A grownup game of fill in the blanks is this month’s challenge.

The first sentence of any story sets the tone, establishes the setting, and is meant to pull readers into what’s going on. Choices you make as a writer do all these things, and more. Fill in the blanks of this first sentence, then writer a story that builds from the choices you make:

The (blank) arrived when most of the (blank) were (blank).

Remember: Challenges are supposed to be fun, but don’t forget to stretch yourself and take risks. If you normally write fantasy, try science fiction. If you’ve never tried writing in first or second person, here’s your chance. The story doesn’t have to be a masterpiece, this is all about trying new things and gaining new skills, and most of all, having fun. Challenge stories can go up on the workshop at anytime. Put “Challenge” in the title so people can find it.

Challenges can be suggested by anyone and suggestions should be sent to Jaime (news (at) onlinewritingworkshop.com).

Workshop member Joseph sends the following prompt: Write a kind of romantic sci-fi story were a man meets a woman, and falls in love with her for her intelligence. Not long afterward, he discovers the woman of his dreams is actually an alien. What kind of conflict does this cause our hero, and how does he deal with his doubts?

Remember: Challenges are supposed to be fun, but don’t forget to stretch yourself and take risks. If you normally write fantasy, try science fiction. If you’ve never tried writing in first or second person, here’s your chance. The story doesn’t have to be a masterpiece, this is all about trying new things and gaining new skills, and most of all, having fun. Challenge stories can go up on the workshop at anytime. Put “Challenge” in the title so people can find it.

Challenges can be suggested by anyone and suggestions should be sent to Jaime (news (at) onlinewritingworkshop.com).

Luck is a pretty universal concept. Some believe in it, others don’t. But think about what the world–or the universe–would be like if luck was a real, almost physical thing that could be shared, hoarded, or withheld.

Now go write a story about that idea. Make it your own.

Remember: Challenges are supposed to be fun, but don’t forget to stretch yourself and take risks. If you normally write fantasy, try science fiction. If you’ve never tried writing in first or second person, here’s your chance. The story doesn’t have to be a masterpiece, this is all about trying new things and gaining new skills, and most of all, having fun. Challenge stories can go up on the workshop at anytime. Put “Challenge” in the title so people can find it.

Challenges can be suggested by anyone and suggestions should be sent to Jaime (news (at) onlinewritingworkshop.com).

Think about this: You go to bed in your own house, in your own room. When you wake you’re outside. Polished ceramic walls–too smooth and too high to climb–surround you. You almost miss the small opening that lets you escape the circle, but you see the walls continuing on.

Where are you? How do you get home again?

Remember: Challenges are supposed to be fun, but don’t forget to stretch yourself and take risks. If you normally write fantasy, try science fiction. If you’ve never tried writing in first or second person, here’s your chance. The story doesn’t have to be a masterpiece, this is all about trying new things and gaining new skills, and most of all, having fun. Challenge stories can go up on the workshop at anytime. Put “Challenge” in the title so people can find it.

Challenges can be suggested by anyone and suggestions should be sent to Jaime (news (at) onlinewritingworkshop.com).

The “aliens have landed” is an old tired trope. But this month, try a new twist.

Imagine these aliens are refugees and can’t go home again. How do the people in your fictional world react to these strangers?

Remember: Challenges are supposed to be fun, but don’t forget to stretch yourself and take risks. If you normally write fantasy, try science fiction. If you’ve never tried writing in first or second person, here’s your chance. The story doesn’t have to be a masterpiece, this is all about trying new things and gaining new skills, and most of all, having fun. Challenge stories can go up on the workshop at anytime. Put “Challenge” in the title so people can find it.

Challenges can be suggested by anyone and suggestions should be sent to Jaime (news (at) onlinewritingworkshop.com).

This month I’m going to challenge you to write about something that scares you. You could write about a fear of spiders or snakes, the rush of panic you feel in high places, fear of flying, or the fear of leaving the familiar. Write about fear itself.

Remember: Challenges are supposed to be fun, but don’t forget to stretch yourself and take risks. If you normally write fantasy, try science fiction. If you’ve never tried writing in first or second person, here’s your chance. The story doesn’t have to be a masterpiece, this is all about trying new things and gaining new skills, and most of all, having fun. Challenge stories can go up on the workshop at anytime. Put “Challenge” in the title so people can find it.

Challenges can be suggested by anyone and suggestions should be sent to Jaime (news (at) onlinewritingworkshop.com).

We’ve all read stories about the world ending, either by natural disaster or human mistakes. But what happens a month or a year after the world ends? Do the gates into fairy open again? Does a ship from another world arrive? Think of your own twist on that scenario and write a story.

Remember: Challenges are supposed to be fun, but don’t forget to stretch yourself and take risks. If you normally write fantasy, try science fiction. If you’ve never tried writing in first or second person, here’s your chance. The story doesn’t have to be a masterpiece, this is all about trying new things and gaining new skills, and most of all, having fun. Challenge stories can go up on the workshop at anytime. Put “Challenge” in the title so people can find it.

Challenges can be suggested by anyone and suggestions should be sent to Jaime (news (at) onlinewritingworkshop.com).

We’ve all heard the time honored advice that writers avoid cliches in our books and stories. This month I’d like to challenge you to do the exact opposite.

Think of the most timeworn, overused, and eye-rolling SFF cliche you can. Now write an origin story for that cliche. Where did it come from and why has the trope lasted so long?

Remember: Challenges are supposed to be fun, but don’t forget to stretch yourself and take risks. If you normally write fantasy, try science fiction. If you’ve never tried writing in first or second person, here’s your chance. The story doesn’t have to be a masterpiece, this is all about trying new things and gaining new skills, and most of all, having fun. Challenge stories can go up on the workshop at anytime. Put “Challenge” in the title so people can find it.

Challenges can be suggested by anyone and suggestions should be sent to Jaime (news (at) onlinewritingworkshop.com).

Ever wonder how many completely different stories can be written with the same first line? That’s the challenge this month, to see how many story ideas you can come up with from this first line:

The door opened no more than an inch, and stuck fast.

Out of all those story ideas, go write the one you think will work best.

Remember: Challenges are supposed to be fun, but don’t forget to stretch yourself and take risks. If you normally write fantasy, try science fiction. If you’ve never tried writing in first or second person, here’s your chance. The story doesn’t have to be a masterpiece, this is all about trying new things and gaining new skills, and most of all, having fun. Challenge stories can go up on the workshop at anytime. Put “Challenge” in the title so people can find it.

Challenges can be suggested by anyone and suggestions should be sent to Jaime (news (at) onlinewritingworkshop.com).

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary gives a simple definition of the word transformation: a complete or major change in someone’s or something’s appearance, form, etc.

There are other, more complicated definitions, but I want you to think about that definition for a minute. What does it mean to be transformed? How could someone be transformed?

Now go write a story about that.

Remember: Challenges are supposed to be fun, but don’t forget to stretch yourself and take risks. If you normally write fantasy, try science fiction. If you’ve never tried writing in first or second person, here’s your chance. The story doesn’t have to be a masterpiece, this is all about trying new things and gaining new skills, and most of all, having fun. Challenge stories can go up on the workshop at anytime. Put “Challenge” in the title so people can find it.

Challenges can be suggested by anyone and suggestions should be sent to Jaime (news (at) onlinewritingworkshop.com).