The Next Big Thing
The book is out (Good Big!) so what next? Ahh, secret plans and clever tricks!
I'm hatching a plan and I want you to join me. Maybe. If you're crazy enough. I don't mind doing it alone, though. It's a bit of a commitment, after all.
The Plan
It's a big one.
It's ambitious.
It's quite probably a bit mad.
Stark raving bonkers, even.
But here goes...
I want to write a story EVERY DAY for a year.
Yes, a whole year!
Flash fiction, of course - not a full length story. But still striving for the beginning, middle, and... all that jazz.
At first, I was thinking, one story a day, 365 days, that's 365 stories, possibly with 365 words each... Then I realised next year is a leap year, and that threw a spanner in the works. 366 is a less snazzy number, somehow. It has less of a ring to it. Less hutzpah.
(What a smashing word that is - hutzpah. It's so fun to say, and it sounds so posh and so much like hocking up something revolting at the same time. That can't be said of many words. It's not used enough, in my opinion. It's the 20's, I say it's the right time to bring it back.)
I digress.
What better way to develop a good writing habit, than writing something every day for three hundred and sixty six days? Can you think of a better new year's resolution?
My question is: Are you in?
We could make it a contest. Last man - or woman - standing. What do you think?
We could even make it interesting, and tip the winner.
Maybe just one person will join me - that's fine with me. (Hi, writing buddy!) Maybe I'll do it on my tod. Who knows.
The key thing here (for me at least) is about fun, creativity, and consistency. It doesn't matter whether anyone else comes along for the ride, or how many. It doesn't have to be perfect. Perfection is the enemy of success, is it not? Let's just get our pens out and have fun waggling them around. (Pens! I said pens!)
Writing is creation, and creation is play. Don't be too grown-up about it. - Me, Never Have I Ever
I'm going to use the last few weeks of 2023 (shut up, is it really that close?) ferreting around for prompts. Please feel free to help me out in the comments. I plan to post a list of prompts on 31st December, with a few basic parameters.
Full disclosure - my tank is empty right now. As of this moment, I have nothing useable for 1st January.
I was thinking I might also mark specific days and centre prompts around those. When Chinese New Year rolls around, for instance, it's going to be the Year of the Dragon - and you know how much I love a dragon. (The Worst Heist is still my most-read story, and I am still astonished that Meat, Walking did so well in the Vocal Writing Awards.)
As Freda said to Barry when the moon was up... and as the bishop allegedly said to the netball team...
Let's doo-oo-oo it!
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As always - thank you for stopping by.
Whether you'd like to give it a go with me or not... I really would love some story prompts in the comments. I need three hundred of the buggers, so hit me! I will tip and credit for every one I do use to make a story.
If this isn't something do-able for you, I'd love you to be on stand-by with your pom poms.
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P.S. And finally,here, for your auditory pleasure... for no other reason than even just mentioning it brought me extreme joy... the late great inimitable Victoria Wood singing her "Ballad of Barry and Freda". The best thing you will hear all year, I promise you.
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Comments (49)
Congratulations on your year end award, you are a wonderful creator and I cannot wait to read more of your works.
Thank you for issuing this provocative challenge; I have published a poem each day since first I read it! Do you suppose that fails to fulfill the requirements you spelled out, or are they elastic enough to accommodate hastily crafted verse?
Gosh amighty...I am exhausted just reading it. What a task, I shall endeavor to read them all, but writing and 'particiaptin' sounds daunting. Best of luck to everyone, Congrats on TS.
Good luck with this, L.C.! How about I give you a prompt I received from another site for a writing challenge? “Genre”: Stoner in Time. Subject: Satisfying revenge. Action: Hanging
Oh gosh, i don’t think i’m up to it. I’ve been taking longer and longer breaks of late! Totally unreliable. Perhaps I’ll aim to write something every day but not commit to publishing every day… hehe. I’m excited to see your challenge unfold though! Prompts…. - Driving on precarious roads. The radio plays a song your MC thinks would perfectly complement (whether ironically or otherwise) a cinematic crash scene. What happens? - Take the meaning behind your favorite and least favorite flower and make them be the main characters or use them to inform the plot. - Synesthesia, whichever version, and the MC gets prophecies from it. - The plot to the movie “Serendipity” but from a trickster’s perspective. (Or an alternate plot) - A house that eats people who rent it out. Lore of giants in the area. - Overlapped dimensions, “ghosts” interacting, each thinking they’re being haunted. How is the truth revealed? Tragedy or comedy? - If Christopher Eccelston had stayed the Doctor, write his last episode if he hadn’t had to regenerate. - Someone’s final seconds before death, extend time to make it a powerful emotional moment. Memories tie into the MC’s characterization, for a punchy last line. - Trees as slowly revealed omens. Other sources: random photographs, titles of youtube videos, an interesting username.
I wouldn’t be able to participate in this because of current projects but I love the ambition of it, and taking on a big project like that! It’s a great idea. Ok how about some prompts though? Someone is trapped in a maze with their worst enemy. Someone, or some people, are stuck at a location because it has become too cold outside and the risk of frost bite is extremely high. A couple has been locked in their own bedroom (through whatever means) and their phones are dead or gone and they have no contact with the outside world. The gravity shifts in, and only in, the main characters house.
I'm inspired by your optimism! OCD and I will take the story a day thing far too literally and get burnt out. But I appreciate your encouragement! It's great to set goals for being productive in the new year and have something to strive toward.
Impressive challenge/ aspiration… exhausting thought 😳 You’re clearly a writer and I’m a reader! I look forward to reading your micro fiction masterpieces.✅🤩
Wow!! You're incredibly creative, so I've no doubt you'll make this happen. I'll be here cheering you on!!
I can honestly say I will not be participating in this. But best of luck to those that do.
Not sure I could keep up, cheering on those who do. 😁
For 366 days?! I am exhausted already, pal.
https://vocal.media/journal/unleashing-nature-s-fury-anticipating-the-impact-of-a-powerful-cannibal-solar-burst-on-earth
This sounds like an amazing idea!
Very good story.
The game is afoot. Check out https://vocal.media/fiction/the-magic-pen-rs1y0vlr
This is very ambitious LC! I will have a think about some prompts… 🤔..actual photo of me thinking. Congrats on your top story!! And nice to see you in these parts again! I just thought of some crapola ones.. A multi-conversation (MANY) people talking over one another that ends in.. Write a micro about a waking nightmare.. & one about a dream that isn’t what it seems.. I told you they were crap. Just trying to help here lol. Back to the drawing board. 😄
You are my first inkling mention that next year is the year of the DRAGON! Oooooh. Yeah! *Me with my lawyer's hat: She said write NOT publish every day for a year* *Also me: This is soooo doo-oo-ooable😁* What's life without jumping off a cliff every now and then (mine are mostly figurative cliffs mins you.) And fail-schmail. I'll just keep getting back up, and I do believe that's one definition of success. So BIG congratulations on the book and I'm in!
Pom poms at the ready here!!! Good luck everyone. 💞💞💞💞🩷🩷🩷🩷💝💝💝💝🥳🥳🥳🥳😎😎😎😮💫💫💫💫👏👏👏👏
great work
Sounds like a great idea, and although I might do it in the background, I can’t commit to the challenge. It takes time for me to prepare pieces and then I might want to submit to lit mags. But I will be be waving pom poms and singing (very badly). Regarding prompts, my suggestion is to look at local headlines. As flash fiction is often slant and unconventional, these would offer some inspiration. Ive recently written one inspired by ‘can electricity pilots ever be beautiful?’ Some I came across this morning- Hundreds of young lobsters released into sea - Off-course turtle taken 1,700 miles back home - Royal souvenir chocolates from 1935 up for auction - We've received death threats to our GPs - Doctor - Taxi drivers lose licences over conduct and driving - Treasures from Yorkshire's past go on display - Storm and fire-damaged hotel to be demolished - and my favourite this morning …. Flock of sheep stolen from field 😂 Hope there’s something to inspire you there 😉
Love the concept, would definitely be keen to give it a go. Any excuse to flex my metaphorical writing muscles
Thanks for the video, a very British situation. As for your suggestion, I'd like to think I could, but I'm very easily distracted and in nearly three years, i don't think I've reached 100 stories. I'm not very prolific, you see. I love the idea, and I know there are some contributors who could easily fill the brief. They've probably already written them. I'll certainly think about it. Great idea though.
Congratulations on your Top Story, well deserved L.C. Schäfer
It's impossible to write 365 bad stories in a row.