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Writing : Start

The Write a Book in a Day website tells you everything you need to know and more!

 

 

What's it all about? Browse the website and check out last year's winners to see what a winning book looks like. You'll see there are National and State winners.

WABIAD: Fast Facts

When: Thursday 15  June: 7.45 am till the book is finished around 3pm - 5 pm, Term 2 Day 4, Week 8

Where: Senior Library 

What is WABIAD?: A National 'teams' writing competition to write a book in day. The event support childens' cancer research

Teams: Teams from Years 8, 9 & 10 will compete! 10 people in a team

Divisions:
Years 8  & 9 are in the Middle Secondary School
Year 10 are in the Upper Secondary

Word Count: Both Divisions must observe a minimum 4000 to  maximum 5000 word count.

Objective: To write and illustrate a story

Rules & Parameters: On the day, you are given unique story parameters including:
Two human characters
One non-human character
A setting
An issue  ( the issue must drive the story )
5 random words

Participants should be familiar with the following documents:

  1. The WABIAD Manual covering all the rules and requirement is essential reading.
  2. Day planner
  3. Team Roles

Mrs Keighery's advice to WABIAD participants

Before the day: 

  1. Your team needs a “nom de plume” or a pen-name. It’s included on the front cover & needed for Registration. 
  2. Work out how your team are going to collaborate? Google docs? Office 365? Teams?
  3. Hive mind! A key factor in creating a great story rests on your teams’ ability to collaborate. Assigning roles & responsibilities helps.
  4. Read winners works from previous years to see the gold standard, https://writeabookinaday.com/past-results/


Writing winning story:

  •  Keep it simple. Use the given parameters only. Don't add more characters, other settings or issues. Make sure the given issue drives the story and is resolved. Consider using the Hero’s Journey Story arc or common story arc as a framework.
  • Try for a winning first sentence.  Something arresting that will startle your reader. 

“An opening line should invite the reader to begin the story. It should say: Listen. Come in here. You want to know about this.”

                                                                                                                  Stephen King

  • Try for a twist at the end, unexpected ending, that readers don’t see coming. Maybe a little foreshadowed .....
  •  Chapter headings are opportunity: use them. Simple numbering your chapters is a missed opportunity
  • Hero the illustrations: one per page. The front cover and back blurb are the ESSENTIAL visual elements. 
  • Be on trend: use alternating character perspectives. Chapters can be used to show alternating character perspectives and also disguise varying authorship
  • Speak to your audience in the contemporary vernacular: incorporate text bubbles, sms messages, emails, instagram posts, TikTok
  •   Planning and time management are key. Leave enough time for editing and reading, check for spelling and grammatical errors. 
  • You must comply with the competition rules including the Parameter page, copyright statement, bolding of random words and word count.
  •  Consult the 9 hour day plan adapted from WABIAD website. In the past 8 hours is generally sufficient to WABIAD.

Keep it simple: follow the short story genre formula

Except from Kenny, B., Housden, E. Kenny, M. (2007). What makes a short story. In (Ed.). A stack of stories. Wilson: Queensland: Farr.

 

Mick Elliot's writing tips

Nat Amore's Writing tips