In every town, a stranger

The 100-Word Challenge: I send you a 100-word prompt, and you write 100 words of fiction.

Welcome to The 100-Word Challenge, in which I send you 100 words of writing inspiration, and you write 100 words of anything you want—a novel, or a story, or just a quick sketch.

And if you find you’re itching to keep going, you can write more than 100 words. If not, you can stop there and feel great about the fact that you’re building a writing habit.

Paid subscribers will receive these emails every day in January (except Sundays). On Fridays, you’ll also receive a downloadable pdf with all of the week’s prompts.

Free subscribers will receive four of these 100-word newsletters, one on each Saturday in January.

Find all 100-Word Challenge prompts here.

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January 25

There’s a theory that every story is either A Fish Out of Water or A Stranger Comes to Town.

A Fish Out of Water story follows a protagonist who enters an unfamiliar situation and struggles to adapt.

A Stranger Comes to Town story follows a character whose life is disrupted when an unfamiliar person enters her orbit.

In a way, these are the same story, told from different points of view.

Which type of story do you prefer? Which are you writing? How might you add complexity to your story by considering it from the opposite point of view?

Feel free to share your 100 words in the comments.

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Next Week On The Writer’s Attic (Feb 1)

• Why Agents Are Rejecting Your Work

  • all subscribers get a very detailed checklist to help you hone your query strategy

  • paid subscribers can use a form to get my help with this

And after That…

• 5-Page Book Club: The Thursday Murder Club

  • paid subscribers get a look at what makes this book the most successful novel of the past few years

  • free subscribers get a limited free preview

• A Book Belongs Only To Its Writer

  • all subscribers get a in-depth reflection on how to approach revision in a way that honors your creative vision

  • paid subscribers get a pdf guide to revising your novel

• The Book Breakdown: I Have Some Questions For You

  • all subscribers get to dive into a new series in which we break down the elements of a published novel in order to discuss what makes it a good book, so we can sharpen our skills as storytellers