Preptober

Preptober

Preptober is the month before the main event. There is no word goal. Each day brings a short prompt and each week a theme: the idea, the people, the world, the shape. Your book’s board gets four areas to fill in as you go. Tick the steps as they feel done, and arrive on November 1 knowing what you are writing.

How this challenge works

1. 01

   The idea

   Find the book in one sentence: what it's about, what's at stake, and why you're the one to write it.

2. 02

   The people

   Who wants what, what stands in the way, and who comes out changed.

3. 03

   The world

   Where and when it happens, the rules it runs on, and the places your readers will walk through.

4. 04

   The shape

   An opening, the big turns and an ending, then a scene list to carry you into the first week of November.

What counts

• A planning month: no word goal, nothing to count.
• Your book's board gets four areas to fill in: the idea, the people, the world and the shape.
• A prompt a day, and a checklist you tick yourself when a step feels done.
• Your board and your checklist are private. Nobody else sees them.