bad situation and write a story that brings about an unexpected ending. Poetry No poetry this week. Take a poem that you have written and turn it into a short story, character study or vignette. WIP Challenge Update your pacts if you haven't. If you have -- send in a status report. Writer's Work Challenges Find an agent or publisher (magazine, ezine, newspaper) that suits one specific item of the many your have written, and write a query letter to them. Mail or e-mail it to them, and send a copy to Wizards. The copy to Wizards should be early enough in the week that you can get feedback on it. Research Challenge California is facing power problems -- research how a power grid works. Take the information and write-- whatever or wherever this research takes you; maybe into the metaphysical realm, science fiction, history, solutions, politics. |
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