January 2021 Fiction Writing Prompt from Write Club

_{Image source: StockSnap on Pixabay}

Happy New Year from Write Club! We are a small and dedicated group of fiction writers from around the world who encourage and support one another in our writing journey.

We launch each new month with a writing prompt, and then we each write a story based on the prompt, sharing our work with one another, and editing our stories after receiving feedback from the other members.

In this post you can learn a little about Write Club so you can evaluate whether you have an interest in joining our group. If not, you are still welcome to write a story for the prompt. If you would like to share it with us, simply post your short story on Hive or Medium, and share your link in the comments to this post.

What Is Write Club?

We are a small group of serious fiction writers with origins on the Hive blockchain (formerly Steem). Our common ground is that we are committed to writing and polishing stories for publication in mainstream publishing outlets. We develop and workshop one short story every month, with the goal of preparing it for submission to the publisher of our choice. (And we have resources to help you find one.)

Our writers have a range of fiction writing experience, from workshoppers to MFAs and published writers, who are mastering the craft of fiction writing and want the accountability of a group and deadlines to keep us on track.

Our Monthly Schedule

Here's what to expect if you join Write Club:

• We issue a writing prompt at the beginning of the month.
• In 10 days we write the first draft. Then we read one another's work and provide feedback.
• We have another week to refine our stories. Then we review again.
• By the end of the month, we complete a third draft.

Those in the group enjoy the commitment to goals, deadlines and the editing process because it pushes us to write and polish our work on a regular cadence. And as we all know, setting schedules and following deadlines is a must for any successful author.

Invitation to Short Story Writers

You are welcome to check us out. You are also welcome to use our prompts for stories you want to publish on Hive, Medium, Narrative or other self-publishing venue.

You can find more information about how to join Write Club in this article on Medium, or pop in as a visitor to our Discord channel and let us know if you are looking to participate. We will ask you a few questions and see if it seems like we're a good fit for your writing journey!

This month's writing prompt

That brings us to the prompt! For the month of December 2020, Write Club members must write a story based on this prompt: fire.

Oh, the possibilities!

What do you think of when you hear the word "fire"? You could write a story about a firefighter rescuing a wild animal from a burning forest. Or a post-apocalyptic experience of a couple living in a dark and burning city. You could start with the image of a beach bonfire. Who's there? What is their story? Or a birthday cake adorned with 100 burning candles. But you needn't stick with the burning interpretation of fire. You could write about someone being fired from a job as punishment for wrongdoing committed by someone else. Or the firing of a gun under bizarre circumstances.

Get your engines running

Start thinking about your story's conflict, who is experiencing it, and how they might seek to overcome what they are facing. The more your conscious and sub-conscious brain are working on developing your MC (main character), and defining the scenario that has brought us to the time and place of this story, the sooner your story will take shape.

You could write out some loglines - one-sentence story plots - and then choose the one that resonates the most with you. Or join our discussion on Discord and get input on which idea seems like the most promising one to move forward.

Looking for Writing Resources?

I love to share tips and ideas about creative writing! Here are two treasure troves for you:

• You can find many of my tips here on my website, in the Writing Tips section.
• I also share weekly writing tips from The Ink Well on Hive. See the latest tip for the complete list.

Have fun!