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 want to chime in. Kailey, I hope you keep the challenge going or start it back up again at a time that's convenient for you. I had been procrastinating for like, FOREVER on writing this story and when you put the November challenge up on Substack, it "incited" me to finally start writing! Thank you Kailey!
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 don't know what your publishing goals are, but I just came upon Mango Press and their imprint, Key Lime, whose offerings, from what I gather, are extremely focused on music.
Lol I appreciate your thoughts here, but I am writing fanfiction tbh so I have no plans to publish for money. But the full story will be book length so I call it a book. And no I don’t plan on Fifty Shades-ifying it; it would still be way too personal and niche lmao.
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.
My vibes/vibe was deep curiosity about what does it mean to be or look like or act like or how does it affect a person to actively be in the pursuit of discovery.
I also will not have my first draft completed at the end of this month, but I have been playing with prompts and ideas more than usual and allowing myself to be freer. Doing this, I have gotten to know my main character better. He's no longer a mysteriously quiet young man in a black-and-white film set somewhere in Central Europe, nor a stern-faced, blue-eyed grandfather refusing to remember being a young man. We're going places together, the two of us.
So I had this experience where my psych meds, which had worked well for me for so very long, turned on me and caused a syndrome of involuntary (and unsightly) repetitive muscle movements called TD. A former actor and DJ who was used to looking hip, slick, and cool, no longer did. When I got it, there was no treatment, and doctors didn't want anything to do with it. It drove people away, compromised family relationships, yada yada, but I liked the idea of a story where a person who is used to "having it all" has so much gradually taken away from her. It's funny that Kailey mentions fun and games today because I'm doing some free writing, exploring funny/odd throwaway interactions with people who don't know my main character. Stupid arguments that melt into laughter, 3-mile per hour fender benders in parking lots, relatable stuff.
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=
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!
YAY! Thank you.
I want to chime in. Kailey, I hope you keep the challenge going or start it back up again at a time that's convenient for you. I had been procrastinating for like, FOREVER on writing this story and when you put the November challenge up on Substack, it "incited" me to finally start writing! Thank you Kailey!
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 😊
Oh that is so cool.
I don't know what your publishing goals are, but I just came upon Mango Press and their imprint, Key Lime, whose offerings, from what I gather, are extremely focused on music.
Lol I appreciate your thoughts here, but I am writing fanfiction tbh so I have no plans to publish for money. But the full story will be book length so I call it a book. And no I don’t plan on Fifty Shades-ifying it; it would still be way too personal and niche lmao.
betrayal ... manifestations of betrayal ... amid social structures handcuffing you to loyalty ... marriage, basically. thanks for this!
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!
My vibes/vibe was deep curiosity about what does it mean to be or look like or act like or how does it affect a person to actively be in the pursuit of discovery.
Deep curiosity, yes!
I also will not have my first draft completed at the end of this month, but I have been playing with prompts and ideas more than usual and allowing myself to be freer. Doing this, I have gotten to know my main character better. He's no longer a mysteriously quiet young man in a black-and-white film set somewhere in Central Europe, nor a stern-faced, blue-eyed grandfather refusing to remember being a young man. We're going places together, the two of us.
"We're going places together, the two of us." <3 <3 <3
https://open.substack.com/pub/idayas/p/first-november-write-novel-together-b65?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=6pbfbu
I just finished chapter 10
The Midwest gothic to Flannery O'Connor's Southern gothic
So I had this experience where my psych meds, which had worked well for me for so very long, turned on me and caused a syndrome of involuntary (and unsightly) repetitive muscle movements called TD. A former actor and DJ who was used to looking hip, slick, and cool, no longer did. When I got it, there was no treatment, and doctors didn't want anything to do with it. It drove people away, compromised family relationships, yada yada, but I liked the idea of a story where a person who is used to "having it all" has so much gradually taken away from her. It's funny that Kailey mentions fun and games today because I'm doing some free writing, exploring funny/odd throwaway interactions with people who don't know my main character. Stupid arguments that melt into laughter, 3-mile per hour fender benders in parking lots, relatable stuff.
Love that you are having fun with it, Allison!
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!