Fandom Weekly

Sometimes your best option is just to start over.

Maybe it’s a project that isn’t going well, or a job that hasn’t worked out. Maybe it’s a new day, or a new year, one of those timepoints that encourage you to think about changes you want to make. Maybe it’s something more drastic – a new career or even a whole new life. Whatever the case, it’s time for a new start.

What does that look like? Is it by choice, or are your characters forced into it by circumstance? Is it easy, or not so much?

Write a story about a fresh start.

BONUS GOAL: “New year, new me!"

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

Whether it’s a job interview, your first day at a new school, or an audience with royalty, first impressions can be important. But they aren’t always easy! Sometimes everything works out, and it’s love (or job offer) at first sight; other times, you trip on a shoelace you could have sworn wasn’t untied five minutes ago, or stub your toe and say a word you shouldn’t say in front of your boss’s boss’s boss, or a supervolcano erupts and you have to immediately cut the interview short to go suit up and save the world.

What kind of first impressions do your characters make? Good ones? Bad ones? Memorable ones, for all the right or wrong reasons?

Write a story about first impressions.

BONUS GOAL: All Suited Up

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

Whether it’s a job interview, your first day at a new school, or an audience with royalty, first impressions can be important. But they aren’t always easy! Sometimes everything works out, and it’s love (or job offer) at first sight; other times, you trip on a shoelace you could have sworn wasn’t untied five minutes ago, or stub your toe and say a word you shouldn’t say in front of your boss’s boss’s boss, or a supervolcano erupts and you have to immediately cut the interview short to go suit up and save the world.

What kind of first impressions do your characters make? Good ones? Bad ones? Memorable ones, for all the right or wrong reasons?

Write a story about first impressions.

BONUS GOAL: All Suited Up

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

n. an optical effect that is sometimes seen at sea, in the desert, or over a hot pavement, that may have the appearance of a pool of water or a mirror; something illusory or unattainable

Caused by the shimmer of reflected light over heated air, a mirage can be a dangerous thing in the desert, where it might trick unwary travelers into thinking they’re not so far from water. It can be beautiful – a little ripple of light in the distance, like sunlight dancing on water – but no matter how hard you try, you’ll never get close enough.

Write a story about a mirage (literal or figurative).

BONUS GOAL: “It’s just a dream.”

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

Books as far as the eye can see, neatly maintained shelves with just the occasional hint of dust, the gentle murmur of whispered conversation. It’s a good place to do some research, a little light reading, or just some relaxing – quiet, peaceful, pleasant.

Maybe a little bit too quiet. Those conversations should be audible, but somehow they’re always just a little too low to hear. There’s a few lights burned out, but some of the shadows are just a little too deep, just a little too impenetrable. And – hey, didn’t the library close twenty minutes ago?

Write a story about a haunted library.

BONUS GOAL: Bats in the Belfry

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

Once, this place was filled with life. Maybe it hosted a wealthy family’s events – late-night balls and grand galas, political networking or coming-of-age celebrations. Maybe it was home to enough children to fill all the bedrooms, or maybe it was only ever inhabited by a well-off couple and their guests, or even a single recluse. But whoever lived here once, they’re long-gone now.

So what are your characters doing there? A renovation project? Investigating a mystery? Taking shelter from bad weather or a long journey? Is the mansion truly abandoned...or is something still lurking?

Write a story about an abandoned mansion.

BONUS GOAL: Overgrown Gardens

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

You’ve tried before, and it didn’t go well. Maybe something catastrophic went wrong, or maybe you just couldn’t quite pull it off. But whatever it is, it still needs to be done, and it’s your job to do it – so you need to give it one more try.

What are your characters trying to do? Why did they fail last time? Will they succeed this time, and what will it take?

Write a story about one more try.

BONUS GOAL: “Third time’s the charm.”

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

There may never be a good time to break that bad news to the rest of the team, or go start that difficult inconvenient project, or get a husky puppy that’s not housetrained yet…

...but for whatever reason, your characters have picked the worst possible time.

Do your characters usually have pretty good timing, or do they have a knack for bringing things up at the worst possible moment? How do they handle a case of bad timing? What does the fallout look like?

Write a story about bad timing.

BONUS GOAL: “You’re asleep at a time like this??”

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

just before the last moment when something can be changed or something bad will happen

Maybe your characters are running just a little bit late for something they promised they’d attend, and have to scramble to make it. Maybe they’ve been rushing as fast as they can to stop the bad guy’s plans from being enacted, and they’re running out of time. Maybe there’s exactly one minute left before the doors open for the biggest night of their lives, and they’re not quite ready. Whatever it is...will they make it?

Write a story about something happening in the nick of time.

BONUS GOAL: “Relax. We have plenty of time.”

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

n. excessive or unrestrained gratification of one's own appetites, desires, or whims

Usually you’re a little more restrained than this. But just this once...it’s time to indulge.

What do your characters indulge in? Maybe it’s as simple as a hot bath, a long nap, and their favorite food – or maybe it’s something much more dramatic. Maybe it’s something that really shouldn’t be indulged…

Write a story about self-indulgence.

BONUS GOAL: “It’s just once!”

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

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!