Monday's Minute Challenge: Writing Prompt Contest For Teens & p

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!
• 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
• 3 points: If your writing prompt is selected for Monday's Minute Challenge.
• 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:

• Angela: 13
• Anna: 44
• Armina: 40
• Benj. Evans: 40
• Brittney: 3
• Brooke: 15
• CeCe: 28
• Elisabeth: 72
• Emily F: 28
• Evan: 10
• FlyGirl: 27
• Funto: 9
• His Princess: 107
• Jacqueline: 59
• Jillian: 10
• Kaira Anne: 48
• Kaity: 5
• Kaley: 2
• Karina: 23
• Katheline: 16
• Kaity: 3
• Katie: 67
• Kendra: 53
• Lottie Le: 39
• Maddie J: 5
• Mary B: 118
• Marsh: 20
• Rcubed: 72
• Rebekah B: 53
• Russian Pianist: 38
• Sarah: 114
• S. Brightly: 97
• Sofia Marie: 11
• Tara T: 104
• TW Wright: 166

*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.

Please don't discouraged if you have yet to place (or haven't in a few weeks). The competition becomes more and more tough each week, but the judges still think every one of your entries are impressive. 

Remember: The more times you enter, the more chances you have of winning. So keep it up!

Also: A blog post will soon be posted on how to strengthen your writing and increase your chances of winning. =)

(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: 

The sound of running feet brought Morning Light out of a deep sleep in an instant. Within a matter of seconds she had grabbed her satchel and tied the raw hide thong around her waist. Then, in the same motion, pushed her feet into moccasin boots and raced out. Woman’s shouts, horse shrieks, and war cries filled the air. The first thing that came to mind was Raiders! Lights from torches cast shadows all around her, illuminating her silvery blond hair and blue eyes, “Oh, no. This can’t be happening!” The tepee beside her burst into flames. She stumbled to the other side of the tepee, arms upraised in an effort to protect her face from the intensity of the flames. Coughing uncontrollably as the wind blew smoke into her face; she tripped on a small rock and fell into someone’s arms. After another second of coughing, Morning Light cleared her eyes of the smoke. All at once she realized that the man who had caught her wore a blue uniform. She jerked backward. “You don’t need to be afraid.” The man in blue said as he kept her from falling into the fire. “I’m not going to…” Shouts cut off his sentence. Morning Light looked from him to the flicker of torch lights that were coming closer then darted for the woods. She could hear angry shouts coming from behind her. “Just get to the caves. Get to the caves!” Morning Light kept telling herself, “Nothing will happen to you. Nothing has in all of your fifteen years.” Just then, a hand came out of the shadows and clamped over her mouth. 

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

Second place winner: 

The thrum of voices buzzed around me as I lifted the yellow tape and walked under. The heavy clouds threatened a downpour and the already wet grass was slippery under my feet. I looked down at the victim dead in the creak and turned away. As many times as I had been on a case I had never gotten used to looking death in the face. It was always worst when it was a child and this kid couldn’t be more than fifteen.

The Detective Sergeant stepped up next to me. “Well, give me the details.” I said.
“Kevin Troy, fifteen years old, found like this by a couple of girls.”
“Time of death?”
“Less than 24 hours. We haven’t got an exact time yet.”
“Any idea what connection he had to this place?”
“He was one of the students here.”
I turned to look at the stately building on top of the hill. It was one of those posh schools where the rich folks sent their kids so they wouldn’t have to bother with them. 

My eye caught the movement of a small paper boat bobbing on the water. Donning my rubber gloves I picked it up to investigate and the wet paper fell away to expose a vile with a slip of paper inside. 

Beware of the small things that become great
The seed of bitterness that turns to hate
Beware the thorn the pricks the flesh
The smallest things can end in death

I let out a low whistle. “Sergeant, take a look at this.” He came over and read the dark prediction.
“What does it mean?”
I looked at the cold figure lying in the water. “It’s a warning.”

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

First place winner: 

He knew if he looked back it would only make it worse, but he couldn't help himself. He looked back. Anger and pain coming back like a bitter friend. He stared blankly at what looked like an empty field now. He walked towards the remains of what had been a little town in the middle of nowhere, where his mother and father had raised him, his two brothers, and his sister. He walked through what had once been Main street, rounding the corner to where his small farmhouse had been. 

He looked through the remains for anything that might have survived. As he walked over the planks of wood that would have been a small staircase to the loft, something fell. He spun around to see his sister's diary lying beside one of the planks. He picked it up, brushing off the ashes and opening it to the last pages. It read:

"May 15th, 1849

"Dear diary,

"Today will be one of the most difficult days of my life. But I know I have to do what I'm going to do, and that someday people will understand it was for the good. And-"

He flipped frantically through the remaining pages, hoping that the rest of the torn page would be somewhere among them. He sighed, for the rest of the page was nowhere to be found. He placed the diary in his bag and hopped onto his horse, looking back one more time before he galloped away.

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

Honorable Recognitions: 

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

1. Flygirl
2. Kendra
3. Kaira

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: broken glass, tree house, sign (submitted by Emily)
• Write a passage based on this picture (submitted by TW Wright)
• Write a passage incorporating this phrase:  She knew he was coming back. He must come back. Their very lives depended on it. (submitted by Armina)

Submit your prompt idea!:

The prompts that are used for Monday's Minute Challenge are submitted by the participants. Here's how this works:

• You will be able to submit 3 prompts each week in the same format as above: three objects, one picture, and a piece of dialogue or phrase.
• On Mondays, I will choose 3 prompts that have been submitted by 3 different people.
• If your prompt is selected, you will receive 3 points!
• You may submit in the comments below, Monday through Sunday.

Cast Your Vote!

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:

• Tessa Emily Hall (me)
• Kate Petty