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 and Fictionary Certified StoryCoach Editor living near Boaz, Alabama. His fiction explores ordinary people caught in difficult human questions, and he works with a small number of beginning novelists through a year-long, in-person writing program.

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