Week 1: Building Your Story
Writing Journey | SJR Writes & Reads
October 1–7, 2026
Have you ever wanted to write a book but weren't sure where to begin? Maybe you've had an idea sitting in your head for years, or maybe you've started writing several times but never made it past the first few chapters.
Well, welcome to Let's Write a Book in Two Months!
I'm challenging myself to work on a novel over October and November, and I'm inviting you to join me! This isn't about writing a perfect manuscript in 60 days. It's about getting those ideas out of our heads, developing our stories, and building a writing habit that works with our everyday lives.
And if you're just finding this challenge, don't worry! You aren't behind. Start with Day 1 whenever you're ready. For Week 1, we're focusing on the foundation of our stories: the premise, characters, motivations, and relationships.
Grab your notebook, open your favorite writing program, and let's get started!
Day 1 — What Is Your Book About?
Before we start writing, we need to know what kind of story we're telling. You don't need a complete outline, and you definitely don't need to know every twist and turn.
Start with the basic idea.
Today's Tasks:
Choose the genre you're writing.
Write down your main story idea in one or two sentences.
Identify the main conflict or problem.
Think about what makes your story interesting to you.
Questions to Answer:
What is my story about?
Who is the story following?
What happens that changes their life?
What makes me excited to write this book?
Example:
A young woman discovers that the small town she inherited from her grandmother is home to supernatural creatures. When residents begin disappearing, she must uncover her family's secrets before becoming the next victim.
That's enough to get started!
Today's Goal: Write a short premise of 50–150 words. Don't worry about making it sound like a professional book blurb.
Day 2 — Meet Your Main Character
Today, we're getting to know the person who will lead our story.
Your protagonist doesn't need to be perfect. In fact, flaws and complicated personalities often make characters more interesting.
Today's Tasks:
Give your protagonist a name.
Decide their age and background.
Identify three personality traits.
Give them at least one strength and one weakness.
Think about what they want from life before the story begins.
Questions to Answer:
Who is my main character?
What do they want?
What are they afraid of?
What makes them different?
What would they never willingly do?
Example:
Name: Maya Ellis
Age: 28
Occupation: Librarian
Personality: Curious, stubborn, protective
Strength: She notices details other people overlook.
Weakness: She has trouble trusting others.
Biggest Fear: Losing another person she loves.
Today's Goal: Create a one-page character profile.
Day 3 — Antagonist & Opposition
Every story needs something standing in the protagonist's way.
That doesn't necessarily mean you need a villain.
Your antagonist could be another person, an organization, society, nature, a supernatural force, or even your protagonist's own fears.
Today's Tasks:
Identify the main opposition.
Decide why it conflicts with your protagonist.
Give your antagonist or opposing force a goal.
Consider what happens if your protagonist fails.
Questions to Answer:
Who or what is stopping my protagonist?
Why?
What does the opposition want?
How much power does it have?
What are the consequences of failure?
Example:
Maya's antagonist is the town's mayor, who has secretly protected an ancient creature for decades. He believes sacrificing a few residents is necessary to protect everyone else.
He doesn't see himself as evil. He believes he's doing what's necessary.
Today's Goal: Write a short profile of your antagonist or opposing force.
Day 4 — Protagonist Backstory
Today, we're exploring the experiences that shaped our main character.
Backstory can help explain why a character reacts a certain way, what they believe, and what they're afraid of.
But remember, not every detail you create needs to appear in the finished novel.
Today's Tasks:
Identify one important childhood experience.
Write about a major loss, accomplishment, or turning point.
Decide what your character believes about themselves.
Identify something from their past that still affects them.
Questions to Answer:
What happened before the story began?
Who influenced my protagonist?
What is their biggest regret?
What secret might they be keeping?
How does their past affect their decisions?
Example:
When Maya was sixteen, her older sister disappeared in the woods outside town. Everyone insisted she ran away, but Maya never believed them.
That experience explains why she's determined to investigate the new disappearances.
Today's Goal: Write 200–300 words about an important event from your protagonist's past.
Day 5 — Who Else Matters in the Story?
Our protagonists don't exist in a vacuum.
They have friends, families, coworkers, rivals, mentors, and people who make their lives more complicated.
Today, we're creating our supporting cast.
Today's Tasks:
List three to five important supporting characters.
Identify their relationship to the protagonist.
Give each character a purpose in the story.
Decide whether they help, challenge, or complicate the protagonist's journey.
Questions to Answer:
Who does my protagonist trust?
Who challenges them?
Who knows their secrets?
Who might betray them?
Who has their own goals?
Example:
Elijah: Maya's childhood friend and the town deputy. He wants to protect her but knows more about the disappearances than he's admitting.
Ruth: An elderly shopkeeper who understands the town's supernatural history.
Celeste: A newcomer investigating the same disappearances for reasons she refuses to explain.
Today's Goal: Create a supporting cast list with brief descriptions.
Day 6 — Second Major Character
Today, we're taking a closer look at another important character.
This could be a love interest, best friend, rival, sibling, mentor, or a second point-of-view character.
They should have their own personality, motivations, and problems beyond simply helping the protagonist.
Today's Tasks:
Choose your second major character.
Create a character profile.
Identify their personal goal.
Give them a flaw or internal struggle.
Decide how their journey connects to the protagonist's.
Questions to Answer:
What does this character want?
What are they hiding?
How do they challenge the protagonist?
What would they do differently from the protagonist?
How might they change throughout the story?
Example:
Elijah wants to keep Maya safe, but he's also protecting a secret about his father's involvement in the town's supernatural history.
He cares about Maya, but telling her the truth could destroy their friendship.
Today's Goal: Write a complete profile for your second major character.
Day 7 — Connect Your Characters
We've created our main character, antagonist, and supporting cast.
Now it's time to figure out how they connect.
Relationships help create conflict, tension, loyalty, betrayal, friendship, and romance.
Today's Tasks:
Create a simple relationship map.
Identify who trusts whom.
Decide which characters have conflicting goals.
Identify at least one secret between characters.
Consider how these relationships might change throughout the story.
Questions to Answer:
Who has known each other the longest?
Who is hiding something?
Which relationships are strained?
Who might become an unexpected ally?
What relationship will change the most?
Example:
Maya trusts Elijah because they've been friends since childhood.
Elijah wants to protect Maya but is hiding information about the mayor.
Ruth knows the truth about Maya's grandmother.
Celeste suspects Elijah is involved in the disappearances.
And the mayor knows exactly why Maya's family has returned.
Now we have the beginning of a story filled with secrets and conflicting loyalties!
Today's Goal: Create a relationship chart and write a paragraph about the most important relationship in your novel.
Week 1 Recap — Look at What You've Created!
Congratulations! You've completed the first week of Let's Write a Book in Two Months!
This week, we worked on:
Our story premise and genre
Our main character
Our antagonist or opposing force
Our protagonist's backstory
Our supporting characters
Our second major character
The relationships connecting everyone
That's a lot of work!
You now have a foundation to build your story around.
Your Week 1 Checklist
I know what my story is about.
I've chosen my genre.
I've created my protagonist.
I've identified the main opposition.
I've explored my protagonist's backstory.
I've created important supporting characters.
I've developed my second major character.
I've connected my characters through relationships and conflict.
A Little Reminder
You don't need everything figured out.
Characters may change, new ideas may appear, and some of the details you created this week might not make it into the final book.
That's okay!
We're building a foundation, not carving everything into stone.
If you already feel inspired to write a scene, go for it!
Coming Up in Week 2
We're going to explore what our characters want, what's standing in their way, and the world they live in.
And we're going to start working toward a daily manuscript-writing goal of 600 words.
If you didn't finish every task this week, don't worry. You can always come back and fill in the gaps.
The important thing is to keep going!
How did Week 1 go for you? What part of developing your story was the most exciting or challenging?
Until the next chapter,
Happy Writing,
S. J. Robinson
