Sanity Snippet #1

Your protagonist has an external problem. It’s one he’s had for a while, or it’s something that just hit him out of nowhere. I apologize to all females. I use the male gender to avoid the burdensome ‘he’s had/she’s had.’

Give your protagonist a name and describe his problem.

Do not make this difficult. At most, this should take only a few minutes.

Grab your pencil and write. Just a sentence or two will do. Don’t fret about grammar and punctuation.

It could be as simple as: Fourteen-year-old Billy is losing his mother. He doesn’t know his father. Billy dreads moving in with his Aunt Melanie.

Or, here’s another approach: Billy’s problem is his Aunt Melanie.

Your protagonist name can be anything. His problem can be anything. Of course, if you already have a story idea, use it for this practice assignment.

You are in control.

Use this photo if you need to.

Photo by Jill Burrow on Pexels.com

Start keeping a log of how many words you write per day (date/number of words). You can use a small notepad or a note-taking APP on your phone.

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Author: Richard L. Fricks

Richard L. Fricks is a novelist, former attorney and CPA, Fictionary Certified StoryCoach Editor, and creator of The Pencil-Driven Life. He lives in rural North Alabama near Boaz, where much of his fiction and reflection remain rooted. His work explores story, inherited purpose, faith and doubt, family pressure, moral contradiction, consciousness, ordinary life, and the practice of beginning again with a pencil.

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