Day 1-3 (90-day Writing Challenge)


DAY 1-7: PRE-WRITING PHASE
Day one to seven of the challenge is the preparatory phase. We'll use these days to prep for the writing phase. We'll get the basics of our characters, worlds, and plot down.

If you need a comprehensive Notion template for authors, you can download it here.

Day 1


Choose your story.


Select a topic or story idea that you want to write about. It might be a new one or an idea you’ve wanted to write about forever but you’ve not gotten the chance to.

You can find inspiration from city maps, music playlists, photo exhibits, day-to-day experiences, and news articles.

Define the premise of your novel or story. Note down the themes, the target word count, the starting date and target ending date (ideally in 90 days time).


To-do list

  1. Browse different sources of inspiration and select a story you want to write.

  2. Define the premise of your novel or story.

  3. List all applicable themes (at least 3).

  4. Note down the target word count. 

  5. Record your first day of writing and when you plan to finish writing.



Day 2


Character names and short plot outline.


Give your characters names. It doesn’t have to be a full name (it can even be an initial) but it has to identify the character and differentiate them from others in your story. You can decide full names (and any potential meaning later). This is not final and can be changed as the story progresses so no pressure.


Develop the plot of your story and create a short outline. How to do this?

Summarise your story in three lines; one line for the beginning, the middle and the end. This might be hard to do but it is essential.

Expand on each of these lines (or acts) by writing one paragraph for each act.


To-do list

  1. Give your characters names (or initials).

  2. Summarise your story in three lines, with each line representing the beginning, the middle and the climax of the story.

  3. Expand each line into a paragraph.




 


Day 3


Character Profiles.


Character profiles are the best way to store the most important information about your characters in one place. Profiles can be created on a piece of paper, in a digital document or in a note-taking app like Notion.

Create a rough character profile for your characters, main and otherwise. You don’t have to go into details at this time. Simply note down the basics like their physical features, their goals in life, the reason why they act the way they do.

When drafting characters, keep in mind how their attitudes, backgrounds and even physical features affect the plot. As the story progresses, it is not unusual for your character’s psychology to change so do not fixate on the details. It is only important that you understand your character’s most basic motivations at this time.


To-do list

  1. Decide where you want to create your character profile.

  2. Make a list of information you need to fill in.

  3. Group the information into Basics, Physical attributes, Background and Relationships, Daily routine and Psychology.

  4. Add information into the Basics, Physical attributes and the Psychology areas.


 

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