Night Write In

Tonight, last night, or whatever time it is when you read this, but anyhow tonight my college had a Night Write In for NaNoWriMo. Even though I was the only one who showed up for it I was surprised at how well I was able to focus on my writing, though I did take a short break here and there to check things like Facebook. The lady who was running the event was really nice and she told me that at the kick off party that they had at my college for NaNo there was ten people who showed up. Where they were tonight I don't know, because they missed out on free treats. Besides the free treats there was also some writing prompts to use in case you got stuck. One of the writing prompts involves using M&M's for it and even though the little spread sheet that I recreated doesn't look as nice as the copy I have here are the writing prompts. 

Blue:

The new M&M color makes you want to do something new – add something new to your next scene, sending someone on an unexpected shopping spree, introduce a new character, or make something happen out of the blue!

Green:

This scary M&M color means that in your next scene you should add deathly illness, pesticides, bug infestations, 24-hour flu and all things gross and stomach churning!

Yellow:

Yellow is the color of excitement, energy, electricity, or explosions. Whether it’s a bomb threat, or a terrible prediction, add some energy to your next scene.

Brown:

For an M&M the color of dirt, go natural, add a scene in the outdoors with dirt, earth and rocks, or have the natural world attack your characters with a weather disaster.

Red:

Red M&M’s go fast, so speed things up to get through the next scene and skip ahead a week (or a day, or a year) in the future.

Orange:

Orange is awesome and exotic. In your next scene, work in some travel for a character, bring in an out-of-the-ordinary person, or give a minor character a fake tan.

There was some plot bunnies to use, so on my way out I grabbed two of them.

In the handy dandy packet that I was given when I got there, I found a nice handy dandy outline. There was also a page called Screenplay Structure: Three Acts and Five Points and it explains how you are supposed to structure a story/screenplay. Though I have heard it before it is nice to have a hard copy of how to structure a story laying around, to look at if I need too. 

Another writing prompt that was available during the write in was Arsenal Airplanes. For that it is a bunch of prompts written on pieces of paper and then folded into airplanes and when you need help just pick a plane at random and use the prompt. Since I didn't like the prompt that was on the first plane that I picked, I folded it back up and then picked another one. Though I have yet to use it here is what I got.

If your attack is going well, it's an ambush. 

If your flank march is going well, the enemy expects you to outflank him.

The enemy diversion you're ignoring is the main attack.

The last writing prompt that I got was a mad libs called Dark and Stormy Night. Once I fill it out I will post it in a different post, along with a blank copy, so that you can read what I did and then do it yourself. 

Like I mentioned at the beginning, I was the only one that showed up, but I still had fun.