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. (Some exceptions may apply.)
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 cast your vote! (See the end of this post.)
• 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!)
• 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: 113
• Mary B: 80
• Elisabeth: 59
• Emily F: 3
• Angela: 13
• Funto: 9
• Benj. Evans: 37
• S. Brightly: 32
• Jacqueline: 59
• Rebekah B: 47
• Anna: 35
• His Princess: 71
• Tara T: 61
• Evan: 10
• Rcubed: 69
• Sarah: 94
• Jillian: 10
• Brooke: 12
• Kaley: 2
• Karina: 23
• Kaira Anne: 62
• Katheline: 16
• Kendra: 18
• Russian Pianist: 10
• Lottie Le: 6
• CeCe: 10
• Katie: 26
• Marsh: 20

*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.

 

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!) 

Thanks so much to everyone who voted! It helps the judge panel tremendously.

We were very impressed this week at how far all of you have come since the beginning. All of the entries were incredible, and it was very hard to judge! So please don't discouraged if you have yet to place (or haven't in a few weeks). The competition has become very tough, but the judges still think every one of your entries are impressive. So keep it up! =)

(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: 

She saw him at once. Which meant that he had seen her long before. Pinning her gaze to his uniform, she refused to let his eyes find hers, though the brazen medal resting at eye-level taunted her as it glinted in the light. She flicked her gaze to the fraying ribbon that it dangled from. Red like blood. She chewed the inside of her mouth until its rancid taste filled her cheek. What he said next could have the power to change her life forever. 
“Who are you?” His voice reminded her of the teenage boys who practiced after her team. She had almost expected it to crack, he looked so young. She could handle this. 
Letting her wide eyes settle into his—as if she didn’t know who he was—she nodded her head eagerly until her pigtails bobbed. “I’m a gymnast,” she prattled. “I started seven years ago, and I’m competitive. My coach says I’m very talented.” She cast her eyes to the pavement as if struck by sudden shyness.
“Tell me,” he tilted his head sideways, “where is your gymnastics school?”
He had fallen for the trick. Or he was playing along, acting stupid to make to let down her guard. More likely, the latter. But she couldn’t be sure. “You know the school that way?” She extended her arm to full length and pointed. Dots of black sharpened in the vapid irises. He knows. Time to prove that she wasn’t stupid. “It’s on the busy street.”
“Which street would that be?” The black points didn’t recede into the swirling abyss of blue. Good. 
She hitched her shoulders into a dramatic shrug. “I don’t know…I’m bad at remembering street names.”
He showed his teeth for the first time in a crooked smile. “And bad at acting too?”

Congratulations, The Russian Pianist! Click here for your badge. =)

Second place winner: 

I swung my leg over the rough bark of the tree branch besides me, the moss placed upon it tickling my palms. A small pond lay in front of me, a view that I had grown to adore. The cool mist over the pond shimmered with the sun’s radiance from above. The tips of my dress slid across the rippled waves, the dirt from the tree rubbing across my clean fabric. I sighed, staring into the sparkling glimmer that reflected into my eyes. It was so… peaceful.
“Excuse me?” My heart skipped a beat; I twirled around, looking at the eyes of a young boy. I stared, my fingers clutching my dress, turning the smooth folds into wrinkles. My mind raced inside. What is he doing here? How did he find this place? Who is he?
He had an unnerving sense about him. Nodding, he leaned against the tree upon which I was sitting. He offered a polite smile.
He’s calm. I observed. Too calm. Gathering all the courage I could muster, I managed to stammer out an answer to his greeting. “Is… Um… There anything I could… Well… Help you with?”
He gave another smile, the tips of his teeth protruding amidst his lips. They were perfectly white; yet another unnatural aspect of him.
My muscles tensed up as he moved towards me, leaning in. Small shivers raced up and down my back. The gorgeous glitter over the water had disappeared and was replaced by a dark, looming fog.
“Get out.” He whispered menacingly.
I needed no further prodding. I scrambled to my feet, sprinting through the overgrown underbrush. 

Congratulations, Katie! Click here for your badge. =)

First place winner: 

A year and a half had passed since John’s death. Jenny and I were moving on with our life making the most of it without him. They say time heals all wounds and it is true. Jenny was in school now and a star student at that. And I, too, was busy with my job and housework. One day progressed pretty much like another until that all changed in one afternoon. I was in the kitchen tidying up from breakfast and just as I was putting the cereal box in the cupboard, the door bell rang. I opened the door to find a police officer on my porch; his left hand resting on his hip right above a shiny pair of handcuffs. My heart skipped a beat and my worried thoughts flew to Jenny.
“Can I help you, Officer?” I asked a bit nervously.
“Mrs. Harris?” I nodded.
“I’ll need to speak with you, Ma’am.” He motioned with his hand to the living room and I dumbly stepped out of way to let him pass. He strode inside and took a seat on the couch, pulling out a photograph that looked as if it had been taken with a very outdated camera and handed it to me.
“Have you ever seen this man before?”he asked. I stared at the photo dumbfounded, wondering why he was asking if I had ever seen John before.
“Yes, he was my husband.”
“Where is he now?” Would it be untactful to say the graveyard?
“He died two years ago. Why?”
“Ma’am, we have reason to believe your husband is still alive.” I sank into the chair behind me hoping this wasn’t just a cruel prank.
“Alive?” I managed to choke out.
What he said next could have the power to change my life forever.

Congratulations, His Princess! Click here for your badge. =)

Honorable Recognitions: 

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

1. Emily Fisher
2. Kendra
3. S. Brightly

Congratulations! Click here for your badge. =)

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.
• 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:

Note: You can always combine the prompts into one entry.

• (Optional) Write a passage continuing your entry from last week week (or whichever week you'd prefer). If you can, try to continue it using one of the following prompts.
• Write a passage using these items: magnifying glass, knife, and timer. 
• Write a passage based on this picture. 
• Write a passage incorporating this piece of dialogue: "You have one chance to make your decision. What's it going to be?"

Cast Your Vote!

We're going to try something new at Monday's Minute Challenge.

Since choosing the winners is such a time-consuming process for the judges, and since you already read each others responses, we have decided to give you the opportunity to take part in the judging process. =)

Here's how it works:

• You can vote for 3 entries per week, but you may not vote for yourself.
• You can only click "submit" once per week, so be sure to wait until you have selected your top 3 entries before casting your vote.
• Please do not vote until at least 7 entries have been submitted. (If you do before then, your vote will not count.)
• Only the participants of Monday's Minute Challenge may vote.
• Voting will only take place from Monday - Thursday.
• We will choose the 3 people with the highest amount of votes, then select another 3 or 4 that we think deserve to win as well.
• From those 6 or 7 entries, we will then select the winners (including the Honorable Recognitions.)

You will also receive 3 points for voting. So when you are done, please post a comment below saying that you have casted your vote.  

To vote, please enter the names of the 1 - 3 writers you are voting for below (or click here instead):

Current Judge Panel:

• Sarah Holman
• Tessa Emily Hall (me)
• Kate Petty