Author: Matthew BrownPage 5 of 25
Matthew is a writer, web dev, and geek from Kent (UK). He is the founder and current chair of Thanet Creative as well as head geek for Author Buzz. His ambitions include seeing a film or TV series based on something he wrote. Matt is also responsible for fixing stuff on AuthorBuzz.co.uk when it breaks.
We dare you to add a kitten as a subplot. This kitten is filled with murderous rage but is small and fluffy and, thus, comically incapable of murder.
We dare you to put a poll on Twitter and invite your followers to vote on one of four outcomes for your plot.
Have your character encounter, find, or make a seemingly inanimate object that laughs sometimes.
Add a character or choose an existing character with a crush on another character. Have them slow things down and/or interrupt the plot to try and get some…
Here is a tip for NaNoWriMo (and the rest of the time too). Chose one or two key elements of a scene and bring them to life in…
Your protagonist uncovers a shocking secret of conspiracy theory levels of scope, scale, and bizarreness.
We dare you to reveal that one of your characters is in fact a spy working for the Russians.
Pad your word count by having a character stop in every new location to buy a postcard, buy stamps, and post the postcard. String this out for as…
Skips two or three meals so that you are really hungry. Use that hunger to more accurately depict one of your characters being hungry.
For reasons that only you can tell us about, the fate of the world no hinges on coffee. Is coffee going to save the world, damn the world,…
We dare you to try and fit everything here into one chapter.
Have your characters get into a heated debate over a fandom divide. Have it blow up into a massive argument. Then you can draw out the cooling down…
Write at least 350 words in a dimly lit room. Bonus points if you wear sunglasses the curtains are closed there are underpants on your head you are…
Here is a pretty random collection of items. How many of these items can you squeeze into a single scene? Bonus points for making them all plot relevant…
It turns out that some of your characters are figments of another character’s imagination.
Bring your characters to a grinding halt with car troubles. Take us through what the characters do to solve this issue. Who do they call? Can they fix…
We dare you to live-stream your next writing session or sprint.
For reasons they might not even understand themselves, your character lies about something. The lie is every bit as complicated as the truth – more so even. Now…
Have a character crave some ice cream. Have them go out of their way to try and get some ice cream and yet plot, fate, and chance mean…
Have one character tell another that a third character has a crush on them. Have them explain in great detail why they think they are right. Allow the…
Post a tweet asking your followers to shout out crazy ideas for you to include in your story. Click to Tweet
Introduce a majestic elephant into your story. How will your plot change now? What does the elephant’s presence say about your protagonist? Bonus points if there is a…
Add a wicked witch to your story not as the main antagonist but as a persistent and annoying troublemaker who complicates things regularly to troll the protagonists.