Games Events List

For each portion of Writer's Games, judges choose the six Events from this list. Events are selected in advance, before registration opens (except for People's Choice). We try to avoid running the same Event two years in a row.

 

Pay close attention to the Event announcement: it may include special requirements, instructions, or information that could help you develop your entry.

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Create your own characters, settings, and situations for your entry. Event announcements including characters, settings, and situations are provided as examples (unless otherwise stated) and are the administrators' original work.

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We update this list regularly. Events marked "New Event!" have never been used in a Writer's Games portion before. 

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ACT III

Life stays interesting as long as you keep learning. For this Event, your character, aged 60+, finds a new hobby.

Core Concepts: dialogue, pacing

 

 

AFTERMATH

Even the most challenging beginnings can lead to happy endings. For this Event, the story starts in the wake of a tragedy. 

Core Concepts: backstory, perspective

 

 

BEING HUMAN

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. 

Core Concepts: perspective, tropes

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BRAND NEW

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.

Core Concepts: description, dialogue

 

 

CHEKHOV'S GUN

New Event!

Each detail must always move the story forward. For this Event, a small detail early in the story plays a pivotal role in the conclusion. 

Core Concepts: description, pacing

 

 

CHOCOLATE

As in life, writing is full of choices. For this Event, when faced with a difficult decision, choose love.

Core Concepts: backstory, dialogue

 

 

DEDICATION

New Event!

Success is far more satisfying when it’s earned. For this Event, a character tries as hard as they can. 

Core Concepts: backstory, perspective

 

 

DIALOGUE ONLY

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.

Core Concepts: dialogue, pacing

 

 

DOORS

Life is all about options. For this Event, your character goes through at least one real door that will change their life.

Core Concepts: character development; show, don't tell

 

 

DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE

New Event!

What happens when someone loves something so much it’s all they can think about, even if it destroys them? For this Event, your character’s obsession leads to their downfall.

Core Concepts: pacing; show, don’t tell

 

 

DUPED

New Event!

Trickery is often linked to selfishness and a lack of empathy. For this Event, someone or something is a fraud.
Core Concepts: cohesion, description
 

 

FEAR ITSELF

Every character is afraid of something, but if they always run away they will never grow. For this Event, your character faces what scares them the most.

Core Concepts: backstory, tropes

 

 

FOUND FAMILY

New Event!

The company you keep shows who you are and makes life worth living. For this Event, your character makes a new family with non-blood relatives.

Core Concepts: character development, perspective

 

 

GENIE

New Event!

Be careful what you wish for. For this Event, your character finally gets everything they thought they wanted.

Core Concepts: dialogue, foreshadowing

 

 

GO TEAM!

Whether you’re competing or a spectator, competition brings out the best—and worst—aspects of a personality. For this Event, the primary focus is a sporting event. 
Core Concepts: character development; show, don’t tell

 

 

GRAND DESIGN

New Event!

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. For this Event, your character creates or created a masterpiece. 

Core Concepts: backstory, perspective

 

 

HERE COMES THE SUN

Some find comfort, some find horrors; the night means something different for everyone. For this Event, your story begins at sunset and ends with the sunrise.

Core Concepts: pacing; show, don’t tell

 

 

IN A NAME

New Event!

Your story’s title is just as influential as the characters, setting, and plot. For this Event, your title must include the provided phrase.

Core Concepts: cohesion, dialogue

 

 

IN THE DARK

New Event!

You’re not always in-the-know. For this Event, your character learns something everyone already knows.

Core Concepts: foreshadowing, perspective

 

 

INTERFERENCE

Forced change for the sake of changing rarely achieves good results. For this Event, advancements in technology go too far. 

Core Concepts: description, foreshadowing

 

 

IT'S A DISASTER!

Life gave us lemons and now citrus is taking over the world. For this Event, unlikely heroes step up to save humanity from something epically over the top.

Core Concepts: pacing, tropes

 

 

JUST THIS ONCE

Just because everyone survives doesn't mean it's a happy story. For this Event, tell a tragic story where no one dies.

Core Concepts: foreshadowing, perspective

 

 

LEMONADE

New Event!

Resilience is a powerful attribute. For this Event, make the most of a bad situation.

Core Concepts: backstory, character development

 

 

LITERARY BINGO

Writing is a combination of story elements, actions, descriptions, and characters. For this Event, you’ll be assigned a Bingo! card. Fully incorporate all five boxes in any column, row, or diagonal line on your card to create a unique story.

Core Concepts: cohesion, pacing

 

 

LUCKY

New Event!

Change can be extraordinary but it can also unearth a nightmare. For this Event, your character wins a prize that changes their life.

Core Concepts: cohesion; show, don’t tell

 

 

OOPS

Every choice we make carries with it the weight of both good and bad effects. For this Event, your character makes a mistake with consequences that haunt them.

Core Concepts: backstory, foreshadowing

 

 

PERSES

New Event!

Things don’t always work out the way you expected. For this Event, destroy it. 

Core Concepts: backstory, tropes

 

 

PICK A NUMBER

New Event!

As writers, many of us forget the importance of numbers and their influence on our lives. For this Event, choose a number from the provided list to feature prominently throughout your story.

Core Concepts: cohesion, foreshadowing

 

 

RECALCULATING...

New Event!

It’s easy to get lost if you’re not paying attention. For this Event, your character must follow important directions. 

Core Concepts: cohesion, dialogue

 

 

SILENCE

Sometimes the most powerful words are the ones not said. For this Event, write a complete story with no dialogue.

Core Concepts: description; show, don't tell

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SPLIT UP, GANG

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.

Core Concepts: foreshadowing, tropes

 

 

STRONGER

New Event!

Life often throws challenges at us that we’re not sure we can withstand. For this Event, all your character has to do is survive.

Core Concepts: backstory, perspective

 

 

STUCK

When a character stays in one place, the setting plays an even bigger role in the story and every detail matters. For this Event, your whole story takes place in one physical space.

Core Concepts: description; show, don’t tell

 

 

THUNDERSTRUCK

Lightning never strikes the same place twice. For this Event, your character gets an important second chance. 

Core Concepts: character development, cohesion

 

 

TICK, TOCK

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.

Core Concepts: character development, pacing

 

 

TWISTED KNIFE

New Event!

An act of betrayal sparks the deepest pain and pushes us to reconsider our options. For this Event, your character gets stabbed in the back. 
Core Concepts: foreshadowing, perspective
 

 

UNLOCKED

Mystical, magical, or completely unremarkable, unlocking a gateway can change your character’s reality forever. For this Event, your character goes through a gateway to another world.

Core Concepts: description, tropes

 

 

USELESS

New Event!

Speed, strength, flight, invisibility… the list of awesome superpowers is endless. For this Event, your character thinks their superpower is useless.

Core Concepts: character development, tropes

 

 

WHAT WAS THAT

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.

Core Concepts: foreshadowing, tropes