Plotters Ink – Revised Writing Exercise Schedule Starting May 2016

For those of you who have enjoyed the challenge of depicting one of the two opposite-type characters in the original line-up, you are still free to do so for the rest of this year. For May, the pair to select from is “Teacher OR Student”. This is called “Option 1”.

Some of us wished to be free of those constraints. We’ve decided on the following alternative approaches to character development which you may find more to your liking.

Starting in May, we offer you “Option 2”. You will “invent” a new protagonist and begin crafting a story around him, her or it, and each month present a different aspect of their personality in any way you like. You could also, as an alternative, continue to build on one of the other characters you have already created during the first four months of 2016. You would NOT have to select one of the 2 opposites shown for each month in Option 1.

If you choose Option 2, each story must stand on its own merits. Don’t assume your readers will remember what happened to your protagonist in the past.  

“Option 3”- Feel free to switch back and forth between Options 1 and 2. If you are going to mostly follow Option 2, but you also like one of the pairs of opposites (for instance, “Optimist or Pessimist”, scheduled for July), then by all means do that exercise, either with the ongoing character or a brand new one. You can switch back to your Option 2 the following month. 

In short, the point of 2016 is not to do something new each month, but to DEPICT CHARACTERS in a believable manner. Whether you choose to do this by the short or long method is up to you.

No matter which method you choose, have fun and keep writing.

Questions? Ask away- please use the comment section below this post.