Agreed. The assignments are tools. Every story is different. Every writer is different. That's why there's only a fifteen-minute minimum. Some of these assignments could take hours - if you wanted them to. When I wrote my antagonist profile, I spent fifteen minutes just coming up with his name - looking at etymology websites, thinking about what I wanted his character to represent, to be like. So when the timer dinged and all I had was a name, that's what I logged in my Prep collection, because I need to flesh out a little more about the plot before I assign him strengths and flaws and an educational background.

We have freebie days, freestyle brainstorming, revisions, and related assignments. I fleshed out my antagonist a little more in the voice introduction, but not much. I have a background story to write next weekend, so if I haven't figured out more about him by then, I'll learn what I need to know from his story. And if that's not enough, I'll dedicate a freestyle brainstorm to him later in the month.

Cheers,
Michelle