Welcome to your first day of the Free Five-Day Writing Challenge! Today’s challenge focuses on the firsts in the decade you are currently living.

Use the handout below to create a cluster or mindmap of all the things you experienced for the first time in your current decade. Print out several blank cluster diagrams and use them to bring your story down to a size that focuses on a moment that involves only a few people. If you’ve not yet watched the How to Cluster video, you may want to do that first.

Today’s lesson explores the importance of conflict or a central issue around which your s-story revolves. When you’ve settled on a moment you wish to write, consider the conflict or central issue and create a first draft of the story. Post it in the comments section below and then, read a few of your fellow challengers’ stories and include a word or two of encouragement. Happy writing!