This document provides a planning guide for writing a short story in a day with a group. It outlines an 8:45am to 2:45pm schedule that involves brainstorming ideas, developing the story's setting, characters, plot, and writing drafts. Key activities include sketching locations and characters, categorizing major story events, and collaborating on writing and revising different sections of the narrative. The goal is for the group to work together to plan and draft the full story within a single day.

1. Book in a Day
Planning your day

2. 8:45-9:00: Individual brainstorming.
Think generally about storyline, settings, characters
and events. Be creative and experiment with any and
all ideas.

3. 9:00-10:30: Planning the story.
Have each member of the group share their ideas and
begin by working on a consensus about the general
direction of the plot. You may wish to use some of the
following activities to get you started.

4. ACTIVITY: Where?
Have one person in the group sketch out a rough
drawing of each major location in your short story. You
will probably have 3-4. Consider how each setting may
change throughout the story by having a series of
sketches for different times of the day or parallel
images of the present and past/future. As a group,
write up a series of 15-20 buzz words which can be
used in the story to describe the location.

5. An example
a far away planet
the distant future
large population, over one billion inhabitants
human-like creatures live there
the weather is always perfect, controlled by advanced
technology
there is a democratic system of government
citizens are encouraged to form close bonds with one
another
there is a strict class system
a police force who use ancient magic patrol the streets
there is an evil crime ring who seek to take over the city
buildings can be described using the following words:
sleek, aerodynamic, gigantic, towering

6. ACTIVITY: Who?
After you have decided on the main characters, split the group up into
pairs/groups of three. Have one person in each group sketch out a
rough drawing of a major character in your short story. Write down
some of their character details including:
- gender
- age
- general physical appearance
- what they wear
- the way they act
- their back story (what have they done leading up to the start of the
story)
- existing relationships with any other characters
- short and long term goals and ambitions

7. An example
A 20 year old male named Janus. He has been
the leader of the planet’s magical police force
for the past 10 years. His body is covered in a
magical liquid which allows him to control all
the water on the planet. He is a devoted,
headstrong and, at times, arrogant leader who
insists on doing everything himself, showing
little trust in his colleagues. He seeks to lead
his planet into a new age of peace and
prosperity and is willing to sacrifice his life to
achieve this. Because of his commitment to his
work, he finds little time to socialise and has
no real relationships. During his time as chief
of police, crime has become nearly non
existent, but lately there have been several
mysterious events which cause him to be
constantly on alert.

8. An example
Write a brief description about how the character would deal with
the following situations:
- they find a turtle lying on its back in the middle of the dessert
- they are trapped inside a dimly lit room
- they get to live out their ultimate dream
EXAMPLE:
If Janus was to find himself trapped inside a dimly lit room, his first
reaction would be to calmly assess what he already knows about his
situation, but would assume he had somehow been taken hostage. By
meditating and focussing his energy, he would be able to visualise his
means of escape.

9. ACTIVITY: What?
Now that you’ve established your setting and characters, it’s time to consider what will
happen in your story. Be sure to firstly identify what genre/genres you will be utilising.
Work out a series of major events and categorise them under the following headings:
- introduction
- establishing conflict
- major conflict
- resolution
- conclusion
Each event need only be described using a couple of sentences. Once you have
completed this, draw a line which represents your plot. It should rise when tension is
built and fall at the resolution. Be sure that the plot is well paced, you don’t want an
immediate build up of tension which then tapers off slowly towards the end. IT IS
IMPORTANT THAT EVERYONE KNOWS THE ENTIRE PLOT, NOT JUST THE
SECTION THEY ARE WRITING, SO THAT THE STORY MAKES SENSE WHEN IT
ALL GETS PUT TOGETHER.

10. An example
Introduction:
The story begins in the conference room of the police
station, the tallest building in the city. Janus is speaking with
his elite group of police, including his second-in-command,
Alexei. He reports a recent mysterious event taking place at
the biomechanical research centre and suggests the team
investigate.

12. 10:30-11:30: Writing the first draft.
Divide the story into five equal sections. Each person
then writes their section individually for one hour,
getting as much of the first draft completed as
possible. Alternatively, you may elect one group
member to be the moderator for the group. Their job
would be to visit every other member and ensure the
story has cohesion.

13. 11:30-12:00: Evaluation.
Everyone comes back together and shares what they
have written. As a group, you can now make any minor
changes to language or writing style and work out a
schedule for the rest of the day.

14. 12:00-1:45: Second draft.
Individually, each group member continues to write the
story. If you can, leave time to proof read.

15. 1:45-2:00: Reading the story.
The group come together and read through as much of
the story as possible, with a focus on problematic
areas.

16. 2:00-2:30: Alterations.
After the read through, the group can work
collaboratively to make any necessary alterations.

17. 2:30-2:45: Submission.
Submit your work on PM Online. Be sure to include
links to the theme for the day, ideas raised in Animal
Farm and at least one stimulus image.
Congratulations, you have just put together a Book in a
Day.