Novel Kicks Writing Room: Revision
Welcome back to the Novel Kicks Writing Room and the Plot Challenge.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve been focusing on plotting a piece of fiction, one task at a time.
These will potentially help you master plot structure by writing all major plot points, then analysing how each element builds toward a cohesive story. All the previous tasks are listed below.
Task 9 – Revision
Based on the analysis you did from the last task, revise your story. Focus on the following –
- Cutting: Remove scenes that don’t move the plot forward
- Connecting: Add transitions or details that make cause-and-effect clearer
- Deepening: Expand moments where stakes or character change happen
- Pacing: Speed up or slow down sections as needed
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Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: The Piano
Welcome to Fiction Friday, our weekly flash fiction challenge.
Here’s how it works:
Set a timer for five minutes and start writing
Keep going for as long as you can once the timer goes off
No editing allowed—raw writing only
When you’re finished, feel free to share in the comments (but there’s no pressure)
Today’s Prompt – The Piano –
You inherit your mother’s grand piano along with a cryptic instruction: “Play only what you remember. Never learn anything new.”
by Novel Kicks Writing Room: Analysis
Welcome back to the Novel Kicks Writing Room and the Plot Challenge.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve been focusing on plotting a piece of fiction, one task at a time.
These will potentially help you master plot structure by writing all major plot points, then analysing how each element builds toward a cohesive story.
Task 8: Analysis.
Following on from last week where we put all the pieces together, we’re now going to be asking the following questions. Write about 500 words per questions if you can.
Plot Structure –
- Cause and Effect: Does each section logically lead to the next, or do things feel coincidental?
- Stakes: Do they rise progressively? Or do they spike, then drop?
- Character Motivation: Can you trace why your protagonist makes each decision?
- Turning Points: Can you identify exactly 3-5 moments where the story shifts direction?
- Subplots: Are there secondary conflicts that mirror or complicate the main plot.
Specific Plot Diagnoses:
For your Inciting Incident:
- Does it force your protagonist into the story, or do they choose it? (Both can work, but which did you do?)
- Is it big enough to sustain a story?
by Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: The Aquarium’s Night Shift
Welcome to Fiction Friday, our weekly flash fiction challenge.
Here’s how it works:
Set a timer for five minutes and start writing
Keep going for as long as you can once the timer goes off
No editing allowed—raw writing only
When you’re finished, feel free to share in the comments (but there’s no pressure)
Today’s Prompt: The Aquarium’s Night Shift –
You’ve taken a job as the night curator at the city’s largest aquarium, a role no one else seems to want. Your responsibilities are straightforward: monitor the tanks, feed the fish, maintain water chemistry, and ensure the building’s security until morning staff arrives.
by Novel Kicks Writing Room: Assembling Your Story
Welcome back to the Novel Kicks Writing Room and the Plot Challenge.
Over the last few weeks, we’ve focused on plotting a piece of fiction, one task at a time.
These have potentially helped you master plot structure by writing all major plot points, then analysing how each element builds toward a cohesive story.
Task 7: Assembling Your Story.
Today, the focus will be putting all the work you’ve done together and reading it through.
Copy all five sections of your work from the previous weeks, excluding the story conception task, into one document and read the entire story aloud (or in your head, without stopping). I’d suggest doing this at least a couple of times actually – one to make notes, one to check the flow of the story.
by Book Club
