Short story writers: A fiction prompt for the month of July, from Write Club

Image source: Pixabay

It's time for the next Write Club prompt. Each month we issue the writing prompt we will use to develop short stories in the coming month, and invite others to take part if they choose. In this post, you can learn a little about Write Club and decide if you have an interest in participating. If not, but you still want to write for this prompt, you are welcome to do so! 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.

As you can guess, the prompt for this month is related to what is going on in the world right now. If you are so inspired to turn your angst into art, join us!

What Is Write Club?

We are a small group of serious fiction writers who are committed to writing and polishing stories for publication in mainstream publishing outlets. We write one story every month, and then "workshop" that story with our peers in the group. Then we revise the story, incorporating feedback and suggestions for improvement. The goal is to prepare the piece 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

It goes like this:

We issue a writing prompt at the beginning of the month.
In two weeks 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.

The final draft is then hopefully ready for submission to a publication of our choice before the next month's challenge begins. But of course that is up to each individual writer as to what they choose to do with that story.

Those in the group enjoy the commitment to goals, deadlines and the editing process because it keeps us from thinking about writing and instead helps us to actually write.

Invitation to Short Story Writers

If you are a fiction writer who wants to get serious and get your work ready for publication in fiction magazines, you are welcome to check us out. You are also welcome to use this process to improve your writing quality overall, and get stories ready to post on Steem, Hive, Medium, Narrative or other self-publishing venue.

Here are two options:

Check out Write Club and see if it's for you.
Or, use this month's writing prompt on your own.

You can find more information about how to join Write Club in this article on Medium, along with a link to our Discord channel where we converse and manage all of our deadlines and reviews.

This month's writing prompt

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

To get going, here are some ponderings:

What challenges has the COVID-19 pandemic created for people that could be dramatized?
How does the virus affect students, families, and people who are in love?
What about two people who are planning a large wedding, where there are already stresses, conflicting expectations, mother-of-the-bride and mother-of-the-groom issues, and a pandemic on top of it all?

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, 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.

Have fun!