S. W. Raine

It’s that time of year again! The leaves are changing, November is right around the corner, and writers everywhere are getting ready for their annual writing marathon. Which means it’s officially Preptober 2026!

Granted, I’m a little late to the party this year. I’ve spent a good chunk of October sick, so my usual preparations haven’t exactly gone according to plan. But November is almost here, and I’m determined to make the most of the time I have left. Especially because this November marks my 21st year participating in a 50,000-word writing challenge. And if all goes well, I’ll be celebrating my 20th win! But first, I have five steampunk adventures to write. And this time, I mean it.

Remember Those Steampunk Adventures?

If you read my Preptober 2025 post, you might remember that I planned to write five steampunk choose-your-own-adventure (CYOA) short stories featuring a ragtag crew of treasure hunters aboard an airship. And if you read my November 2025 post… you might remember that didn’t happen.

Between finishing The Gatekeeper’s Portal and everything else November threw at me, I ended up switching projects and writing Project Mercenary instead. I still managed to cross the 50,000-word finish line, but my treasure hunters never got their turn in the spotlight. This year, however, they’re back on the schedule!

I’ve spent much of 2026 studying how choose-your-own-adventure stories work, from branching narratives to the different ways readers can influence the outcome of an adventure. And while I’ve written plenty of stories over the years, this is an entirely different kind of storytelling.

Am I nervous about attempting five of them during a challenge where quantity matters more than quality? Absolutely. There’s something mildly terrifying about throwing myself into a format I’ve never written before while racing toward 50,000 words. But after spending so long learning about it, I’m also ridiculously excited to finally get started.

A Pantser Attempts to Prepare

If you’ve been following my Preptober adventures for a while, you know I’m a Pantser, meaning I write “by the seat of my pants.” I don’t usually plan my stories in advance. I discover them as I write, chronicling my characters’ journeys wherever they decide to take me. Sometimes that works beautifully. Other times, it leads to the sort of revision chaos that makes me question my life choices.

And choose-your-own-adventure stories present a particularly interesting challenge because readers get to make decisions that send the story in different directions. I can’t exactly let every branch wander off into the wilderness and hope they all eventually find their way home. So I’ve been learning about CYOA structure, even if my inner Pantser still gets a little twitchy whenever someone mentions outlining.

One thing I have managed to prepare is my cast of characters! I’ve created a Notion database with character sheets covering their histories, relationships, personalities, and inspirations. And those inspirations are where things get especially interesting.

You see, my treasure-hunting crew is inspired by two of my favorite found-family television shows: Leverage and Firefly. Each character combines elements of one character from each show, creating a new group of adventurers with their own personalities and dynamics.

But there’s a little… mathematical problem with that arrangement. Leverage has five main team members, while Firefly has nine. So what did I do with the extra inspiration? I brought in Marcus Starke’s team from Season 2 of Leverage, the dark-mirror counterparts to Nate Ford’s crew, and used them as inspiration for a rival treasure-hunting crew. MUAHAHA!

Now I’ve got my heroes, their adversaries, and a whole lot of character relationships waiting to cause trouble. Whether any of them will actually behave once I start writing is another question entirely.

First Draft Frenzy, Here I Come

For the third year, I’ll be participating in First Draft Detroit’s First Draft Frenzy, alongside ProWritingAid’s Novel November (NovNov) challenge.

We actually had our First Draft Frenzy Kick-Off social yesterday, and it was wonderful getting together with fellow writers as we prepare for another November adventure. After twenty years of writing challenges, the community is still one of my favorite parts of the experience. Before joining the community, I used to consistently find myself 10,000 words behind on the last day. But having other writers alongside me made a world of difference. There’s something special about knowing other people are doing the same thing you are, reaching the same milestones, and cheering each other on. And now, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

And this year feels particularly exciting because I’m not just returning to a familiar tradition. I’m taking on a new kind of storytelling, too.

The Great Reward Dilemma Continues

Of course, there’s one important piece of Preptober business I still need to sort out: my rewards.

If you’ve been here a while, you might remember that I traditionally reward myself with Canadian Cadbury Crunchie bars every 10,000 words, followed by a new Assassin’s Creed game when I reach 50,000.

Unfortunately, my Canadian chocolate supply is once again nonexistent, and Ubisoft isn’t releasing another Assassin’s Creed game until the second half of 2027. RUDE. So I’m back to figuring out what little treats might motivate me through November. After twenty years, you’d think I’d have a backup reward system figured out by now, but apparently not.

Suggestions are welcome!

A Little Change to Our Family Tradition

There’s one other change this year. For the past several Novembers, my son has joined me for the writing challenge, working on his own stories while I worked on mine. This year, though, he’s decided writing isn’t really his thing anymore. He’s much more interested in video games these days. Womp womp.

I’ll miss having my little writing buddy participating alongside me, but I’m glad we got to share those adventures while they lasted. Who knows? Maybe he’ll find his way back to storytelling someday.

For now, I’ll be tackling November’s writing chaos on my own—with plenty of fellow writers cheering each other on through First Draft Frenzy and NovNov.

I can’t wait.

Will I manage to write all five stories? Will my Pantser brain cooperate with the branching narratives? Will my treasure hunters behave themselves long enough for me to reach 50,000 words? I have absolutely no idea. But that’s half the fun of an adventure, isn’t it?

What about you? Is there something you’ve been looking forward to trying, even if it feels a little intimidating? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

Raine