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IRL writing dare: Write in the bath using only charcoal

Write at least a page while soaking in a hot bath. Write only using a stick of charcoal. You can get charcoal from Amazon or a local art…

Writing dare: Someone saves a bad situation with the timely gift of coffee

Maybe your character is too tired to work. Perhaps there has been a minor argument. It might be that a character is cold and wet. Whatever the reason,…

IRL writing dare: Bowl of fruit

Get yourself a bowl of fruit. Get as many different fruits as you can – apples (one red, one green), a banana, a plumb, a peach, and so…

Writing dare: Someone gets five wishes but there is a catch

One of your characters is given five colourful stones. Each one will grant a single wish. One grants the wish perfectly as imagined by the wisher. Three grant…

IRL writing dare: Sing in the shower about your plot ideas

We dare you to sing (as loudly as you can) in the shower or bath about your upcoming plot ideas.

Writing dare: Incorporate as many headlines from the fantasy news generator as you can

The fantasy news generator is a blog that I created which takes real headlines and does a bunch of word replacements to make news from the world of…

#NaNoWriMo tip: Sprinkle in a little ironic misunderstanding

Here is a tip to pad out your word count and make your plot a little longer. Have your protagonist misunderstand an instruction or a situation. Have them…

Writing dare: Everything is put on hold by a massive bunch of keys

To progress, your characters need to use a key to open something. The key they need is part of a massive collection of keys. Everything grinds to a…

#NaNoWriMo padding: Debate the pros and cons

Have your characters debate the pros and cons of a number of possible options. Have them explore the topic so completely that they chose an unexpected option.

Writing dare: Use one or more words from The Fictional Dictionary of Bad Language

Use one or more of the inventive words from The Fictional Dictionary of Bad Language. The fictional dictionary is available in ebook form on Amazon. Below is a…

IRL writing dare: Write under a table

Write at least 500 words while under a table. Bonus points if this is in a public place.

Warning: Incoming experiment

For the next hour or so, we’re going to try some new things on the Must of Last Resort blog. If all goes according to plan, there will…

Writing dare: Your character is so very tired

Your character is so very tired. They just want to go to bed and get some sleep. However, fate seems to have other ideas. Every time they feel…

Writing dare: Add an angry ghost

We dare you to add an angry ghost that is stalking the characters.

#NaNoWriMo padding: Plot summary guy

Have a character who will recap events on a regular basis much to everyone else’s annoyance. “Wait, so let me get this straight. The big bad has…” You…

IRL writing dare: One song on repeat for 1,667 words

Choose one song that you would not normally listen to (in a genre you normally avoid) and listen to just that song on repeat while you write 1,667…

Writing dare: Your character is told a secret that leaves them conflicted

Someone tells your character a huge secret. This leaves them conflicted. Ont eh one hand, if they break this confidence they may never be forgiven but, on the…

#NaNoWriMo padding: A character talking to themselves

One way to pad out your word count and advance character development (not to mention backstory) is to have them either literally have, or imagine having, a conversation…

Writing dare: Add a subplot about a kitten that wants to kill people

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.

IRL writing dare: Invite Twitter to vote on a plot outcome

We dare you to put a poll on Twitter and invite your followers to vote on one of four outcomes for your plot.

Writing dare: An object that laughs

Have your character encounter, find, or make a seemingly inanimate object that laughs sometimes.

Writing dares: Character rap battle

Two of your characters get into a rap battle.

#NaNoWriMo padding: Dodgy romance subplot

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…

#NaNoWriMo tip: Anchor us in the world

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…