Prompted to Write

VOTING ADDED! (See the bottom of the post) Voting is open until February 10th.

We got some great contributions this month, and we’re down to the last few hours for submissions in the January contests.  Take a look at what we’ve seen so far, and feel free to submit your own entries any time before midnight Pacfic time tonight.

• Marilyn sets an ominous tone but leaves us handing on The Gypsy Trailer.
• Gabrielle gives us a creepy short on The Gypsy Trailer.
• Katirra delivers a fantasy on A Meeting at Dusk.
• Maurie narrates a tense moment on A Threat on the Open Road.
• MissM takes us to the country on An Incredible Calm.
• Jacki talks about the neighbor with no pants on Fences, Pants, and Neighbors.
• Jacki gives us another one on Departing by Cab.
• Aly takes us to the carnival on Commotion at the Carnival.
• Iona offends dwarves on Commotion at the Carnival.
• Joanne gives us a ring of fire on Commotion at the Carnival.
• Debra is tired of getting farted next to on Commotion at the Carnival.
• Tez gets stomped on Commotion at the Carnival.
• Katirra visits The Man in the Treehouse.

I loved every one of them, guys – and even more than that, I’m thrilled to see so many people using the writing prompts here.  Thanks so much for visiting and contributing!  I’ll post the January winners once we see if anyone new enters tonight before the time is up!

You are traveling down a busy city street on a Saturday night when suddenly, you notice a small gypsy trailer parked in an alley.  You approach and see colorful swirling smoke the obscures and older woman’s face.  What happens next?  Do you go in?  Does someone else?

Give us 100 words or more in the comments or on your blog – and let us know if you write on it so we can all enjoy!

photo credit: linh.ngân

The note had said to wait in the central part of the building, and you were certain you had the address correct – but you couldn’t help feeling a little wary of your surroundings as you surveyed the graffiti.  It would be dark before much longer, and already you could hear movement from small animals crawling around.

Why are you here?  What happens next?   Who are you meeting?

photo credit: Alex //Berlin _ as+photography

Okay, so I said there would be a contest after Christmas, and I meant it.  In fact, there are going to be TWO contests for the month of January.

Contest #1 –

This one is for members of my e-newsletter.  If you haven’t already signed up, you can do so on any page of this site (click here to visit the homepage if you’re reading this in a feed reader) and putting your email into the box on the right-hand side of the page.  At the end of January, I’ll be randomly selecting an email from the list and that person will receive their choice of a $15 Amazon gift certificate or…

Portable MFA in Creative Writing – According to the description, it gives you “the core knowledge of a prestigious $50,000 MFA program without paying tuition.”

Contest #2 –

This contest is for anyone who submits a piece based on a prompt here on the blog (during the month of January…including those who have already done so).  You get one entry per submission, so feel free to go crazy with the different prompts if you want.  You can submit your pieces in a couple of ways:

• Paste it into the comments for that prompt
• Post it to your blog or website and then let us know in the comments (either through a trackback or just manually saying something)

I’ll randomly pick 5 submissions and then readers can vote on their favorite from that list.  The winner will get either a $15 Amazon gift certificate or…

You Can Write a Novel Kit – The goal of this book is to help you take the bits and pieces that are floating around in your mind and put them together to create a full-length novel.

You’ve decided to pay a visit to a carnival passing through town.  You enjoy the food and rides, but suddenly, everyone is drawn in one direction.  With the crowds, you can’t tell what is going on.  Do you head for the crowd, or do you take the opportunity to wander in another direction?  What happens next?

Give us 100 or more words on the topic, either in the comments below or on your own blog.  Just let us know where it is so we can all enjoy your creation

photo credit: anthonyturducken

You’re driving across the country alone, feeling independent and adventurous and free.  Suddenly, though, you notice two bikers keeping close to you on the road.  They’re behind you, then they pull ahead, then they fall behind again.  They keep looking in your direction.

What do you do?  What are they doing?  Give us 100 words or more in the comments or on your blog – and as always, lets us know so we can all enjoy

photo credit: kevindooley