August Theme: Rings of Conflict
We begin with the core, and then we expand outward, striking out against every obstacle set upon us.
We may not like conflict, and we may even avoid it.
As writers, we, at least stereotypically, tend to be homebody dreamers away from the chaos and hurly-burly of the world. Watching and looking and noodling around with thoughts and grand ideas. Lost in the building gossamer of castles, only to have them blown apart by the stiff breeze of distraction. Or perhaps that’s just me.
But conflict, that’s the spice of a story.
The contrast of ideas and values, the clashing of ways of being. The struggle against an unjust society or an outdated set of norms. The brave battling against a harsh and unforgiving environment or the dawning realisation that we’re the aggressor and The Land* is wounded.
Our world is full of conflict. Much of it unjust, and much of it unnecessary. Most of it is perhaps inseparable from what it means to be human. Our conflicted nature or our pervasive need to create Us and Them.
This month we’ll dive into conflict.
Looking at it from up close and personal to increasingly wider rings of influence.
- We’ll make use of interactive tools to generate our own pawns and boards for these conflicts.
- Then we’ll write about them as we do, exploring the issue and ideas with our own inner tools, norms and lines in the sand.
This month I want to let you see the future to plan and take on a Serial Challenge. To weave all four of your stories together, to link the conflicts, to think of them as one story with multiple layers of strife.
Don’t worry; there will be plenty of surprises each week that this is not spoiling the fun.
This is the path we shall tread:
- 300 — Character vs Character
- 200 — Character vs Society
- 100 — Character vs Environment
- 50 — Character vs Fate/Self
Also, as some of our writers are tugging at the reins and yearning for longer tales, this month, those word counts are your minimums. You can aim for them, but you can leap over them too.
But keep in mind, we’ll still hold you to a round number. If you exceed the word count, aim for a century. It's part of the fun we can’t let go of just yet. As has become our way, we’ll throw in a few more challenges too.
These we’ll reveal each week, like stretch goals in a Kickstarter. But I think the sharpest of you will guess them right out of the blocks. So if you do, keep it secret and prepare your stories.
Then lastly, isn’t a month about conflict the best time to launch a contest.
A battle — a competition — a wrestling of writers.
Figurative, of course.
The best story collection of August will win $50 provided by the editors.
In September, we’ll introduce our Patreon to keep funding these contests and hopefully increase the prize money each month.
We have big plans for this pub, it’s our community, and it’s time to kick it into another gear.
*As an aside, one should perhaps not read critical writeups of one’s favourite teenage fantasy stories.
