January 1, 2021

Pick a character, any character and answer some questions about them.

Here is a list of questions that were asked in the WriYe Discord Chat during our January 1st planning party. Feel free to answer them here, in a plotting document, or anywhere!

Q1: What smell or scent reminds them of their childhood home?

Q2: Do they have a family member that has ever let them down? If so, how did that affect them?

Q3: Who can make them smile no matter what?

Q4: Is it easy for them to forgive others?

Q5: What quality about their parents do they admire? Abhor?

Q6: If they could change one thing about themselves, what would it be?

Q7: If your character could only save one thing from their burning house, what would it be?

Q8: What/who do they love to hate?

Q9: What would they do if they won the lottery/came into a lot of money suddenly?

Q10: What do they think is the worst thing that can be done to a person?

And a mini badge for you! 

January 17, 2021

These are the questions from the Grab Bag planning party on January 17th, 2021. Feel free to pop on Discord an answer at any time in the #planning-party channel or answer in your own progress thread!

Q1. What was the original idea that made you think of this novel, distilled in just a few words? An example: "Zombie attack during quarantine."

Q2. What place/location in the story holds the most significance to the plot? To your character? How would you describe it?

Q3. What is the scene you are most excited to write (or have written)?

Q4. If your favorite secondary character had a spin-off story about them, what would the main plot be?

Q5. How much time passes during your story? Is it the duration of a day? A week? A decade?

Q6. What sort of change does your main character go through in the story? Do they learn to overcome a fault? Do they succumb to their faults?

Q7. What is your favorite relationship in the novel? How does it affect your MC's actions? (This need not be a romantic relationship.)

Q8. What does your villain's (or the person most in conflict with your MC) lair (home, office, headquarters) look like?

Q9. What part of your planning has proven to be the toughest?

Q10. After the novel is finished and in the hands of your readers, how do you hope readers feel at the end?

March 13, 2021

These are the questions from the Grab Bag planning party on March 13, 2021. Feel free to pop on Discord an answer at any time in the #planning-party channel or answer in your own progress thread!

Q1. How many POVs are you planning/currently writing? Why did you chose that many? Could there be a benefit in adding/reducing the POVs, or would that alter the story you're trying to tell?

Q2. What is the biggest problem your MC faces on a personal level? (For example: They're terrified of the ocean and they have to travel by boat)

Q3. How can your antagonist (be they a person or not) exploit your MC's greatest fear? This may help your MC grow as a character if they're able to overcome it to reach their goal.

Q4. When you picture your MC's town, what stands out the most?

Q5. Are your MC's parents still around? What about your villain's? How does this affect your MC/villain?

Q6. What is your story's theme or central idea in one sentence? (For example: Love conquers all. Persistence is key.)

Q7. Is this story like something you've written before, or is it something brand new to you?

Q8. What sort of weather is common for your story's setting? How does this play a role in your story, if at all?

Q9. What sort of religion or spirituality does your MC have? Your villain? Is it different from the mainstream society they live in?

Q10. Do you have a favorite scene and/or a planned scene yet? What is it about?

The 2021 Schedule

Note: All parties are at 1:30 pm ET unless otherwise announced.

January 1st - OC Challenge

January 17th

March 13th

April 17th - MerMay Theme

May 15th

June 26th - Camp NaNo/Zombie July

July 18th

August 19th

September 12th

Every Saturday in October - OctoOctober/NaNo Prep

November TBD

December 18th - 2022 Plans!

April 17, 2021

These are the questions from the MerMay planning party April 17, 2021. Feel free to pop on Discord an answer at any time in the #planning-party channel or answer in your own progress thread!

Q1. Are your mermaids-of-a-type your main character, your villains, or part of your world building?

Q2. Describe the place your mermaids live in.

Q3. Do your mermaids-of-a-type live in saltwater? Freshwater? Does this affect how their appearance is? (For example, thinking of fish, saltwater fish tend to be brighter colored)

Q4. Why did you pick that specific mermaid-of-a-type? Or why did you create your own?

Q5. How do your non-mermaid characters feel about the mermaids? Do they live near where the mermaids live? Share a space?

Q6. Describe your plot briefly (or the premise if you don't have the plot figured out yet).

Q7. For your mermaid-of-a-type characters, what aspect do they have which makes them vital to the plot (if they are)?

Q8. Is your story going to be in the POV of the mermaid-of-a-type? Is this first person? Third person? Many POVs?

Q9. What tense are you going to write your story in? Present? Past? How do you think that will affect the reader's experience?

Q10. What connection do you want your reader to have with the mermaids? Do you want them to sympathize with them? Fear them? Find them fascinating and awe-inspiring?

May 15, 2021

These are the questions from the planning party on May 15, 2021. Feel free to pop on Discord an answer at any time in the #planning-party channel or answer in your own progress thread!

Q1. What is your MC's best friend's fondest memory of MC?

Q2. What is your story's midpoint? (when your MC realizes what the real nature of the conflict is)

Q3. If you had to assign a single sight, sound, and smell to your MC's home, what would it be?

Q4. What type of pajamas would your villain (or the person most opposed to your MC) wear?

Q5. What is one of your novel's "pinch points"? (when your MC sees some of the antagonist's real power and gives a hint at what the MC is facing)

Q6. Does the landscape/environment play any role in influencing your MC's journey? (For example: do they have to cross an ocean? Do they need to climb mountains? Do they decide to take a plane rather than a car because of the distance? Does weather influence how they travel? etc.)

Q7. What sense does your MC most rely on?

Q8. What is the scene you are most looking forward to writing/have written between your MC and their love interest/best friend?

Q9. Why did you choose your characters' names? Alternatively, why did you choose these characters (if fanfiction)?

Q10. How old is your MC's longest friendship? Does that play a significant role in their life?

(Badge to be posted later tonight - 5/15)

June 27th, 2021

These are the questions from the planning party on June 27, 2021. Feel free to pop on Discord an answer at any time in the #planning-party channel or answer in your own progress thread!

Q1. Why did you choose to write this novel? What about the novel's theme, or story, hooked you in?.

Q2. Tell me something unique about your novel (character trivia, world building fact, theme) that makes you excited.

Q3. If you had to summarize your MC's personality into one word, what would that word be?

Q4. How many POV characters do you have? Why did you choose those characters (if they are not your MC)?

Q5. There are at least three settings you should know (unless you're pantsing!): Where your MC starts, where the climax happens, and where the MC is at the end. So, where are they?

Q6. What is the place in your setting you would most want to visit? Least?

Q7. What is something vital to your story's conflict that your MC does not know? What is something vital to your story's conflict that your character's biggest enemy does not know?

Q8.If your story ended the way your antagonist wanted (whether it be a sentient antagonist or not), what would happen to your MC? Does the MC know this will be the outcome?

Q9. Regarding your MC, what is a talent they do not have but wish that they did?

Q10. From your MC's POV, which character could they not possibly complete their "quest" without? (Quest is whatever the plot of the story is)

July 18th, 2021

These are the questions from the planning party on July 18th, 2021. Feel free to pop on Discord an answer at any time in the #planning-party channel or answer in your own progress thread!

Q1. Take your MC and think of why they are the force behind the story. What is their motivation? What is their why? For example:

- Boy wants to earn what is rightfully his and save the kingdom from tyranny

Or

- Girl wants to choose her future husband on her own and believes to give away the first kiss is to give away her heart.

Q2. Tell us about the most proud moment in your main character’s life.

Q3. What is your MC's greatest flaw? They all have one. And they all have to have it exploited in order to make the story really shine. When you figure out what it is, think of one way their flaw will work against them either by being exploited by an antagonist or by self-sabotage.

(Examples: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Character_flaw#Examples)

Q4. The main plot of your story usually revolves around an MC. The plot to this MC involves three different aspects:

- External Conflict (what we think of when we think plot - the battle, the thing they gain, etc.)
- Main Relationship (an emotional connection, not necessarily romantic, to someone)
- Internal Conflict (some sort of inner conflict regarding what the MC believes and what he must accept as truth)

So for this ten minutes, let's focus on:

What is the main relationship your MC has? Is it romantic? Friendly? Familial?

Q5. What is the main, external conflict? How does this affect the relationship from the previous question?

Q6. Lastly, what is the internal conflict? What does this external struggle reveal to your MC?

Q7. What aspect of your protagonist does your antagonist/enemy find absolutely infuriating?

Q8. What is your MC's favorite way of displaying affection? Physical? Gift-giving? Verbal compliments?

Q9. In regards to your overall character arc, does your character grow for the better? Stay the same throughout? Descend to a worse place than where they started?

Q10. From the enemy/antagonist's POV, give me a description of the MC.

(Badge to come)