Author: Erica Drayton Writes

Everything you need and need to know to master Pentober!

If you’ve heard me mention Pentober many times before it’s because I’ve been waiting so long to talk about it I just can’t help myself! And now that we are so close to October 1st I want to give one final walk-through of just how easy it is to participate!

This is a community event. I want everyone, whether you write fiction or not, to join in! Even if you just journal. This is for you. So, find a notebook or notepad (with or without lines) and a pen or pencil. Get yourself to a quiet corner and let’s write together.

STEP I – The Tools

I still haven’t decided myself if I’m going to be bold with a pen or use a pencil for the benefit of erasing. Time will tell where I end up on that front. But so long as you have a notebook/notepad (with or without lines) and a pen/pencil then you’re all set. For info on how I’m going to share my tools and work, keep reading.

STEP II – Location + Music

I believe trying to find a place with as little distractions as possible is always helpful when sitting down to write, no matter the topic. As this event is very much “anti-technology” might I suggest a comfy couch? I know when I’m in “work-mode” on my computer, a desk is best. But for this, I don’t think we need to be as rigid with out surroundings.

Music is optional, but if you’re like me, sometimes a good song can help set the mood to write. And if you’re also like me, music with lyrics can be a cause for distraction instead of inspiration. That is why I listen to classical music when I’m the thick of a great writing session. Here is my go-to playlist on Spotify:

STEP III – The Prompt List

Okay, so before we take one last look at the prompt list, I want to remind you that you do not need to use the list if you prefer not to. Sometimes a word just doesn’t speak to you or evoke inspiration that manifests into a story. That is perfectly fine. The key point of this event is first and foremost to encourage creative writing. Now that we got that out of the way, the list takes it’s inception from Inktober which does a similar list for illustrators everywhere.

Take the word and either feature it somewhere in your story, or use it as inspiration instead. The choice is yours. For an added layer of difficulty and challenge (if you want) make your story exactly 100 words in length. This will be how I intend to go about writing my stories. Of course, if you want to write pages upon pages of a story by hand, that is perfectly fine. But keep a few things in mind:

1. There will be sharing involved so neatness and legibility of the handwriting is important.

2. A great story, however brief, can be accomplished with less space, not more.

Here is the Pentober 2023 List:

STEP IV – Sharing Our Work

Writing the story is only half the fun. The other half comes when we can see each other’s work and praise as well. This means taking a picture of your story to share it around.

I’d love the opportunity to feature your handiwork (see what I did there…) and there are a few ways you can help me do this:

1. Reply to my email. Unfortunately, leaving an image comment just doesn’t work (yet, I hope…) in Substack. So, instead, I ask that you hit the reply button to my email and attach your story.

2. Share your story on social media and use the hashtag #pentober. I’m not the most active there these days but for Pentober I will make an exception for October and visit: Instagram, X, and BlueSky.

In my November First Edition email I will highlight the ones I’ve read and seen and I will be sure to also share your stories along the way on Substack Notes and even reshare on social media as well! Oh, and if you see my work out there, I’d love it if you shared it as well.

STEP V – Rinse / Repeat

This is a 30-day event. Pace yourself. If you miss a day that is A-ok! The point is to have fun along the way and meet other Pentober participants as well.

BONUS – VIRTUAL WRITING EVENT

Would you like to see exactly how I write my 100 word stories LIVE? Well, in October you’ll have TWO opportunities to see for yourself. I have two 90 minute sessions planned, all happening on my Twitch Channel, where you can watch me write a few stories, learn my secrets, ask me anything, join me in some sprints, and much more! So, mark your calendars and sign up below:

Session I – Saturday, October 7th 12:30pm – 2pm EST (90 min)

Session II – Saturday, October 21st 12:30pm – 2pm EST (90min)

Each session will have different prompts used and therefore feel slightly different, especially depending on how many people are present.

I will be the only person on camera. You will only be in the Twitch chat room. If you’d like for me to do more of these (perhaps at different times of the day) or use Zoom so we can all be on camera (but not required), do let me know in the comments.

I hope this helps us all appreciate the art of handwriting again.

EXAMPLES

From September 24th – September 30th I’ve been doing a practice week. Here are three days worth of examples for you to see how easy it can be.