#springintoastory

We're in the home stretch here! April is more than half over, but it's not over yet! There are many more things to write and noodle on. Especially as some of this week's prompts are world building focused.

As a reminder, if you use the hashtags #spring into a story, #springintoastory, or #sias 2025 we'll find it and boost!

I'm participating in #springintoastory to build a healthy, consistent writing habit!

The first prompt is Spring Break, and Lisa and Monica are from my sapphic aro ace romance - Returning to You. 💜

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"I think you should stay with me here for spring break."

Lisa looked up as her dormmate walked through the door to their dorm room. Monica's black hair was windswept, but she didn't seem to mind.

"I thought you were going home? You don't live that far away."

Monica frowned as she hung up her coat in their tight closet. "Mama keeps telling me to live life to the fullest. Enjoy the college life."

"Campus is going to be dead, though."

"I mean," Monica sighed as she collapsed in her desk chair, head thrown over the back of the headrest. Lisa shut her economics textbook and gave Monica her full attention. "There's a few frat parties I've heard about. I might go to those. And there's always something going on in Chicago."

"Do you want to spend your spring break getting drunk every night?"

"I mean, I wouldn't mind."

Lisa scoffed.

Monica rolled her chair across the room. "Look, I know you're not into the party scene."

"I would like to pass my classes –"

"But there are no classes. It's spring break. What would you do at your parent's place anyway?"

Lisa shrugged, "Just hang out."

She wasn't going home to do things. She was going home to see her family. Take a break. Enjoy her dad's cooking. At least one high school friend would be back in town, and it would be nice to reconnect. Even though they had seen each other over Christmas break.

Monica hooked her hands under her chin and tilted her face up, lip quivering. Her dark eyes turned watery.

"Ug," Lisa put up her hand as a block. "I'm not saying for break."

"Maybe stay for part? You don't want me walking to and from a party by myself, do you?"

"You can handle yourself." Monica regularly went to Boystown. Lisa had gone once or twice, cajoled by someone or another, but that part of town was Monica's scene. Loud music and people and drinks and a freedom she didn't believe she had on campus.

"Okay, yes. But I'd still like to go with you."

Sighing, Lisa looked at her friend. The puppy dog eyes were gone, replaced by sincerity. And Lisa had so few friends, she would always cave to Monica, even if they had known each other for less than a year.

"Fine. I'll hop on the Metra Wednesday."

We love how the creativity is flowing this April 💐 Let's keep it going with week three prompts!

As a reminder, if you use the hashtags #spring into a story, #springintoastory, or #sias 2025 we'll find it and boost!

We're working with Writing Quest to bring Spring Into A Story back for 2025! Check out our brand new logo ❤️‍🔥

This year, we have a bunch of new prompts and we'll have writing sessions on our YouTube channel!

Spring Into A Story runs the month of April, which is just around the corner. We can't wait to write with you! 😎🪻✍️

And we're off! April is here and it's time to get writing!

Here's our prompts for this week. Write for yourself, write for others. If you use the hashtags #spring into a story, #springintoastory, or #sias 2025 we'll find it and boost!

What if it's not character that's your problem, but the structure of your story? How do you plot?!

While the plot of a novel is a series of events unique to your tale, the structure of it is probably very similar to other works and as such, falls into one of these plot types.

Vs Fate (luck, destiny) - Have your character fight against the inevitable - a prophecy, a prognosis. Percy Jackson never actually escapes the prophecies, and the characters of Fault of Our Stars fight cancer every step of the way.

Vs Self (need vs want, need vs morals) - Have your character fight their own nature. This is a common plot structure for character-driven novels and is often the basis of a character arc. Think Diana Prince in Wonder Woman 84 torn between her want (her lover) and her need/morals (saving the world)

Vs Society - Rebellion! Society can vary - maybe it's the ruling class, maybe it's the patriarchy, maybe it's capitalism (solarpunk, anyone?). In any case, characters in these stories are fighting the structural aspect of a society or the establishment upholding it. Luke Skywalker is going against the Empire, and the ladies of Hidden Figures are fighting racism.

Vs Supernatural - This is when the threat is a supernatural element, which isn't every fantasy story. Think the Exorcism or monster-of-the-week TV shows.

Vs Technology - This is when technology is the bad guy your characters must stop. It can be in an action movie - like Terminator - or it could be in a political drama about the atomic bomb.

Vs Family - These plots can be similar to the vs society setup, but the group your character is fighting against is more personal because it's their family (found or not). Encanto is a good example of this - Mirabel struggles with her place in the family while her siblings struggle with the pressure to keep Abuela happy.

As we gear up to start striving for our April goals, you might run into a problem - how do you create a character? Or if you're editing, how do you add dimension to a character? Here's tips for both!

Creating A Character Tips

Use a template - Templates are broads. They can be a Myer's Brigg type, a star sign, an archetype, or your blorbo from your current fandom. But each serves as a template you can customize. The fiery Scorpio who is willing to step on folk to reach for CEO. The mentor who sends each adventurer off with a packed lunch. Crowley from Good Omens - but twisted so he's just someone in the building who wears black and disregards every. single. rule. and completes every request made by blondes with puppy dog eyes. Start with a template, then make them you're own!

Know their SES - Social Economic Status. Things like education level, class, age, ethnicity, and social status. Together they have an impact on someone's lived experiences and outlook - a wealthy black man and a wealthy white man will have different experiences. Figure out your character's status, and use that to shape them.

Give them a goal - Your character's goal can be grand - kill the king - or small - make the perfect cake - but they should have something they are striving for.

Give them a weakness - Just like Marty McFly can't stand to be called a coward, what is your character's weakness? It can be a physical thing, keep Superman away from the Kryptonite, or something that causes them to make bad decisions, like hubris.

Adding Dimension to A Character

Add a Counterpoint - Give your character a trait opposite something standard in your template. Your grumpy character lights up around their hobby. Your mentor character is actively trying to learn some new skill. These type of elements prevent your character from feeling flat.

Link weakness to strength - This gives your character a range. If their weakness is their stubbornness, a refusal to back down getting them into trouble, show situations where it flips to determination that helps save the scene.

Give them an arc - A growing character makes them more developed, and for many protagonists this growth is based on the events of the plot. But your secondary characters can grow too! Even if readers don't see every step.

Hello all! This year, we are putting out a new challenge for all writers and all writer levels! Whether you are trying to write something new, edit, publish, outline, storyboard... Well, Spring Into A Story is a great challenge for all.

We'll have weekly posts with challenges to interact with other writers. Update us on your progress. Join writers for a Youtube or Instagram-hosted Live Write-in (great for setting time aside to meet your goals), and we'll have spring-themed writing prompts too.

Writing prompts and instructions will be posted soon. For tumblr users, we'll share short and flash fiction once a week (rules will be posted with the prompts). Use our hashtag (#springintoastory) on all social media and help us spread the word!