WRITER'S GAMES: Tips & Events
Use the menu below to jump to the selected section. It is recommended that you read the tips and hints to reap the most benefit from the competition. The list of possible Events is a good place to take notes.
The Writer's Games Events List was last updated:
AUGUST 2020
Writer's Games Tips & Hints
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There are no bonus points awarded for "first received". Each Event lasts 72 hours, so take your time and make sure your entry says what you want it to, the way you want it to. If you rush your entry, it's probably not your best work. Submit work you are proud of, not something you threw together.
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Edit your work. All submissions should be publication ready.
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Pay close attention to your Title Information. Missing, misplaced, or incorrect Title Information will result in entry disqualification. Ask questions. If you read the FAQ and the Rules but still don't have an answer to your question, ask! The judges are available in the Forum to help you succeed.
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Try to participate in all Events. The more Events you enter, the higher your Overall Score. The highest Overall Score wins!
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Unreasonable demands will be met with the Wrath of Righting.
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Be respectful of your fellow participants. Remember, there are all ages and cultures here.
Writer's Games Events List
The following Events may or may not appear during the Games. The judges determine which Events will take place in advance; this is a list of potential Events and general definitions. The Event announcement takes precedence; the definitions here are a guide for further explanation. Keep in mind, this list is not complete! One of the actual Events may not be listed here.
ACT III
Core Concepts: dialogue, pacing
New Event!
Life stays interesting as long as you keep learning. For this Event, your character, aged 60+, finds a new hobby.
ANTICIPATION
Core Concepts: backstory, perspective
New Event!
People say good things come to those who wait. For this Event, the anticipation results in a letdown.
BEING HUMAN
Core Concept: pacing, plot
There are so many morphing creatures out there that sometimes our characters forget about the perils of being human. For this Event, the ability to shapeshift does not exist and all your characters are human.
BIZARRE BAZAAR
Core Concept: description, plot
Festivals are full of new sights, sounds, and experiences that can bring out both the best and worst in human nature. For this Event, your characters explore a festival of some kind.
BRAND NEW
Core Concepts: description, dialogue
New Event!
An unfamiliar place can feel like adventure as the experience overwhelms your senses and twists your understanding of language. For this Event, your character explores a location they've never been.
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED
Core Concept: character development, planning
Though obstacles come in many shapes and sizes, life can be easier when characters work together. For this Event, a group of characters works together to survive a difficult situation.
CHILDREN’S STORY
Core Concept: tropes, voice
A child's imagination is a powerful tool. For this Event, access your inner child and write a story for children that targets the specified age group.
COCOON
Core Concept: character development, perspective
New Event!
60 is the new 40 and retirement dodgers seek new ways to be forever young. For this Event, your character completely reinvents themselves in their third stage of life.
DESTINY RULES
Core Concepts: dialogue, foreshadowing
New Event!
Who knew that bumping into a stranger at your favorite coffee shop could turn out like this? For this Event, your romantic characters meet in an adorable way.
DIALOGUE ONLY
Core Concept: dialogue, pacing
Dialogue does more than express conversation: it helps show the characters' personalities without telling the reader who they are. For this Event, tell an entire story using only dialogue.
DON'T LOOK
Core Concepts: pacing, perspective
Sometimes all it takes is a change in perspective to reveal the horrors of ordinary life. For this Event, your character is scared of an object everyone else finds ordinary.
DOORS
Core Concept: character development, planning
Life is all about options. For this Event, your character goes through at least one real door that will change their life.
FAKE HOLIDAY
Core Concept: cohesion, description
Decorations, special attire, and grand feasts are the hallmarks of many well-celebrated holidays. For this Event, your character(s) creates a fake holiday and convinces others to celebrate as if it’s real.
FAKE TRUTH
Core Concept: backstory, voice
Memoirs tell the true story of someone's life through narrative. For this Event, your character lied in their memoir.
FEAR ITSELF
Core Concepts: backstory, character development
Every character is afraid of something, but if they always run away they will never grow. For this Event, write a story in which your character's true personality is revealed as they face what scares them the most.
FLAVOR
Core Concept: cohesion, planning
New Event!
Taste brings back memories and reminds us of our past. For this Event, the sense of taste impacts your character in remarkable ways.
GAME SHOW OF DEATH
Core Concept: cohesion, dialogue
Game shows reward people for feats of strength, ingenuity, or knowledge with monetary gain and notoriety. For this Event, the reward for stupidity is death.
GLOBETROTTER
Core Concepts: description; show, don't tell
New Event!
Life is an adventure with worlds to explore and you never know what you’ll find! For this Event, your character leaves their hometown for the first time ever.
HIDDEN TREASURE
Core Concepts: perspective; show, don't tell
New Event!
One man’s junk is another man’s treasure. For this Event, an unassuming object is worth its weight in gold.
I KNOW YOU
Core Concepts: tropes, voice
New Event!
Whether it’s a doppelganger, name twin, or someone’s just plain confused, mistaken identities happen all the time. For this Event, your character is not who everyone thinks they are.
IN ABSENTIA
Core Concept: planning; show, don’t tell
Some of the best stories revolve around people you’ve never met. For this Event, your story revolves around a character who never actually appears.
IT'S A DISASTER!
Core Concept: backstory, tropes
Life gave us lemons and now citrus is taking over the world. For this Event, unlikely heroes step up to save humanity from something so ridiculously over the top, all you can do is laugh.
IT'S ALIENS!
Core Concept: show, don't tell; tropes
"First contact" with alien life is arguably one of the biggest and most widely anticipated events in academic society. For this Event, tell a fictional story of the first contact with aliens of another world.
JUST THIS ONCE
Core Concept: foreshadowing, perspective
Just because everyone survives doesn't mean it's a happy story. For this Event, tell a tragic story where no one dies.
ON THIS DATE
Core Concept: foreshadowing, plot
History is distilled into distinct dates that can hold a great personal or societal meaning. Often when people live through something, they don’t realize its importance until after the fact. For this Event, select a decade and country from the list provided and write a historical fiction story.
ONLY THE BEGINNING
Core Concepts: backstory, cohesion
New Event!
Oral tradition tells us death is only the beginning. For this Event, your main character was but is no longer alive.
SENSELESS
Core Concept: dialogue; show, don’t tell
We navigate the world through our senses. For this Event, a character has lost one or more of their senses and must rely on the descriptions of others to navigate their new world.
SILENCE
Core Concept: description, plot
Sometimes the most powerful words are the ones not spoken. For this Event, write a complete story with no dialogue.
SPLIT UP, GANG
Core Concept: foreshadowing, planning
Mysteries plague life for everyone: who killed Jim, who ate the last cookie? For this Event, write a mystery that is solved by the end.
THUNDERSTRUCK
Core Concepts: character development, plot
New Event!
Lightning never strikes the same place twice. For this Event, your character gets an important second chance.
TICK, TOCK
Core Concept: character development, pacing
Making an important decision under pressure often reveals a person’s true character. For this Event, your character(s) must meet a pressing time constraint.
WE BUILT THIS CITY
Core Concepts: cohesion, voice
New Event!
Rome wasn’t built in a day. For this Event, your character experienced the historical founding of an important real location.
WHAT WAS THAT
Core Concepts: foreshadowing, tropes
New Event!
Rumors and theories of long lost civilizations and cryptids waiting to be photographed exist the world over. For this Event, your character comes face to face with the impossible.
WORLD BUILDING
Core Concept: description, voice
The worlds are silent characters in the stories you tell; they inform, describe, and bring to life the environment your characters call home. For this Event, tell a story in which the setting is the main character.
Writer's Games Prizes
Prizes for the 2020 Writer's Games are donated by the co-founders of The Writer's Workout and the judges.
Overall: Each of the top three winners overall receive a physical copy of the anthology for the Portion of their success.
Event: Each of the top five winners per Event are published in the Portion's anthology volume of 72 Hours of Insanity.
Submissions: Each entry submitted by a registered participant before the deadline receives critique from multiple judges, regardless of qualifying or placement status.