Plotober is a free, low-pressure challenge for the writing community to meet their goal word-count over the month of October with the help of:
- Quick daily warm-up exercises
- A free word-count tracking calendar
It's all free - I just wanted to create something fun and low-pressure for the writing community.
Each day of October comes with a quick 5-10 minute prompt intended to make you think more deeply about your story. These can be used as warm-up exercises before each writing session. You can do them privately or repurpose them as social media content if you’re building up a platform.
This page contains:
- The downloadable calendar
- The "rules" (really more like guidelines) of the challenge
- All 31 prompts
Rules
The concept is simple. You have mini-exercises for every day in October, as well as a calendar where you can document your target and actual word-counts.
This is very flexible, but if you want more structure, here's a framework:
- Download the calendar here.
- Set a target word-count for October (e.g. 10K words) and fill this out in the last square of the calendar.
- You have one short warm-up or exercise per day.
- You can do these in any order and skip ones you don't vibe with.
- They should take 5-10 minutes and you can use them as a warm-up before your writing session, or you can just do them for fun on their own.
- You don’t have to write every day!
- The prompts would make great social media content if you're building a writer platform, so consider posting them under #plotober2024. You can also tag me (@schoolofplot on Instagram and Pinterest, or @theschoolofplot on TikTok) if you post!
Prompts
These are 5-10 minute writing exercises or warm-ups that help you explore your story from new angles. Feel free to do them in any order you'd like to.
They also make great social media content if you're trying to build your presence as a writer. Share them under #plotober2024 so you can interact with other participants. Feel free to tag @schoolofplot too!
Day 1
Describe your plot as if it’s a piece of juicy gossip you’re texting a friend.
Day 2
Your protagonist is on a reality TV show. What kind is it, and how do they act?
Day 3
Create a fictional holiday or tradition inspired by your story’s setting.
Day 4
Write an unsatisfied Yelp review of a location in your story’s setting.
Day 5
Describe your protagonist from the perspective of their biggest hater.
Day 6
What are your main cast going as for Halloween? Bonus points if you say why.
Day 7
Write a letter from your main character to their future self.
Day 8
Assign superlative awards (e.g. “biggest crybaby”) for your main cast.
Day 9
Write the mantras or personal philosophies of your main cast.
Day 10
Your antagonist has to pitch their evil plan as a business proposal. How do they sell it?
Day 11
Pick a setting in your novel and list 5 things you can see, smell, touch, taste & hear. You can use my free settings cheat sheet to help you with this! (Link)
Day 12
Create a fictional conspiracy theory about your story's events.
Day 13
Describe your story's themes or vibes using a colour palette.
Day 14
Describe what your protagonist’s dream home would look like and why.
Day 15
Pick a random object. How would your protagonist use it to survive an apocalypse?
Day 16
Describe a day in the life of a side character who doesn't get much attention.
Day 17
Your protagonist walks into a room where everyone is talking about them— why?
Day 18
Your protagonist finds a time capsule from their childhood—what's inside?
Day 19
Create a fictional ad for a product or service that exists in your story’s world.
Day 20
If your cast had a group chat, what would the most recent argument be about?
Day 21
If you could pick 10 objects that sum up the vibe of your story, what would they be?
Day 22
Write a tabloid headline about a scandal involving one of your characters.
Day 23
Write a some hate mail from a character to someone in your story they despise.
Day 24
Write your character’s improvised wedding speech to a couple they don’t know well.
Day 25
Your cast starts a band. What’s the name and who takes it way too seriously?
Day 26
Your villain wins. What does the world look like one year after their victory?
Day 27
Write a clickbait article title about the biggest plot twist in your story.
Day 28
Your protagonist is invited to do a TED Talk. What’s the title?
Day 29
Write a text convo between confused bystanders. discussing the main plot.
Day 30
Write a reddit “Am I The A**Hole” post from the perspective of your villain.
Day 31
Your plot is retold by an unreliable bard—what wild inaccuracies do they add?
Good luck with the challenge, and don't forget to share your warm-ups or any photos of your calendars using #Plotober2024!
