The Lack

We build our characters up a lot and guide them through their story journey, but at the core of each character’s arc is their lack. It’s not what they want, it’s what they need. And, more often than not, they don’t know it.

This is the point at the beginning of a movie where we get introduced to a character going about their daily business and we’re building empathy with them. But as we watch, we can see something’s wrong, and that there’s something’s missing in their lives. It can be small. It can be subtle… but it’s always there.

Think Kirk getting into a bar fight in the reboot film. He’s intelligent, he’s charismatic, but where’s he going with his life? He has no drive, no direction, no calling.

That’s the lack right there.

So, show me your character going about their daily business, but I want to see their lack. What’s missing for them that they don’t even know about?

Criteria

• Stories must be submitted through the BFMS and your entry should link to that story. Stories should be between 500 and 1500 words.
• Add a comment on the submission about what your character’s lack is intended to be.
• Stories will be graded using the Bravo Fleet Fiction Rubric, which marks on the following criteria: Language, Style, & Mechanics; Adherence to Canon; Perspective; Characterization; Originality; Use of the Prompt.
• Stories must be written during the competition period and should not be a reuse of an existing story. Stories written before or after the competition begins will be disqualified. The BFMS publication date will be used.
• The story must be a single author post in BFMS and not a joint post with another author.