Fandom Weekly

It’s just an innocent little cup of coffee. Just a little extra sugar in your tea. Just a little brush across the back of the stamp, or something extra in the nail polish…

Some people say poison is a coward’s weapon. Other people just call it efficient. After all, why risk your life in a direct confrontation when you could sit back and let it happen at a safe distance? But poison’s hardly foolproof. Maybe someone saw it coming, and switched the cups. Maybe your target built up an unexpected resistance, or miraculously survived just long enough for an antidote. What’s a would-be poisoner to do? Try again? Escape the country while they still can?

Write a story about poison.

BONUS GOAL: “Isn’t that a little cliché?”

If your submission features this line, it will earn an extra point to be tallied in voting!

a dishonest person; a person skilled in the use of tricks and illusion; a cunning or deceptive character appearing in various forms in the folklore of many cultures

Maybe he’s a con man, tricking other people out of their money or time. Maybe she’s a stage magician who can make your keys disappear and reappear in the blink of an eye. Maybe they’re an ancient being who’s been around for a very long time and enjoys playing tricks on unsuspecting mortals.

How does it go? Are your tricksters good at what they do, or could they use a little more practice? Do your other characters enjoy the experience?

Write a story about a trickster.

BONUS GOAL: “You can just call me ‘goddess’. Most people do.”

If your submission features this line, it will earn an extra point to be tallied in voting!

Some characters are smart. These characters go beyond that.

Whatever their field of expertise is, they’re one of the best – or maybe the best. They solve problems nobody else can, and they make it look easy. Maybe they’re an expert in a record-breaking number of fields, or have more degrees than any human being should have time to acquire; maybe they’re only an expert in one thing, but they’re far, far better than anyone else.

But being a genius comes with drawbacks! Maybe they struggle to make friends, because they’re too focused on academics. Maybe they’re brilliant, but nobody believes them. Maybe all of their expertise has done nothing to prepare them for the new crisis they’ve just been presented with.

Write a story about a genius.

BONUS GOAL: “I can't believe I just said that."

If your submission features this line, it will earn an extra point to be tallied in voting!

Whether it’s planning a secret party, going on a forbidden quest, or overthrowing the government, there’s one thing you need to make it happen: a good scheme.

An evil scheme, or just a scheme? Well, that’s up to the schemers in question; it’s certainly possible to scheme without malicious intent, though most people would call it a “plan” instead. But anybody can make a scheme. Whether or not they can carry it out...well, that’s a different question.

What do your characters scheme about?

Write a story about schemes.

BONUS GOAL: “What could possibly go wrong?”

If your submission features this line, it will earn an extra point to be tallied in voting!

Dark, cool, and refreshing, a respite from a hot day? An exciting potential source of treasure or new discoveries? A dangerous hazard zone, where you’re taking your life in your hands if you even think about entering?

Mysterious, dark, potentially dangerous caves are a classic feature of many adventures. Maybe your characters are there doing scientific research, looking for treasure, or simply exploring; or maybe that cave is a sacred site or an important source of shelter. Maybe they would rather not head into that dangerous cave, but for whatever reason, they don’t have a choice.

Write a story about caves.

BONUS GOAL: Spiderwebs

If your submission features spiders or their webs, it will earn an extra point to be tallied in voting!

There’s sparks flying in the lab tonight!

Maybe your scientists are hard at work trying to solve a mystery, cure a disease, or create some kind of weapon. Or maybe a handful of thoroughly unqualified amateurs got their hands on a chemistry kit, and they’re about to get in way over their heads. Or perhaps there’s no scientific chemistry going on at all, but there sure is something going on between those two people that their friends are noticing...

Write a story about chemistry.

BONUS GOAL: “Should it be turning that color?”

If your submission features this line, it will earn an extra point to be tallied in voting!

disposition to resist; willingness to contend or fight

Some things are worth fighting for, and some aren’t. How do you tell the difference? How do you know when it’s time to fight, and when it’s better to bide your time and see what happens? Are your characters good at that, or do they default to defiance no matter the situation? Does that work out well for them, or not so much?

Write a story about defiance.

BONUS GOAL: Protest Songs

If your submission features music, it will earn an extra point to be tallied in voting!

The dark is generous, and it is patient, and it always wins – but in the heart of its strength lies weakness: one lone candle is enough to hold it back. (Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith novelization)

What is your characters’ light in the darkness? Maybe it’s literal – the faint glow of a candle in a window, the tiniest spark of light marking the end of a tunnel, a flashlight across the road on a pitch-black night. Maybe it’s more metaphorical: a friend whose smile brings them hope, a goal or a memory they hold on to no matter how dark their circumstances get, or a star on the horizon.

Write a story about a light in the dark.

BONUS GOAL: “What are we holding on to?”

If your submission features this line, it will earn an extra point to be tallied in voting!

King, queen, princess, emperor? Whatever the title, they’re probably in charge – at least, on paper. They might genuinely rule, or be more of a figurehead. Maybe it’s hereditary, and they were born into it, or maybe they came to power through a different system. Maybe they like it; maybe they really don’t. Maybe they were raised their whole life as royalty, or maybe, like so many classic stories, they’ve been hidden for their own safety and are only just now coming to the throne.

Being royalty comes with a whole set of challenges; working for them comes with a whole different set of challenges. Are your characters royalty, or do they work for them? Do they like the idea of being royalty, or does that sound like their worst nightmare?

Write a story about royalty.

BONUS GOAL: All That Is Gold

If your submission features gold, it will earn an extra point to be tallied in voting!

All hands on deck! There’s no time to explain!

In an emergency, you have to act fast. You can’t wait to figure out the procedures; those should already be in place, and now it’s time to use them! But what if you don’t know what to do? What if the emergency’s not even your job, but you’re the only one who’s here to take care of it?

How would your characters handle an emergency? What kind of emergencies do they deal with? Are they good at it, or not so much?

Write a story about an emergency.

BONUS GOAL: City Sirens

If your submission features sirens, it will earn an extra point to be tallied in voting!