It’s Time for #StoryFriday
Two years ago on a hot Friday morning I was feeling burnout and was desperately looking for a fun boost. Scrabble just wasn’t going to cut it, I was tired of losing The New Yorker Caption contest, and HR apparently frowns upon booze in the office (I know, I know, silly office rules). I glanced at the rest of the WD staff and they seemed to be in a funk too. Or they turned into zombies. Either way, I figured it was bad. So I suggested a story-building exercise we could all participate in.
Two years ago on a hot Friday morning I was feeling burnout and was desperately looking for a fun boost. Scrabble just wasn't going to cut it, I was tired of losing The New Yorker Caption contest, and HR apparently frowns upon booze in the office (I know, I know, silly office rules). I glanced at the rest of the WD staff and they seemed to be in a funk too. Or they turned into zombies. Either way, I figured it was bad.
So I suggested a story-building exercise we could all participate in on Twitter where I'd write the first line and then we'd all take turns writing the next. I called it #storyfriday (because your game's not cool unless you have a hashtag on Twitter). What I didn't know is that this wouldn't only be a hit with the WD staff, it also became a hit with other writers. Lots of them.
Now I'm inviting you to join us as well. Here's how it works:
- Every Friday at roughly 9:30 a.m. Eastern time I create and post the opening to a story through the @WritersDigest Twitter feed using the #storyfriday hashag.
- Someone writes the next line. Then someone writes the next line. And so forth.
- You can chime in with a line of your own whenever you want and you can keep adding throughout the day as many times as you want. The more participation, the more fun and interesting the story becomes.
- Always put the hashtag #storyfriday in your Tweet. Without it, your line won't be added to the story for others to see.
- No obscenities or sexually explicit content please. (Sometimes young writers play too.)
The best part is that with so many people participating you never know where the story is going to lead. And you can join in at any point, not know much about the story and still add to it—we call that adding a twist! Plus, you'll often see WD staffers pop in and contribute lines too.
So join us at 9:30 Eastern time on Twitter (or, really, anytime throughout the day on Friday) and add a line (or two or three or twelve). Because every Friday it's #storyfriday time!
Not on Twitter but still want some Friday fun?
How about I also post the prompt on this blog every Friday and folks can participate in the comments section? Create a completely different story? We'll give it a shot for a few weeks and see how it goes.
Today's prompt:
START: "This wasn't part of the plan," Ted shrieked. "Stop whining and help me hide this body," Manny said. #storyfriday
Follow me on Twitter: @BrianKlems
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Brian A. Klems is the former Senior Online Editor of Writer’s Digest, and author of Oh Boy, You’re Having a Girl (Adams Media/Simon & Schuster). Follow him on Twitter @BrianKlems.
