Writing Sprints: The Call is Coming from Inside Your Pocket

Writing Sprints: The Call Is Coming From Inside Your Pocket We've spent the last several months on fundamentals: tension, dialogue, character development, point of view. This month we're doing something different. Less talking, more writing. The whole session is built around three 20-minute writing prompts, and all three revolve around the device you're probably reading this on. Thriller writers have spent two decades inventing ways to get rid of the phone (dead battery, no signal, "dropped it in the lake") because instant communication kills suspense. Tonight we flip that. The phone isn't the thing that saves your character. It's the thing that ruins their night. I'm keeping the prompts secret until we're all together. Just bring something to write with (laptop, notebook, the back of a receipt, whatever works) and be ready to go from zero to dread in twenty minutes. No recommended reading this month. Consider it a break from homework. Agenda 7 - 7:15 Show up and park. Get settled. Catch up. 7:15 - 7:30 Quick discussion: How has the smartphone changed suspense writing? What are your favorite (or least favorite) examples of technology used in a thriller? When does tech feel like a cheat, and when does it raise the stakes? 7:30 - 7:50 (ish) Writing prompt 1. 7:50 - 8:00 Short break. Get another beverage or share your writing with others. 8:00 - 8:20 (ish) Writing prompt 2. 8:20 - 8:30 Short break. Stretch, refill, swap pages. 8:30 - 8:50 (ish) Writing prompt 3. 8:50 - Debrief How were the prompts? Get any ideas for a story? Which prompt would you actually turn into a full piece? What topic would you like to cover in next month's meet up?