2023 President’s Workshop – Deals, Pacts and Bargains

We all know the phrase ‘dealing with the devil’. History is fraught with tales of pacts made with unsavoury characters, both real and fictional, and dealing with the devil remains a popular trope in modern stories, regardless of genre.

But not all deals end badly. Some work out better than hoped, while others might take an unexpected turn that sees the two parties released from the original agreement.

Demons aren’t the only beings interested in dealing with mortals either. There is also the fey (fairy folk), Gods like Apollo and Cassandra, and Death (Discworld and beyond). Not only this, there are some famous historical deals including the Treaty of Cassius, the Thirty Years’ Peace and the Treaty of Aldon. Let’s not forget modern real world examples such as business deals, trade agreements, political arrangements, lovers’ pacts, suicide pacts and deals with criminals. You’re free to come up with your own ideas which might be completely different to what I’ve put together here.

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The Workshop

Write something centred around some kind of deal, pact or bargain. Think about who is seeking to make the deal and why, who they’ve gone to and what the price is (if any – if it’s mutually beneficial there may not be a price), and what the implications of making the deal are, either for them personally or others who will be affected by it (such as the alliance between the Roman Republic and the Latin League having a wide spread impact as a direct result of their alliance).

As long as your piece features some kind of deal, pact or bargain, you can do whatever you want. I won’t ask for your soul, but a pint is always welcome 😉

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Nick Stead – March 2023