When this first draft challenge came through my substack feed, I was mulling over ideas for a story based on a dream I had.
In brief, when an emergency Lock-Down was triggered, I got trapped in the armoury of a commercial research facility that developed fantastical creatures as attractions for a magical theme park. I watched through a window as a young park employee cowered in a doorway, while massive hairy monsters - the adults of a sort of cutesy little fluff-ball creature designed for children's petting zoos, ambled ominously down the corridor. I was helpless to do anything to help him, and i can't forget the look of fear and despair on his face when he saw me through the window, while trying to keep himself as still as possible, in hopes that the monsters would continue ignoring him.
Here's the link to where I describe it in full on my own Substack:
I hope you keep these prompts up for a while, as I doubt few people will finish a rough draft this month. I find the tips extremely useful, and I'm grateful they're here!
My initial vision came to me through friends. I began writing a daily list of 5 gratitudes from the time my mother was diagnosed with cancer in 2013 until she died in 2014 and beyond on FB. It's a habit I continue. Those lists served as a journal, because I remember everything when I return to read them. They outlined my caregiving journey - the good, the bad, and the absurd. My friends said they would read a book that expanded on those lists, but I want this book to be so much more.
I just found this Substack and I really love it 🫶 I have a book I’m working on but the first draft is not going to be complete this month lol… as far as that first inspirational vibe goes, well I saw a big band jazz concert last year and suddenly I knew I wanted to write about a trumpet player. I had a character in mind already, but they needed a passion, and the passion became jazz music! So I think a lot about the concerts they do, including the one that resolves the whole story, where they play at a “celebration of life”. It’s an event they refuse to go to until after they’ve experienced the rest of the plot lol.
I read a bestselling romance that had a female scientist who was smart in the lab but completely incompetent in other areas of life. Almost threw it across the room. That's when my inspiration to draw realistic women in STEM dawned on me.
1720 words written after a way-too-early zoom meeting and in between distracting texts (death in the family, no one I even met--hey, welcome to my family--but it touches people I care about), and with some dipping into Wikipedia because omg research delivers the gifts! At first I just wanted to see a picture of the image I was writing off, and then...holy shit! GIFTS! Fiction's wet dream is Truth. I just made that up.
When this first draft challenge came through my substack feed, I was mulling over ideas for a story based on a dream I had.
In brief, when an emergency Lock-Down was triggered, I got trapped in the armoury of a commercial research facility that developed fantastical creatures as attractions for a magical theme park. I watched through a window as a young park employee cowered in a doorway, while massive hairy monsters - the adults of a sort of cutesy little fluff-ball creature designed for children's petting zoos, ambled ominously down the corridor. I was helpless to do anything to help him, and i can't forget the look of fear and despair on his face when he saw me through the window, while trying to keep himself as still as possible, in hopes that the monsters would continue ignoring him.
Here's the link to where I describe it in full on my own Substack:
https://open.substack.com/pub/wmcleod37/p/nightmare-genesis?r=14ncs6&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=
betrayal ... manifestations of betrayal ... amid social structures handcuffing you to loyalty ... marriage, basically. thanks for this!
I hope you keep these prompts up for a while, as I doubt few people will finish a rough draft this month. I find the tips extremely useful, and I'm grateful they're here!
My initial vision came to me through friends. I began writing a daily list of 5 gratitudes from the time my mother was diagnosed with cancer in 2013 until she died in 2014 and beyond on FB. It's a habit I continue. Those lists served as a journal, because I remember everything when I return to read them. They outlined my caregiving journey - the good, the bad, and the absurd. My friends said they would read a book that expanded on those lists, but I want this book to be so much more.
We will be keeping them up!
YAY! Thank you.
I just found this Substack and I really love it 🫶 I have a book I’m working on but the first draft is not going to be complete this month lol… as far as that first inspirational vibe goes, well I saw a big band jazz concert last year and suddenly I knew I wanted to write about a trumpet player. I had a character in mind already, but they needed a passion, and the passion became jazz music! So I think a lot about the concerts they do, including the one that resolves the whole story, where they play at a “celebration of life”. It’s an event they refuse to go to until after they’ve experienced the rest of the plot lol.
What a vivid image! Love this
Thank you 😊
I read a bestselling romance that had a female scientist who was smart in the lab but completely incompetent in other areas of life. Almost threw it across the room. That's when my inspiration to draw realistic women in STEM dawned on me.
Ha! This is great. I love that kind of anti inspiration haha
I like the meta vibes of my novel. It's been a lot of fun figuring out how to structure it!
1720 words written after a way-too-early zoom meeting and in between distracting texts (death in the family, no one I even met--hey, welcome to my family--but it touches people I care about), and with some dipping into Wikipedia because omg research delivers the gifts! At first I just wanted to see a picture of the image I was writing off, and then...holy shit! GIFTS! Fiction's wet dream is Truth. I just made that up.
I love it lol
My story is based on this album. I'm writing a chapter for each song. https://open.spotify.com/album/2u3x06OP03MLqRavR4dsMz?si=AOMkMjZUQWWmbZLPFyd9gw
So cool!