Image source: Heidelbergerin on Pixabay
Greetings from Write Club - an ongoing writing workshop that had its origins on the Hive (previously Steem) blockchain. Each month we issue a fiction writing prompt, and our members make it their own. They draft stories, get them critiqued by the group, do a revision, get more feedback, and polish the story.
In this post you can learn a little about Write Club and decide if you have an interest in participating. If not, you are still welcome to write a story for the prompt. If you would like to share it with us, simply post your short story on Hive or Medium, and share your link in the comments to this post.
What Is Write Club?
We are a small group of serious fiction writers who are committed to writing and polishing stories for publication in mainstream publishing outlets. We develop and workshop one short story every month, with the goal of preparing it for submission to the publisher of our choice. (And we have resources to help you find one.)
Our writers have a range of fiction writing experience, from workshoppers to MFAs and published writers, who are mastering the craft of fiction writing and want the accountability of a group and deadlines to keep us on track.
The best part is that we are a small and dedicated virtual group, even though we are dispersed all over the world, and we connect up regularly on Discord to share ideas and resources for fiction writers.
Our Monthly Schedule
It goes like this:
- We issue a writing prompt at the beginning of the month.
- In 10 days we write the first draft. Then we read one another's work and provide feedback.
- We have another week to refine our stories. Then we review again.
- By the end of the month, we complete a third draft.
Invitation to Short Story Writers
You are welcome to check us out. You are also welcome to use this process to improve your writing quality overall, and get stories ready to post on Hive, Medium, Narrative or other self-publishing venue.You can find more information about how to join Write Club in this article on Medium, or pop in as a visitor to our Discord channel and let us know if you are looking to participate. We will ask you a few questions and see if it seems like we're a good fit for your writing journey!
This month's writing prompt
That brings us to the prompt! For the month of November 2020, Write Club members must write a story based on this prompt: gardens.
Gardens, in the autumn? Of course! The fall is the turning point for gardens, at least in some parts of the world. And since every good story has a critical turning point, the metaphor is ripe for the picking.
Get your engines running
Start thinking about your story's conflict, who is experiencing it, and how they might seek to overcome what they are facing. The more your conscious and sub-conscious brain are working on developing your MC (main character), and defining the scenario that has brought us to the time and place of this story, the sooner your story will take shape.
You could write out some loglines - one-sentence story plots - and then choose the one that resonates the most with you. Or join our discussion on Discord and get input on which idea seems like the most promising one to move forward.
Looking for Writing Resources?
I love to share tips and ideas about creative writing! Here are two treasure troves for you:
- You can find many of my tips here on my website, in the Writing Tips section.
- I also share weekly writing tips from The Ink Well on Hive. See the latest tip for the complete list.