Tentative Dates and Times for 2023

If you would like to join us in the WriYe Discord Chat for our live planning parties, here are the tentative dates and times! All times are Eastern Time, so here is a handy time zone converter if you need it!

Sunday January 1 - 1:00 pm ET (10:00 am PT / 7:00 pm GMT)

Sunday January 15 - 1:30 pm ET (10:30 am PT / 7:30 pm GMT)

Saturday February 11 - 1:30 pm ET (10:30 am  PT / 7:30 pm GMT)

Saturday March 25 - 1:00 pm ET (10:00 am PT/ 7:00 pm GMT)

Sunday April 23 - 1:00 pm ET (10:00 am PT / 7:00 pm GMT)

Saturday May 13 - 1:30 pm ET (10:30 am PT / 7:30 pm GMT)

Sunday June 11 - 1:00 pm ET (10:00 am PT / 7:00 pm GMT)

Tuesday July 4 - 2:00 pm ET (11:00 am PT / 8:00 pm GMT)

Sunday August 13 - 1:30 pm ET (10:30 am PT / 7:30 pm GMT)

Saturday September 9 - 1:00 pm ET (10:00 am PT / 7:00 pm GMT)

Every Saturday in October - 1:30 pm ET (10:30 am PT / 7:30 pm GMT)

(None planned in November)

Friday December 29 - 2:00 pm ET (11:00 am PT / 8:00 pm GMT)

January 1, 2023

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. A basic question to start off with. Describe your character’s appearance.

Q2. Who do they consider to be their closest/best friend? Is that the person they share their deepest/darkest secrets, thoughts and feelings with?

Q3. Are they more introverted or extroverted? Pessimistic or optimistic?

Q4. What was their childhood ambition? Did they (or will they) achieve it?

Q5. Are they most likely to fight physically or verbally?

Q6. Are they superstitious? If so, about what? Black cats, mirrors breaking, not wanting to jinx their sports team in some way?

Q7. Describe their home. Are they a minimalist or is clutter their thing?

Q8. Are they comfortable with technology (whatever that looks like in their world)/the latest things?

Q9. Who is their hero? Why?

Q10. What is their view on lying? Are they good or bad at lying?

Q11. What is their most treasured possession? Why?

Q12. What is their current employment? What do they think of it?

Q13. If they could change one thing about themselves, what would it be? Why?

Q14. What is their sinful/bad/dirty little habit?

Q15. Do they believe in happy endings? Do they get a happy ending?

January 15, 2023

Here is a list of questions that were asked in the WriYe Discord Chat during our January 15th planning party. Feel free to answer them here, in a plotting document, or anywhere!

Q1. What is your favorite side character's role in the story? Why is he/she/they there?

Q2. Which side character plays the most vital role to keeping the MC on their path?

Q3. Which side character causes the most trouble for your MC and how?

Q4. Does your MC's rival/villain/antagonist have any side characters aligned to their side? Which is the biggest help?

Q5. Are there any side characters playing both sides of the divide? If so, whose side are they really on?

Q6. Some side characters come with vital subplots that help propel the story forward. Do you have a subplot attached with a side character?

Q7. Some side characters are mere cameos fulfilling a temporary role. Who is your favorite cameo character?

Q8. Some side characters are necessary evils. Needed but not fun to write. Which one is your least favorite?

Q9. Some side characters try to steal the show. If you were to ever write another novel with these characters, which side character would take the spotlight and be the MC of their own novel?

Q10. After all of this, do you identify any gaps where you need to plug in a character? Do you have any character types you need to start to develop?

February 11, 2023

Here is a list of questions that were asked in the WriYe Discord Chat during our February 11th planning party. Feel free to answer them here, in a plotting document, or anywhere!

Q1. Does your novel have any romantic elements? If not, what is the most important relationship your MC has (is it familial? friendship?)?

Q2. How prominent is the character from the above question in your novel? Is the romantic interest the second MC? Is the familial relationship more of a background character who still affects the character's decision making greatly?

Q3. What is your MC's favorite memory with the character from above?

Q4. Is there a chance that your MC would ever replace the person from above in the future? Love lost, friendship broken, etc ?

Q5. Does your MC have lots of friends (outside of the character mentioned above)?

Q6. Will your MC lose or make friends during the course of the novel?

Q7. Is your MC still close with their family?

Q8. If the relationship from the first question wasn't familial, what family relationship affects your MC the most?

Q9. What is the most strained relationship your MC has? Is there a 'friend' who drives them crazy? A villain who they have an adversary relationship with? A rival?

Q10. By the end of the novel, does your MC have more relationships, less, or the same?

April 30th, 2023

Here is a list of questions that were asked in the WriYe Discord Chat during our April 30th planning party. Feel free to answer them here, in a plotting document, or anywhere!

Q1. What is unique about the main setting that makes it the perfect place for most of your story?


Q2. If you had to give an overall feel to your main setting, what would it be? Is it an idyllic, peaceful country town? Is it a chaotic busy city?

Q3. What is the weather/environment like for your main setting? Does this affect how characters dress? How they move throughout the day?

Q4. What place in your main setting does everyone know about and/or visit? Is it a state house? A local park? A museum? Why is it important that way?

Q5. Does your main setting differ from where your main character grew up? If so, why did they leave their hometown? If not, why did they stay?

Q6. Thinking about the story as a whole, what is your most important setting, even if it is not your main setting? Why?

Q7. Thinking about your story as a whole, is there a place where your MC would never want to go? Does it have a reputation? Would it cause your MC to change travel plans to avoid it?

Q8. What is your MC's favorite place? Is it a goal for them to reach? Is it a happy memory? Is it where they currently live?

Q9. If travel is involved in the story, does your MC and others need to account for the different environments and settings as they go? If they do not travel, how do the seasons affect the area?"

Q10. What setting can you see the best in your mind? What colors are there? Flowers? Buildings? Give us a brief description!

May 21st, 2023

Here is a list of questions that were asked in the WriYe Discord Chat during our May 21st planning party. Feel free to answer them here, in a plotting document, or anywhere!

Q1. Generally, plots start at A and get to Z. What is your A (beginning)? And what is your Z (end)? You can be as specific or as general as you'd like.

Q2. Let's take one step past A. What is the inciting incident? AKA What makes your character take that decision to go on this journey to Z?

Q3. Going in the other direction, right before the end (generally speaking) is the climax. What is the big scene of your climax? Is it something like a battle? A kiss? A reunion?

Q4. Now that we're a step closer to the middle, let's go in one more. After the inciting incident, at some point before the middle comes a "pinch point." This first one serves as a good place to let the MC find out new clues or hints as to the behind-the-scenes action. It could set into motion the next section of action (think the first glimpse of the monster in the darkness) or give more belief in the necessity of the plot to find the "truth." What happens in the first half that really reminds the protagonist that this is the right path?

Q5. Again, heading back toward the latter half, there is usually a second pinch point. This usually is a moment when the real pressure of what happens if they fail their mission - whether it be the antagonist winning or the protagonist realizing what there is to lose - hits the MC. It is the reminder of what's at stake, usually by making the MC face it in an uncomfortable way. What could happen to make your MC feel the squeeze of the plot here?

Q6. And now here we are - the middle! The exact middle tends to be that realization - "Moment of Truth" - where the second half of the book is introduced. The real plot is revealed here. In the first half, maybe they were battling something small (say, a local PTA group causing school trouble) but at that Moment of Truth, they realize it is deeper than they thought (say, the PTA is being controlled by lizard people who want to replace the children with more lizard people). Or on a less fantastical front, it could be as simple as the MC thinking that she was up against something not as large as she is, and takes that decision to keep moving forward with the battle. What is yours? If you don't know yet, then what are some potentials?

Q7. What is the scene that reveals the moment of truth? Where is your MC? What are they doing?

Q8. Before the Moment of Truth, what was your MC thinking and feeling? Did they feel as if something was amiss? Were they on even footing? Did they think a completely different way? Etc.

Q9. What is the MC's first thought about the moment of truth? Are they vindicated? Shocked? Depressed? Etc.

Q10. How does that emotion help steer the way toward the next plot point? Do they go into a spiral that they need to be broken out of? Do they become so dedicated to the cause they can no longer focus on multiple things? Etc.

October 1st, 2023

Welcome to Week One of Preptober! This is the first of five planning parties this month. The topic of this Week was Ideas - Picking that Project. The idea behind these questions is to find what you love in story aspects, with the thought that you can build a story from them/include those concepts in an existing idea to make it really something you love/that brings you joy to write.

Aaaaand here are the questions! Feel free to answer them here, in a plotting document, or anywhere

Do you have a project selected for NaNo/that you are currently working on?

What is your current favourite book/TV Show?

What is your forever favourite book/TV Show?

You are asked for your current and forever favourite book/TV show for a reason. We’re going to get meta.

1) How long have you loved your forever favourite? If you think about it, what is the first aspect of it that comes to mind? This could be anything and I don’t want to list examples in case that influences the answer.

2) How long have you loved your current favourite? How did the forever and the current favourite come into your life? What sort of moment in time was it?

3) What genre is the forever and current favourite? Is this a genre that you have written, want to write, or not? Why?

4) Why are they your favourites? Essentially what is it about them that you love/that you are drawn to/that resonates/calls to you? Etc. Why?

And now using those answers! We need to start comparing/thinking. It’s sort of a bit like analysing why you love these things because love matters. We invest so much of our time and energy in writing. So shouldn’t what we write be the equivalent of chocolate cake rather than I don’t know Wheatabix or something?

5) Sometimes we love things not because we love them, but because they call back to a different time of our lives. So is that the case with your favourites? Even if it is, something still bonded you with that particular piece of media. Do you know what that is that you connected with?

6) To build a bit more on this. We change as we grow. What we once loved might not serve us any longer. Tastes change, experience shapes us. Are the two favourites you have been talking about the same genre? Pick one similarity or difference for the comparison based on if your gut says they are the same/different. The current favourite is sort of what’s calling to you now, but does it hit on a deeper truth of what has always called to you?

7) Is the first aspect that came to mind, when thinking about the favourites, the same as what you said was what you loved the most about it? (For example thinking of Star Wars the first thing that comes to mind might be lightsabers, but what a person loves about it could be how ordinary people, just people, banded together to form the rebellion to make the galaxy a better place.) If there is a difference between first aspect/what you love then why is that? Do you think the first aspect others would think of, is the same as what you said? Why/why not?

We’ve now got a genre or two, some story aspects, maybe a gimmick and hopefully an idea of why these things call to us/where our heart lies with them.

8) Thinking of the story aspects, can you break them down into a simplified form that isn’t dependant on the story in question? Generalise the concept. Do you still love it Why/why not?

Deeper truth and moment in time. The story we write now, is not the story we would have written five years ago, or the story we will write in five years. We’re talking current media loves rather than personal stuff, as that’s too personal, but it’s something to keep in mind. We change as we grow.

9) When did you first come up the concept of the project you are working on/had decided on for NaNo? Do you remember the impetus for the inspiration? When you think of the project what is your first emotion, is it excitement or something more like nostalgia? Is the story you are developing/working on still connected to what made you want to write that story in the first place, or has it drifted?

10) Have you changed your mind about what project you are working on now due to these questions? (By thinking about what you truly love and whether that’s within your idea or not. Are you writing what you love/are excited about? That was the point of this.) Why/why not?

It wouldn't be PrepTober without Otto! All credit for Otto and his colour scheme goes to Keri and Erin. Big thanks to Keri for giving permission to bring him to the festivities this year

October 8th, 2023

This week we are looking at Theme.

Quote from Writing Your Stories Theme (K.M. Weiland) - "Theme creates character, which in turn creates plot, which brings the circle all the way around and, in turn, generates theme... ad infinitum." which means while I separated the weeks out into general 'themes' (haha) they might get a little mixed up. Writing is a bit like soup, everything is connected. It's impossible to develop any part really in isolation.

Definitions (so we are on the same page):
Theme = Big stuff e.g. "with great power comes great responsibility". This applies to everyone.
Message = applies only to the character and their specific circumstance e.g. "being Spider-Man" as that is Peter/Miles' specific implementation of the theme.

And now your questions! Feel free to answer them here, in a plotting document, or anywhere

Your project genre / working title:
Series or standalone:
In this projects genre what is your favourite book/TV show?:

1) What does your gut say the big picture theme (aka thematic principle / thematic truth) of your favourite TV show/book is?

2) Does this theme, or a variation, fit your project or do you have a different concept you want to test? (Remember it's a big picture 'good defeats evil' type moral)

In the intro you were asked about series vs standalone. Whatever the series theme, each story offers it's own theme based on the events that happen.

3) Are there any sub-themes to explore, either for depth, or across books in a series? (e.g. a theme of justice could also deal with themes of personal responsibility, morality regarding punishment, hypocrisy etc.)

In question 2 I used the word 'test' on purpose, as the character arc (created through the plot challenges - see how it's all connected) is what proves/disproves the thematic truth.

4) What is the opposite to your 'thematic truth' aka a lie? (e.g. for Spider-Man, a lie could be they are only one person and can't make a difference so why bother)

The lie the character believes is what prevents them from seeing/understanding the truth. There can be many variations of lies to contrast the thematic truth.

Broadly speaking a character arc can go 4 ways:
- Positive change (from lie to truth)
- Negative change (from truth to lie, so disillusionment)
- Unchanging, always with the truth
- Unchanging, always with the lie

5) What sort of character arc do you want to explore for your MC? Elaborate if you want.

No matter what arc your MC is on (and whether that proves/disproves the theme) you need to provide alternative arguments, or the reader will feel like you have stacked the deck. Weiland said you can consider using minor characters for "thematic representations of your MC's various fates" either good or bad.

You picked one arc for your MC there are three left. Obviously there can be more than 4 characters so multiples of different arcs. Also how major the character is will depend on the level of depth of the journey but for brainstorming it's 4 options.

6) Select the first remaining arc. What truths or lies could provide a contrast?

7) You guessed it - second remaining arc. Truths/lies that could be explored.

8) And the last arc. Truth/lies to contrast with the MC's journey.

Honestly this gets confusing trying to make the questions open for everyone whatever you are doing. So excuse me if we do a split.

9) SERIES - At what point of the character arc do you want your MC to end in this project? (this will probably depend on how long your series is. Remember change arcs don't have to be totally linear, if you are going for a change arc ofc)

9) STANDALONE - What sort of ending do you have? (e.g. happy for now, up in the air, tragic etc.)

The arcs we talked about are basically the characters personal implementation of theme - the lesson they learned for good or ill - and that's where the message comes from.

10) What is the message you want to leave as an impression on your reader? (e.g. with Spider-Man, he's looking out for the little guy)

It wouldn't be PrepTober without Otto! All credit for Otto and his colour scheme goes to Keri and Erin. Big thanks to Keri for giving permission to bring him to the festivities this year

October 15th, 2023

This week we are looking at Character.

Your questions! Feel free to answer them here, in a plotting document, or anywhere

Your project genre / working title:
Who is your main character?:
What sort of character arc are they on?:

Every character has a belief system that steers their decisions and actions. These morals, values, core beliefs and emotional attachments set the foundation for how they live their life - what they do, think and embrace.

1) Who are the important people in your MC’s life?

Last week we talked about the 'lie your character believes'. For example for a theme of 'Trust' if the MC is on a positive change arc they might start with a lie that "trust is weakness and pain, can only count on myself". The truth could then be "trust is fear but being vulnerable anyway and it's worth the price" - and that's their character journey.

This lie often has roots in what can be called the 'emotional wound' - often a traumatic event but not necessarily, it can also be something 'good' that leads to a misunderstanding. It also doesn't have to be one single event but can be a circumstance which builds up over time e.g. being parentified as a child.

2) What is your MC’s ‘emotional wound’ aka what impactful experience has stayed with them?

Who brought your character up, and what traits that caregiver had, will inevitably have influenced them as an impressionable child. So with that in mind…

3) How did your MC grow up?

False beliefs, fears and responses all link together and back to the emotional wound. For example if a character had a family member die when they were young, then springing from that they might have a false belief that people will leave when they need them, the fear could be losing someone else and then their response to that would vary. They could be highly anxious about any sign of sickness/chance of injury and smother those they love, or they could react the opposite and become fiercely self-reliant and avoid other people and relationships.

4) What false beliefs do they have? Remember these are 'lessons' often learned through pain and the desire to protect oneself e.g. "if you let someone in, they will only hurt you" and thus the MC pushes everyone away.

People will often take extraordinary measures to stay in their comfort zone, even if it’s actually a bad place. Change, even good change, is hard. Characters aren’t always honest with themselves, or others. If you want to show their authentic personality you must know what they are thinking, and how those thoughts contrast with their actions.

5) What do they fear? Remember that can link to the false belief / back to the ‘emotional wound’ aka the experience that shaped them.

6) What is their response to that fear? Remember this is based on their personality as two characters could have the same fear, but react to it in opposite ways.

Speaking of personality. Key attributes and flaws affect every decision the character makes, how they react to the other characters and events, and also how they even see the evironment around them. We'll get to that when we discuss Setting in the last week.

7) What are their key attributes? e.g. independant, private, adapatable, protective etc.

8) What are their flaws? e.g. workaholic, paranoid, perfectionist etc.

To return again to the conflict between ‘lie’ and ‘truth’ that we covered last week (and touched on again at the start of the party). This inner conflict usually directly translates into the characters want (lie) and need (truth).

9) What does your MC want? This often ties into their plot goal. It's what they think will help them/make them happy/solve all their problems etc.

10) What does your MC need? This is usually ultimately an understanding of the truth as it relates to their character arc, but is normally represented by something tangible. e.g. with the trust example, having the MC show their new willingness to trust/be vulnerable to someone they had previously pushed away out of fear. A need doesn’t have to be all sunshine and rainbows, it’s more that the character isn’t whole without it, even if that comes with a cost.

It wouldn't be PrepTober without Otto! All credit for Otto and his colour scheme goes to Keri and Erin. Big thanks to Keri for giving permission to bring him to the festivities this year

October 22nd, 2023

This week we are looking at Plot.

Your questions! Feel free to answer them here, in a plotting document, or anywhere

What does your MC need?:
What does your MC want?:
What is the ‘lie’ your MC believes?:

The want and need were asked about during last weeks planning party. The lie the character believes during Week Two. Refresh your memory as we are hopefully going to build on that today.

For the past two weeks we have circled round what kind of journey your MC is on. Now whether that’s a positive change arc, or something else, what makes the journey satisfying is everything the MC has to overcome - all the obstacles, problems and challenges. In other words - conflict. It’s this that drives the story from beginning to end.

There are two levels to conflict. Major aka the main issue that looms over the entire story, and scene level challenges. More about those in a minute. All stories even a romance have conflict, because it’s about what stands between your MC and the end of the story - what is preventing them from getting what they want/need.

1) What is the primary obstacle to your MC getting what they want?

2) What is the primary obstacle to your MC getting what they need?

Major conflicts can be broken down many ways. As a starting point here are six possibilities: Character vs. Character, Character vs. Society, Character vs. Nature, Character vs. Technology, Character vs. Supernatural, Character vs. Self.

3) What is the major conflict of your story? Try and elaborate/explain. The reason this is asked third goes back to theme. The plot might be an Avengers level battle for good and evil, but it will be much deeper/richer if the MC’s journey ties in or echoes with it somehow.

A character arc works best when it mirrors the ups and downs of the main story. As the characters strives to overcome the major challenge, so must they overcome themselves and their greatest fears. The ‘lie’ the MC believes is in their way to achieving what they need. Before the MC can overcome this lie to reach their goal, they need to be burned by it. The bigger the struggle, the more meaningful the journey.

4) What conflict could your MC face, where they try and use their ‘lie’ and it fails? For example an MC who believes a lie nobody can be trusted, could try and tackle a problem without help and fail.

Conflict can be a painful teacher. It can provide an opportunity for characters to learn who they really are - but only if they let go of who they were.

5) What conflict could your MC face, where they are rewarded for using the ‘truth’? For example with the previous example the MC lets somebody help and then succeeds.

A great subplot is related to the main plot. For example a side character pursues a similar goal to the MC but for different reasons/with different methods.

6) With your MC’s character arc in mind, brainstorm a subplot to show another angle to the conflict.

I said back in Week Two - Theme - that it’s hard to separate story components out because they all build on each other. We are covering Setting next week and that in itself can provide a lot of conflict options both major and scene level. So leaving that for then, let’s think about other possibilities of scene level conflict.

7) Pick a scene, or build on one of the conflicts you just talked about above. What conflicting agendas could the characters have? Aka all characters in a scene will have some kind of goal and those can conflict.

Conflicts can be external challenges, or internal indecision. In order for conflict to matter something meaningful has to be at stake.

8) Brainstorm what external dangers or threats could create obstacles for your MC throughout their journey.

Your MC having to grapple with the consequences of failure can be powerful.

9) Can you think of any no-win scenarios? OR alternately mistakes that lead to a failure of their own making?

Finally consider the pressure-cooker of conflict - a ticking clock.

10) Is your MC having to deal with any crushing deadlines to the conflicts that are challenging them? What are the consequences if they fail to beat that ticking clock?

It wouldn't be PrepTober without Otto! All credit for Otto and his colour scheme goes to Keri and Erin. Big thanks to Keri for giving permission to bring him to the festivities this year

October 29th, 2023

This week we are looking at Setting.

Your questions! Feel free to answer them here, in a plotting document, or anywhere

What world is your story set?: (e.g. earth, sci-fi world, fantasy world etc.)
What time period is your story set?: (e.g. contemporary, historical, future, dystopian etc.)
Think of at least 1-2 scenes and their locations

The right setting can help characterise the story’s cast, deliver backstory, convey emotion and supply tension.

What a character notices, feels, and interacts with in each location tells readers about them. It can also tell them about their emotions of the moment. When describing the details of a setting filter through the eyes of your PoV.

1) Pick one location in your story and think of a handful of details that your MC would notice, that another character might not. For example, if your MC is an artist they might notice the colour of the houses, or the way the light filters through the tree leaves, but if the MC is a police officer they might see the expired tax on the car by the corner, or the broken lock on a gate etc.

2) Pick a scene where your MC is emotional and brainstorm details they might notice because of their mood? For example someone who is sad might see a lot of broken items, or other sad people, a character with a different personality might only see other people being happy etc.

When your POV character encounters something unfamiliar, you can compare it with something that’s familiar to them. Does double duty then as description and character.

3) Think of something your MC could see in a scene and what they could compare it to? For example seeing a white object a baker might liken it to fresh bread, but a footballer might think of freshly bleached kit.

Not all characters use their senses equally. One character might be highly sensitive to noise or light. A musician would perhaps hear more sounds of a place, and an artist might see more of how it looked etc. As a generalisation sense of smell is often underutilised and highly evocative.

4) In your scene what sense provides the strongest image for your MC? For example is it the bright colour of the flowers by the window, or the strong scent of coffee, or the sound of snoring etc.

Last week we covered conflict which drives the story plot. When deciding on scene locations consider whether the setting provides an obstacle that keeps the character from their goal.

5) What physical challenges could your setting provide as a conflict? Either as an obstacle e.g. a bridge, or by the people that live there.

Settings can be a source for backstory, and provoke a characters ‘emotional wound’. It can intensify/complicate all kinds of conflicts. When deciding on a scene location consider whether the characters have memories of the place, and how it makes them feel e.g. comfortable at home, awkward at the in-laws etc.

6) Pick a scene. What emotions are evoked invoked in your MC by the location?

Stories usually take place across some kind of stretch of time, whether that’s hours or years.

7) Are there any locations in your story which change over time, and how do they change?

Locations look and feel different depending on the time of year, time of day, the weather, quality of the light, what the temperature is etc.

8) What time of year is your story set, and how does this season impact the story? Is it the most powerful choice or would another season impact more?

9) Pick a scene. What time of day does it take place? Now consider the scene at a completely different time. Does the time change things?

And finally as the last thing we have time for today. Weather affects everything: how people dress, how they move, travel and feel. It can work as an intensifier for conflict. For example if a character is too hot, or too cold, it will impact their mood.

10) Pick a scene. What is the weather like and how does it affect the characters?

It wouldn't be PrepTober without Otto! All credit for Otto and his colour scheme goes to Keri and Erin. Big thanks to Keri for giving permission to bring him to the festivities this year

Thanks for joining for PrepTober 2023! As a special reward for partying here is an extra banner.