Monday's Minute Challenge: Writing Prompt Contest for Teens & Up

A quick writing challenge (and contest) to help get your creative juices flowing for the new week.

1. The entry must be between 150 - 300 words. Otherwise, your entry will not be accepted. (In order to see how many words your entry is, write it in Microsoft Word, or you can copy and paste it here.)
2. The deadline for the contest will be the following Friday. 
3. You do not have to be a teen to enter the contest.
4. The same person cannot win first place two weeks in a row. 
5. If there is at least 5 entries, the panel of judges will select a 2nd and 1st place. If there is at least 10 entries, the judges will select a 3rd, 2nd, and 1st place. However, if there is under 5 entries, the panel of judges will only select one winner.
6. If there are at least 10 entries, there will be a few Honorable Recognitions, which are the next highest winners. They will receive a badge, as well as 3 points.
7. The winners will receive a badge for their blog, as well as extra points (see the point system below).
8. The winner will be chosen based on the judges's preferences, as well as the following questions: Does this entry capture my attention immediately? Does it make me want to continue reading? Is the writing clear? They will also take into consideration the writer's voice and style--not necessarily technical issues, such as grammar, punctuation, etc. 
9. If you have entered at least 3 contests and have yet to place, send me an email and I will be happy to give you a critique of your last entry, which will include tips and suggestions.
10. This is only for fun and to stretch your writing muscles--not necessarily to be taken too seriously. =)

Prizes:
More prizes to come!

• 30 points: You will be able to create your own prompt that will be used in Monday's Minute Challenge!
• 40 points: You will receive a critique based on your current week's entry.
• 50 points: You will receive a free blog critique and helpful suggestions.
• 70 points: You will receive an 700 word critique on your novel, short story, article, etc.
• 80 points: You can help judge one of the contests!
• 90 points: You will receive two weeks free in my Write Now Mentoring Program!
• 100 points: You will receive a free ebook of PURPLE MOON. =)
• 150 points: You will receive a personalized handmade notepad. 

Earning Points:

• 20 points: If you sign up for a month of my Write Now Mentoring Program!
• 5 points: If you post a review of Purple Moon on Amazon and/or Goodreads. (Let me know in the comments if you do!)
• 5 points: If you join the Purple Moon Publicity Group on Facebook. (You will have the chance to participate in monthly giveaways!)
• 3 points: If you post your entry on your blog, linking back to this post
• 2 points: If you post a tweet about Monday's Minute Challenge, with hashtag #MondaysMinute (You may tweet more than once in a week, however the points will only count for one tweet.)
• 2 points: If you follow this blog via Google Friend Connect. (Let me know in the comments if you do!)
• 2 points: If you "like" my Facebook page. (Let me know in the comments if you do!)
• 2 points: If you follow my Twitter account. (Let me know in the comments if you do!)
• 2 points: Become a "fan" of me on Goodreads. (Let me know in the comments if you do!)
• 2 points: Follow me on Pinterest. (Let me know in the comments if you do!)
• 2 points: If you respond to another person's entry. (Positive feedback only! You may respond more than once, however the points will only count for one response per week.)
• 10 points: If you win 1st place in the writing prompt contest.
• 7 points: If you win 2nd place in the writing prompt contest.
• 5 points: If you win 3rd place in the writing prompt contest.
• 3 points: You receive an Honorable Recognition. 

Points Tracker:

• TW Wright: 53
• Mary B: 32
• Elisabeth: 35
• Funto: 9
• Benj. Evans: 10
• S. Brightly: 52
• Jacqueline: 50
• Rebekah B: 19
• Anna: 7
• His Princess: 33
• Tara T: 22
• Evan: 10
• Rcubed: 34
• Sarah: 22
• Jillian: 10
• Brooke: 5
• Kaley: 2
• Karina: 21
• Kaira Anne: 7

*Points are updated every Monday.

*When you request to use your points for a prize, the points you use will be taken away from your total. In other words, when you reach 30 points, you can claim the prize for 30 points--but it will cost you all of your points. Or you can continue to try and earn points so you can claim a bigger prize.

 

Keep in mind that you cannot win first place two weeks in a row.

If you have entered at least 3 contests and have yet to win, please send me an email and I will be happy to give you a critique of your last entry and offer suggestions.

The judge panel chooses these winners based on a point system (not to be confused with the point system mentioned above!) 

It seems as though everyone continues to improve each week. Great job, you guys! The judging process just keeps getting harder and harder. You all deserve to win. =)

Since there were two entries that had the same amount of points for 3rd place, we have decided that they both deserved to place. 

(Keep in mind that the judges are not aware of which entry belongs to which participant until after the judging is complete.)

The entries that the judges thought was the most intriguing (based on rule #4) is ... 

Third place winner (#1): 

The staircase looked out of a fairy tale, I slowly stepped onto the first step, then more and more, walking up the beautiful staircase as if in a dream. I could just imagine fairies flitting up the stairway, or naiads swimming in the water below. But wasn't there some fairy tale mentioning a staircase? I thought though a zillion common fairy tales, the one I wanted just out of reach.

No, it wasn't Cinderella, or Snow White. There was a stair case in Sleeping Beauty wasn't there? Hmm no, doesn't seem quite right.

“Rina!” My older brother called from below, I turned around to go down. Horror coursed though my body as I remembered the tale I'd heard this from. The stairs below the step I stood on were gone. Below me was a drop, as high as a 4 story building. I backed quickly away from the newly formed edge, only for the step I'd been standing on a moment prior to disappear.

I looked around, but there was no way of escape, My knees wobbled, and I sat down, only to stand back up in horror. What I'd thought were white branches, were actually human bones.

Congratulations, Kaira Anne! Send me an email at christiswrite (at) gmail (dot) com so I can have your badge sent to you. =) 

Third place winner (#2): 

Kassidy said that it all started when the book arrived. She said that it was one of those weird books, with the type of cover that you just stop and stare at for a moment.
“It arrived as a book itself,” she'd told me, oh, about fifty years ago. “No package, no anything. Just a book.”
I look at it now, running my smooth teenage fingers over the spine.
Kass said that she wasn't able to open it. “Nobody was. Just to the front page. But the thing started then. I knew it. I could feel it.”
I can almost hear the conviction in her words, even though Kass is long gone. She went to Hawaii, because she said that she couldn't stand living in the same house for a hundred years.
Now, I stare at the book. It's been sitting on our kitchen table for well over a century. I've never opened it, just recalled what Kass told me about it.
“But March seventeenth,” she'd said to me right before she left for Hawaii, “March seventeenth, Lindyll, is when you open it. Not a moment less, not a moment more. March seventeenth.” I hadn't had a chance to ask her why.
I stare at The Book's wooden curlicues, rope binding, faded maroon leather.
Before I know what is happening, my fingers pry it open, and the cover falls back against the table with a light thunk.
My breath catches in my throat as I read the faded brown ink on the front page, and familiarity—familiarity that I haven't felt in years—hits me.
The Journal of Christianna Spryling.
“It's about time.”
At the voice, I turn.
I see her immediately, and the same feeling of deja vu overtakes me.
No. Not again.

Congratulations, Rcubed! Send me an email at christiswrite (at) gmail (dot) com so I can have your badge sent to you. =) 

Second place winner: 

The darkness around me was so thick, I could've almost convinced myself it was a dream, if not for the sharp sting of scratches on my arms.
I shouldn't have come out tonight. It was crazy. But I knew where it was now, and come hell or high water, nothing was going to keep me from coming after it. 
Finding the spot was so easy I almost couldn't believe it was real. I gripped the spade as tightly as my hands would allow, sliding the smooth edges into the damp ground, tossing the dirt to the side until it had accumulated into a small hill. The deeper I dug, the faster my pulse raced.
But when I felt a thud against solidness, I knew it had all been worth it. Dropping to my knees, I clawed the dirt away as fast as I could. Once it was free, I snatched it out, holding it to me as something too precious to be let go.
The package was smaller than I'd thought it would be. Heavier. I slowly unwrapped the cloth that bound it, pulled open the mushy cardboard flaps. It was... a book? 
No; a journal. The soft binding had a musty smell. I opened it cautiously, almost expecting something to fly out at me. For something to be hidden this well, it had to be dangerous. I could almost hear Colin's gravelly voice warning me, "Kadie, girl, don't go looking for an answer you don't want to find."
The sliver of the moon suddenly lit up the page, as if God himself wanted me to read it right then.
"March 18th, 1986."
My breath caught. 1986? But that meant-
I heard the footsteps behind me too late. The thick-gloved hand cut off my air before I could even think of screaming.

Congratulations, S. Brightly! Send me an email at christiswrite (at) gmail (dot) com so I can have your badge and ebook sent to you. =)

First place winner (#1): 

I stare up in awe at the staircase looming before me. It stretches up from the swamp into the sky, twisting through the clouds until it disappears from sight. Could this be real? Or is it simply a dream? I had heard the legends before, every girl had, but I never dreamed they were true. I put one foot on the bottom step and put a little weight on it. It held. Taking a deep breath I stepped up onto the first step. I let out the breath. It was said that any girl who found the staircase and climbed it, would meet her true love at the top. Taking another step, I smile widely. I had never put much faith in the true love business, going so far as to say I never wanted a husband. Of course, that was equal to blasphemy according to the village girls. But now that I’ve found the staircase, I would be a liar if I said I didn’t want to reach the top. With a giddy laugh, I continue up the stairs, practically skipping. It is much easier than I expected. I always thought there would be obstacles, tests to prove your worth, but such is not the case. Eventually, my excitement wears off and fatigue sets in, but I won’t stop. I can see the top. I will make it. Every few steps I pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming. When I finally reach the top, I look up and gasp. This is no dream; it is a nightmare.

Congratulations, Jacqueline! Send me an email at christiswrite (at) gmail (dot) com so I can have your badge sent to you. =)

Honorable Recognitions: 

These winners will receive a badge, as well as 3 extra points:

1. Anna
2. Elisabeth
3. TW

Congratulations! Send me an email at christiswrite (at) gmail (dot) com so I can have your badge sent to you. =) 

Thanks so much to everyone who participated!

• Submit your response in the comments below. 
• Your response should range between 150 - 300 words. 
• The deadline for the contest will be this Friday. 
• Let me know which prompt you have chosen.
• (Optional) If you submit your response on your blog and link back to this post, I will add your link to the list of participants at the end of this post.
• If you'd rather not submit your post in the comments, you may email it to me instead.

Remember:

1) Your response should range between 150 - 300 words, otherwise it will not be accepted. (Copy and paste your entry here to count the words, or you could write it on Microsoft Word.)
2) The deadline for the contest is this Friday.

Choose at least one:

• Write a passage continuing your entry from last week week (or whichever week you'd prefer).
• Write a passage based on this picture. 
• Write a passage using this phrase: The one thing that was destroying me was the very thing I couldn't seem to let go of.

Current Judge Panel: 

• Laura Anderson Kurk: YA Christian fiction author
• Sarah Holman: Christian fiction author
• Penny Tritt: Freelance writer 
• Tessa Emily Hall (me): YA Christian fiction author

*NOTE: 

Are you hoping to become an author one day, but have no idea where to begin? If so, check out my new Writing Mentoring Program for Beginners! In this program, you will:

• Receive critiques on your writing
• Receive lessons especially designed to fit your writing needs
• Have the opportunity to receive feedback on your current novel
• Set reasonable goals for your writing
• Be personally mentored step-by-step through your writing journey, for however long you wish! 
• And more!

Beginning your writing journey can become a bit overwhelming and confusing. By enrolling in this Writing Mentoring Program for Beginners, I will break down the process for you and mentor you throughout the process.

If you refer a friend to join, you will both receive 20% off! (Tip: Ask one of your friends participating in Monday's Minute Challenge if they would like to pair with you to claim this deal.)

A one-month subscription is only $20!

 Click here for details. =)