Every week in November, we will release a set of writing prompts to keep you inspired all the way through National Novel Writing Month along with questions and suggestions for how to use them in your manuscript.
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November 22: Voice
- What does your character’s voice sound like to them?
- Your character hears a recording in the next scene. Do they recognize the voice?
- Your character says something they weren’t supposed to in this scene. How will that come back to haunt them?
November 23: Win
- What does your character still not have that they need to win the day?
- What will you character never be able to win no matter how hard they try? How does that make them feel?
- Your character still needs to win someone over to get what they want or need. Who is it, and how will they pull it off?
November 24: Exit
- Does your character know where the exit is in the room they’re in right now? Are they able to use it freely?
- Your character needs to exit the conversation they’re having. How can they do so in a memorable way?
- In The Winter’s Tale, Shakespeare famously wrote that Antigonus exited being pursued by bears. Have a character make an equally odd exit.
November 25: Youth
- Will the next generation be better or worse off for what your character has done so far?
- What person or object from your character’s youth will make a surprise appearance in your next chapter?
- The next character who speaks is younger than your main character and say something that hints they may be wise beyond their years.
November 26: Zone
- Someone caught your character zoning out. What were they thinking about?
- What does your character need to do to get in the zone before the next scene?
- Your character is discovered to be in the wrong zone. Are they going to try to rectify the situation, or was that their intention all along? Who catches this?
November 27: Wreck
- What does your character destroy as a diversion?
- Two vehicles crash in your next scene. What happens as a result, and how does this change the story?
- Your character wrecked someone emotionally. Was it in the past, or did it happen during this story? How do they feel about that? did the character they wrecked deserve it?
November 28: Rare
- What rare phenomenon has your character witnessed?
- Stretch the prompt and use a rare color word—chartreuse, amaranth, vermillion, persimmon—the next time you have to describe something.
- Stretch the prompt and name the next character to show up something that contains all of these letters. You can use this website to help you.
November 29: Awake
- What wakes your character up in the middle of the night, or prevents them from sleeping in the first place?
- What has your character awakened someone to in this book?
- Stretch the prompt, literally: write about a wake.
November 30: Time
- If you haven’t yet in the scene you’re writing, allude to what time it is—without mentioning a clock or saying the exact time.
- The next thing your character has to do is timed. What are the consequences for not completing the task(s) in time?
- If you skipped writing or did not meet your word count goal on November 26, include the word timezone somewhere in the next scene.
Bonus Prompt: Novel
- What’s new in your character’s life now that their journey is over?
- What was the last novel your character read?
- Stretch the prompt and include somewhere in your manuscript the title, author, or a random line of your favorite novel. Or all three!
- Stretch the prompt and include somewhere in your manuscript the title of what you think will be your next novel.
