Monday's Minute Challenge: Writing prompt contest for teens & up!

A quick writing prompt challenge (and contest) for teens to get their creative juices flowing for the new week.

1. The entry must be between 150 - 300 words. (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 Thursday after next. 
3. The winners will receive a badge for their blog, as well as extra points (see the point system below).
4. 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. 
5. This is only for fun and to stretch your writing muscles--not necessarily to be taken too seriously. =)

Since the point system has caused a bit of confusion recently, I have decided to take a different approach.
From now on, I will host a monthly giveaway, and one winner will be announced every four weeks.  Keep in mind that you are in charge of your points from now on. If you win a contest, the only way that you will receive your points is by clicking the entry below. 
Also, if you have already liked my Facebook page, followed me on Twitter, etc. then make sure to click those entries as well in order to receive your points. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

There will be one randomly-selected winner chosen from the above raffle each month. They will have the choice of receiving one of the following prizes:

• A critique on of one of their MMC entries
• A blog critique
• A 300 - 600 word critique on your novel, short story, blog post, etc
• The opportunity to judge one of the contests
• A free ebook of PURPLE MOON
• A special surprise sent to your mailbox (snail mail, not email)

 

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

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 were the most intriguing (based on rule #4) are ... 

The icy cold whirled through the wind, creeping up behind me like some of harbinger of doom.  However evanescent a childhood may be, it still has a dominate impact on us throughout the rest of our lives.  As I walk this trail in the wood, I have almost forgotten my life before.  I have almost, but not completely, forgotten the lonely nights in the closet.  I don’t readily recall the meager meals and the constant fear of each day being my last.  I certainly don’t remember the man who never let me see the light of day.  The same man who hated me and spent every day of my existence torturing me, using me as some meaningless leverage.  He didn’t love me; I was merely a means to an end.  I hated that feeling of despair and I hate that man.  He ruined my life.
And yet, how can I explain that…that I love him?  I miss him.  I find myself wishing I could have pleased him.  But I was never good enough.
On the road ahead of me there sits my lonely car.  As to be expected from the fast falling snow, it is covered in a thin layer of white.  But on the window of this car, looping through the snow encrusted shield is scrawled: — “We Should Talk.”I freeze where I stand.  Flowing through me is a mixture of terror and dread but also, a part of me wants to cry and laugh with relief.
This feeling is amplified by the distinct sound of a cocked pistol.
“Whatever you do,” a voice behind me says.  “Do not turn around.”
“Dad.”  I say.  I close my eyes and feel the tears begin to stream down my cheeks as I hear his familiar, husky voice reply—
“Hello, son.”

Congratulations, Natalie! Click here for your badge, and don't forget to claim your points here. =) 

Eliza sloshed through the murky puddles with her head bent down and her lantern clutched in her pale hand. Upon entering the town, she began to study the homes, shops, and inns that lined the street with the faint light emanating from her lantern, hoping that one of them could be the place she was looking for. Wooden roofs threatened to fall in while the rain thundered down, leaving a roaring sound in Eliza's ear. A few lights shone through dirty glass windows, silhouetting the scenes inside. A lone rose blossomed in a patch of dirt before a nicer looking home. Eliza smiled at it, for it brought back good memories of home. Her home before the flames.

Eyes searching, Eliza abruptly stopped and suppressed a scream. Sitting in the center of the cobblestone street was a dragon. A real, live, breathing dragon. His eyes blazed like little fires in the moonlight. Raindrops pounded onto his golden scales, sliding off the moment they made impact. He sat there, his fiery eyes locked onto the moon. He seemed to be watching, waiting. 

Eliza could scarcely breathe. Her chest ached and her eyes filled up with tears from long ago. The last time she had seen a dragon, her village had been consumed in flames and wrath. Her home had been incinerated into nothing but a pile of ashes. 

A moment later, the dragon took notice of her. Eliza shifted under his gaze, feeling as if his eyes burned her very soul. Surprisingly, his eyes widened in shock- or was it fear? as he looked beyond her. 

Her heart nearly stopped when the dragon spoke in a deep, rumbling voice: "Whatever you do, do not turn around." 

Congratulations, Micaiah! Click here for your badge, and don't forget to claim your points here. =)

We should talk. 
There. There it was. The message she'd waited so long to hear. Except he didn't speak it. He'd written it. Somewhere she'd be sure to see. We should talk. It was there on her windshield, drawn in the snow that had settled lightly across her truck. 

We should talk. 
I know. 

Don't you want to? 
Well, I do, but... 

But you're afraid it might cause suspicion. 
Yes. I'm sorry, I can't help it. Wouldn't you feel the same? 

I do. 
Then why... 

Missing you is worse. 
She picked up the phone and called. The conversation she'd imagined had convinced her. If he was afraid, then they'd both be afraid together. 

But there was no one there to answer. She tried three times, and then set down the receiver, devastated. He had to have left that message. Or was it someone else? Putting on her coat, she flew down the apartment steps to see. 

It had to be him. She couldn't imagine anyone else coming so early to write that particular sentence. But she glanced something on the snow dusted windshield that she couldn't see from the apartment window. She scooped it up, and ignored the icy feeling it gave her fingers. It was a newspaper clipping. His picture was there; and so were some words she didn't want to see. 

Greg Larson. 38 years old. Suspected of obtaining private government information. If seen, please contact... 

She slumped against the truck, and covered her face with her hands. It had happened again. And they hadn't even had the chance to first say hello. 

Congratulations, Maddie! Click here for your badge, and don't forget to claim your points here. =)

Honorable Recognitions: 

These winners will receive a badge, as well as 2 extra points:

1. Mary B.
2. Olivia
3. Esther

Thanks so much to everyone who participated!

• Submit your response in the comments below, or post it on your blog via InLink (below -- you will receive 2 extra points!). 
• Your response should range between 150 - 300 words. 
• The deadline for the contest will be the Thursday after next. 
• If you'd rather not submit your post in the comments or on your blog, you may email it to me instead.

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: arrow, leaf, wolf (submitted by Savannah P.)
• Write a passage based on this picture (submitted by His Princess)
• Write a passage either incorporating this phrase OR based on this phrase:  
  "Never interrupt your enemy when he's making a fool of himself." (submitted by Mia)

*If your prompt was selected, be sure to claim your points here. 

Post your entry on your blog!:

If you're posting your entry on your blog (+2 points), please add your link below rather than in the comments. And don't forget to claim your points here!

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 2 points!
• You may submit in the comments below.