Freebie Mondays: Novel Prompt Wrap up

I like to create projects for this blog. In 2022, shortly after I started streaming, I created the 22 Stories in 2022 project. The goal was to write 22 different shorts that fit within the canon of my novels’ multiverse while using prompts I found on the internet.

I enjoyed that project. I used it to encourage myself to work with characters that often fall into the background. And it revived a lot of my interest in prompts for the blog.

In 2023, I largely devoted my blog to developing the Cryptonia setting in which my custom D&D game takes place. (I plan to post more about that as soon as I get the game moving again.)

For 2024, I wanted to try something new. I took my dice and rolled some random prompts from various sites I found on Google. From those prompts I pledged to create a novel.

The plan was not to have a plan. Each time I sat down to work on the project, I would choose one of the prompts from the list and make a chapter based on it to form the next part of the story. I did have to be careful about some of the prompts. There were a few that were very hard to fit in. Such as “a man asks his twin to fill in on a relationship he’s gotten sick of.” It would have been very easy to write myself into a corner that prevented me from including that one!

How did it go?

Well, for most of the project, I wasn’t sure if I’d end up with a chaotic and incoherent mess or something that actually worked. But now that the novel is finished I can say I’m happy with both the project and the outcome!

The Final Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Black Licorice Day
(Prompt: During a bout of road rage, a woman puts a curse on a man that upends his life)
Chapter 2: The Mawor
(Prompt: She has been walking for hours. Her feet are bleeding. But she can’t stop; she can’t let him find her again)
Chapter 3: The Specter of Memory
(Prompt: High school sweethearts reunite)
Chapter 4: The Queen of Pentacles
(Prompt: A character hears their future from a fortune teller)
Chapter 5: Cerulean Sky
(Prompt: Man gets lost in a virtual reality sim and can no longer tell what’s real)
Chapter 6: Limbo
(Prompt: One aspect of every dream a character has comes true the next day)
Chapter 7: Weird Patterns
(Prompt: Character is the only one who can read the lost language and therefore the only person who can decipher “the scroll”)
Chapter 8: Just a Small Thing
(Prompt: One character is actually a mystical creature living a normal human life for a short period)
Chapter 9: The Computer Whisperer
(Prompt: Using only dialog show two characters having their first date)
Chapter 10: A Cozy Fantasy
(Prompt: The lives of two people are changed forever when they meet and engage in a weekend-long love affair)
Chapter 11: The Witches Three
(Prompt: A family on a hike stumbles upon a group of witches in the middle of casting a spell)
Chapter 12: Real Again
(Prompt: Tell a story through text messages)
Chapter 13: The Wheel of Fortune
(Prompt: Two characters that had a fling discover they’re having a baby)
Chapter 14: A Family Reunion
(Prompt: A character thought dead returns home to the surprise of those that moved on)
Chapter 15: A Lifetime of Regret
(Prompt: Using only dialog reveal a long-hidden secret)
Chapter 16: The Most Mundane Curse
(Prompt: Character has to get to the bottom of their family’s deepest secret)
Chapter 17: The Responsible Choice
(Prompt: “If I knew then what I know now…”)
Chapter 18: Just an Ordinary Forest
(Prompt: Character discovers their best friend’s dad is responsible for the growing number of missing people in their hometown)
Chapter 19: The Unfillable Void
(Prompt: She tried to forget him but never could)
Chapter 20: Owen-Marius
(Prompt: A man asks his twin to fill in for him for a relationship he’s gotten tired of)
Chapter 21: A Spark
(Prompt: One character must overcome a physical or emotional scar to find love.)
Chapter 22: The Moment of Power
(Prompt: You can buy a pill that lets you decide exactly what you will dream)
Chapter 23: The Nature of Magic
(Prompt: “Past and present timelines begin to merge)
Chapter 24: The Queen of Swords
(Prompt: “Character gets to revisit one moment from their life)
Chapter 25: Change the World
(Prompt: One character thinks their relationship is a fling – the other thinks it’s destiny)

My Thoughts

I think I wrote a satisfying story. It focuses on a core series of characters. Those characters face a group of conflicts, and the stakes slowly escalate as they try to sort their various situations out. The climax calls back to several other events in the story and, I believe, resolves them as satisfactorily as possible.

I’m happy with what I wrote. And I’m happy with the experience I enjoyed writing it.

Would I publish this story in a store with a polished cover? Probably not.

If I ever did plan to formally release it (for money), the story would need extensive edits. Its early chapters certainly meander. It takes awhile for the plot to pick up. Or for it to even become clear that the story is moving in a particular direction. (Probably because it didn’t really have a direction when I started.)

For a fun piece of writing that isn’t meant to be serious, all of this is fine. But I also think it’s important to acknowledge the story’s flaws. It reminds me why I utilize the writing process I do. Outlining gives me a clear idea of where I’m going and keeps me on track (even when my characters decide to dive off course). Otherwise, I’m sure all of my books would be five times longer than they already are!

But writing this story also scratched that pantsing itch that I haven’t indulged in a long time, since I almost always have a plan these days.

Would I do something like this again? Possibly. But if I did, I would probably try to establish a theme between the prompts from the start. This story does have a coherent form, but it would also benefit from a tighter structure.

What’s Next?

Now that the Prompt Novel is finished, it’s time to move on to my next big blog project. I do plan to write at least one new freebie for my Newsletter. (It’s been awhile, and I have a great novel tie-in planned for the Aruvalia Chronicles.) That will almost certainly come out of my blog writing time. But it won’t be posted on the blog, because it’s for my Newsletter subscribers. (You can sign up here, by the way!)

But never fear! I do enjoy posting free content – in part because there’s no real pressure for the content I post here. I like that freedom. It’s fun!

Last year, when I lost my second hard drive, I had to replace my computer. (There was simply no point in continuing to feed the beast!) In order to recoup some of that unexpected loss, I ran a fund raiser on my Twitch channel.

My audience is so generous, they blew all of my goals out of the water! The biggest one was a “My Little Domerin” fanfic.

That’s right… I’m turning my grumpy elf son into a pony. Based on My Little Pony Friendship is Magic. (A show I very much enjoyed when I kept up with it.) It’s not Domerin’s style – but it’s going to be fun for all of you!

As usual, I’ll be streaming the creation of this story, and all the VoDs will be saved to Youtube to fully chronicle the process. I’m looking forward to the mix of fun and serious this project is going to provide. AND I’m going to start with a plan this time! So stay tuned!