The Many Adventures of Zane Legends

Who is Zane Legends?

Zane Legends is a fictional character created as a writing exercise. The basic idea is to choose a random genre, setting, and secondary character; then write a short story about Zane Legends, using those criteria, in under an hour.

The goal is simple: write a short story, and actually finish it. The criteria may seem limiting at first, but they are really there to spark your creativity, pushing you to try things outside of your usual comfort zone.

Ready to Write?

Rules for Writing

If you want to write a Zane Legends story, you should try to follow the rules below. These rules are to give direction and help increase your creativity. Try not to think of the rules as limitations, instead think of them as a way to help you write a story.

1. Use the same opening for each Zane story.
   Some people have a knack for finding strange things. Strange things always seem to find Zane Legends.
   You should always start with this opening, and type it out by hand. Don’t copy and paste! This allows you to get your fingers on the keyboard and start writing. Once you finish this opening, don’t stop! Let the story flow.
2. Keep the criteria you are given.
   Don’t reroll to get criteria that you like better! Part of this exercise is to break out of your preferred writing style and try something new.
3. Incorporate the criteria into your story.
   The criteria don’t have to be the center of your story, but they should matter in some way. You should not leave one out just because you don’t like it. Again, this is about stretching your limits. See the information about the criteria below.
4. Stop writing after 60 minutes.
   You may be tempted to write for longer than that, but don’t do it! Part of this exercise is to start and finish a story within a time period. You may discover that your story has started down a path that makes it hard to finish, but finish it anyway!
5. Limit yourself to 1500 words.
   As with the time limit, this is to encourage you to write and finish a complete story. Don’t allow yourself to go over, this is part of the challenge!
6. Include some of Zane’s character traits.
   This rule isn’t as important, but it helps every Zane adventure feel like it is about the same person. See the list of traits below.

Story Criteria

Genre

Genres are things like Fantasy, Mystery, or Romance. The genre will determine the general theme of the story you write. Some genres may overlap, for example, it’s certainly possible to have a romantic fantasy. This website will only give you one genre, so feel free to mix in another if desired.

Setting

Examples of settings are “on a beach”, “at night”, and “underground”. These generally serve as a location or situation for your story. You aren’t required to use the setting for the entire story, and you can have Zane go to other places. However, the chosen setting should be an important part of the story.

Character

A secondary character could be a doctor, a political figure, or a thief. This is a character that should feature prominently in the story. This character should be included, but you are not limited to just this one character. Just remember that you only have a limited amount of time and words, so don’t introduce too many characters or you won’t finish the story!

Traits of Zane Legends

• Zane is afraid of stairs.
  This is not a simple fear but a debilitating phobia. Zane is absolutely terrified of stairs of all kinds, and will avoid them at all costs.
• Zane loves to eat.
  It doesn’t matter what it is, where it came from, or whether it was actually offered to him. If it’s edible, Zane will try it, and he'll almost always go back for seconds.
• Zane is impulsive.
  He tends to leap into any situation that presents itself without thinking too much about it. He gets himself into trouble, and has to figure out how to get back out of it again.
• Zane has an excellent sense of direction.
  It is also reliably wrong. He will set off without hesitation, leading the way with total confidence, and almost never in the right direction.
• There is an interesting scar on Zane’s forehead.
  The scar is very visible, and is roughly shaped like a “Y”. The origin story of this scar is fascinating and exciting, but Zane never seems to get a chance to tell it.
• Zane often carries a ring of keys.
  There are dozens of them, of all shapes and sizes, and he has no idea what most of them open. Every so often, though, one of them fits a lock perfectly.
• Zane’s preferred exclamation is “Sausages!”
  Sometimes adjectives or other words are added (for example, “smoked sausages!”). Zane uses it when excited, angry, or disappointed. Whatever the situation, if an exclamation is required, it’s almost always “Sausages!”

Ready to Write?

If you are ready to get writing an adventure about Zane Legends, just click the button below! A random genre, setting, and secondary character will be selected for you, and the 60-minute countdown will begin.