About One Random Detail

When I'm stuck on plot and don't know what's next, I like to focus on the minutiae. Maybe these details will end up in a story, maybe the won’t, but the more I know about the character’s choices, proclivities, likes, dislikes, whatevers , the better sense I might have of what will drive them forward.

How does my character load the dishwasher? How do they decorates the walls of their bathroom? What's at the bottom of their suitcase or in the little catchall tray by the front door. If they put their hand in the right pocket of a coat they haven't worn since last winter, what would they find?”

None of these details will make or break a character. They might be tossed in as a total aside, barely noticeable in a dramatic scene, or they may be the basis for a confrontation. How someone packs for a vacation might be the last straw in a relationship or it might be the reason two characters fall in love. Dumber reasons have existed.

This weekly newsletter is designed to get you thinking about that minutiae. Whether you're somewhere between Act 1 and Act 2 of a novel and don't know how to continue or you're looking to flesh out a short story so it's ready for submission, a weekly character building prompt can be the catalyst for successfully enacting your vision.

Don't have any characters in the mind? Doesn't matter. Make up a new one with every prompt, write about yourself or someone you know, or start building one from scratch. Let your brain begin!

Tiers

$4/month. Every Monday you'll get a prompt and an example from literature about how that kind of character detail can be used (not found by AI! Found by me!) It'll also be the new home of Cookware on the Curb, my ongoing series of photos of discarded kitchen items from around New York.

$8/month. Everything above plus additional prompts Tuesday-Friday that'll build on Monday's prompt.

Is there an archive?

There is intentionally not an archive because if there were, someone could ostensibly sign up, copy all the prompts from the archive, and immediately delete their account. Which is clever, but frustrating for me, the person making this.

Who am I?

I'm a writer with an overactive brain and too much time on my hands. You can see my writing at soniaweiser.com.

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