Monday, March 7, 2016

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. A new prompt is posted, and winners are announced, every other Monday.



  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.
  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. =)

 


The judge panel chooses these winners based on a point system. Keep in mind that the judges are not aware of which entry belongs to which participant until after the judging is complete.


"You seem tense this evenin', sir. Beg your pardon for sayin' so." Abigail curtsied, and was careful not to let her tray overturn.

"Oh, I don't mind. I know it rather well myself." The old man sighed, rubbing his neck. He took the wine that she offered. “I’ve not seen you before.”

"My name's Abigail Brightly, sir. New around here."

The gentleman set his empty glass back on her tray, looking thoughtful. "I... have a niece named Abigail Brenton. Strange, isn't it? You've the same initials. Though... who can say how long since I’ve seen her? She asked to come a few months back, so as to attend the party this evening. But I...." His brow furrowed. Giving a nervous chuckle, he shook his head. "Go along, now, and attend to the guests."

She had not been elsewhere very long before a cry went up and a crowd began to gather. "Lord Brenton is ill!"

A panic went up in the girl's heart. "How is he? What is wrong?" Her servant's speech was gone.

"Poison," a man told her, his face red with shock and anger. His eyes shifted to the tray of empty wine glasses in the servant's hands. In the next instant, he pulled her to the dying patient.

Though his vision was darkening, Lord Brenton testified at once on seeing the servant girl's face, "Yes. She… my... wine..."

Abigail's eyes grew large as she cried, "Uncle! I’m Abigail, your niece, Abigail. I just wanted to see you! I'm so sorry, I don't know how..."

Her tray was wrenched away to be examined. Traces of arsenic were found in the lord's cup.

Though she tried to explain, no one would listen. Whoever poisoned him had just gotten rid of two nobles in the family.

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



Her nails clicked against the glass cup as she reached to grabbed it. Her face was tranquil as she turned to face us. A smile spread across her face. “A drink?”
We shook our head no, still saying nothing, just watching. She shrugged and walked back towards her throne.  The sound of her shoes as they hit the floor was the only sound that echoed about the room. She sat down on her throne, longing backward and propping her feet on a small footstool.
“You wanted something?” She asked idly, as she swished her wine about the cup.
My sister cleared her throat. “Yes, actually we did.”
The woman looked down at my sister as she was the most uninteresting person to ever grace the earth.
My sister clear her throat again. “We-we want to see one of your prisoners.”
The woman feet slid off the stool and hit the floor with a loud thunk, followed by her wild laughter. “One of my prisoners? Darling, I don’t keep prisoners. It is too much work to have to fed them, and they get so dirty.” She shivered. “No, dear, I think that would be quite impossible. I don’t have any prisoners.”
My sister look over at me, her eyes wide. I cleared my throat and took a small step forward.
“Where are all of your prisoners? I mean, what did you do with them.”
The woman looked over at me, the same bored expression still on her face, she laughed as if I was a little child who had asked a dumb question. “Why I killed them of course!”
Death. He was dead. The one person that could have helped us was now dead. Horror flood my senses and I remember nothing more than being dragged out of the queen’s palace and thrown out into the streets.
Congratulations, Mary BClick here for your badge, and don't forget to claim your points here. =)


Ever since Gretel and I had decided on this old witch, I’d had a bad feeling about the whole plan. We didn’t lack experience, no, Gretel and I had killed many more witches in their ovens since our first, but this one felt different.

“Stop worrying,” Gretel admonished me.

Not wanting to seem afraid, I said, “I’m not. I was just thinking about Father.”

Gretel sniffled, and I feared that I might’ve upset her about Father’s death again, so, trying to brighten us both up, I whispered conspiratorially, “Do you think she’ll be as rich as our first?”

“They’re never as rich as our first,” Gretel complained, and wiped her nose.

With similar quiet discussion, we eventually came to the house in the woods.

“Does it look familiar?” I asked Gretel.

She ignored my paranoia and broke off a piece from the window.

No sooner had I snagged a piece off the roof than a voice said, “Nibble, nibble, gnaw, who is nibbling at my little house?”

In the unison of months of practice, Gretel and I replied, “The wind, the wind, the heaven-born wind.”

Then the door opened and an aged woman appeared. She smiled a smile full of missing teeth and invited us inside. We followed her like good little children. The door shut abruptly behind us, but this was normal.

We sat down in the offered chairs and started gobbling up the food she laid on the table. Abruptly I straightened, feeling my eyelids droop. Gretel looked at me, her eyes already half closed. The woman stood in the corner, smiling at us, and I realized what I had seen before. This was the witch’s sister.

My last words were, “I told you we shouldn’t have done that.” Then I fell over, unconscious.
Congratulations, Michael! Click here for your badge, and don't forget to claim your points here. =)



    Thanks so much to everyone who participated!

    • Submit your response in the comments below, or post it on your blog via InLink (below).
    • 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: pillow, wings, mourning dove (submitted by Olivia)
    • Write a passage based on this picture (submitted by Shelby)
    • Write a passage either incorporating this phrase OR based on this phrase:  

      "I had the dream again." (submitted by Shelby)


    Post your entry on your blog!:


    If you're posting your entry on your blog, please add your link below:






    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.
    • You must only submit prompt ideas if you have participated in this week's contest. Otherwise, your prompts will not be considered.  
    post signature

    13 comments:

    1. Hey Tessa, I didn't submit that picture, I don't even have a pintrest account. Must have been a little mix up! :)

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. Sorry about that! Thanks for letting me know. =)

        Delete
    2. ‘Information, please.’ the little boy whispered into the phone. There was a pause, then a woman's voice:
      ‘Information.’ The child let out a shaky breath, and pulled his knees up to his chest.
      ‘What do you do when… when someone tries to… to… kill you?’
      Another pause.
      ‘You run.’ was the answer. He leaned his head against the boxes behind him.
      ‘What happens when you can't run any more?’
      ‘You hide.’
      ‘And when you can't hide any more?’
      There was a very long pause.
      ‘You get someone to help you.’ the boy gripped the phone.
      ‘What if you can't, because they are right behind you… just waiting to reach out and shoot you?’
      ‘Is he?’ she asked. The boy did not answer.
      ‘I had the dream again… when I was still hiding.’
      ‘Can you wake up now?’ she asked
      ‘No… not yet.’
      ‘I think.’ the woman said slowly. ‘You have to let him.’
      Silence.
      ‘Please… not that. Not again.’
      ‘You have to let him kill you.’
      ‘I can't.’ he whispered.
      ‘I’ll hold your hand.’
      ‘You can't, I thought this was a dream.’
      ‘It is.’ The boy felt an invisible hand take his. He dropped the phone, and stood up. A shot rang though the air.
      ‘I think.’ said the boy, as he fell to the ground. ‘You were wrong.’

      ReplyDelete
    3. Prompts:
      Items:Gold earrings, apple, mouse
      Sentence: The only one stopping you is yourself.
      Picture: http://cdn.wonderfulengineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/black-and-white-wallpaper-3.jpg

      ReplyDelete
    4. Hi, Tessa! I couldn't put the link to my MMC post up, so I'm posting it in the comments below.

      https://godgalthatswhoibe.wordpress.com/2016/03/11/mondays-minute-challenge/

      And here are my prompts:

      Items: radio, scarf, snowflake

      Picture: https://500px.com/photo/28626483/-by-anka-zhuravleva

      Sentence: If only I could rewind the clock...

      ReplyDelete
    5. Hi Tessa! The link thing isn't working so I am leaving the link to my post in the comments. Here it is! :)

      http://everybitoflovely13.blogspot.com/2016/03/mmc-31116-im-back.html

      Item prompts: brief case, vase, and a spinning wheel.

      Picture prompt: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/89649848810784743/

      Sentence prompt: One wrong move can change everything.

      ReplyDelete
    6. I smooth the sheets on the mistress’ bed and snatch a pillow from the corner, putting it carefully in place. One mistake and I could be whipped. My mistress has a vile temper.
      The sound of wings catches my ear, and I turn to see a mourning dove perched on the windowsill. My footsteps are silent as I walk towards it. You had to know how to go unnoticed to survive here.
      The dove doesn’t seem scared by my approach, so I reach slowly out and stroke its silky wings.
      “What are you doing here, pretty bird?” I quietly ask. “This terrible haunt is no place for you.”
      It just coos calmly, cocking its head. If only I could be so carefree.
      And then I hear footsteps in the hall. Sharp, jabbing footsteps, like someone was trying to stamp through the floor. The mistress.
      “Fly!” I whisper urgently, “Fly away, quick!”
      The dove only coos, so I gently brush it off the sill and watch it fly up into the pale blue sky. If only I could be as free as he.
      A piercing voice makes me start, and I turn around to face the mistress.
      Her clear eyes glace around the room. “You haven’t done a very good job, have you?” Her voice is like sharp ice.
      I hang my head. “No, ma’am.”
      “Laziness is not tolerated here.” A cruel smile comes over her face. “Laziness is only punished. Follow me.”
      She whirls out of the room and I follow without a word. If only I had wings like the dove, then I could fly away too. Fly far and fast and never come back.
      But I don’t even have the hope of escape; the mistress is far too pleased about having a princess as her slave for that.

      ReplyDelete
    7. Items: knife, rose, curtain

      Sentence: My nightmares had come true.

      ReplyDelete
    8. Here is my entry: http://onthewingsofimagination16.blogspot.com/2016/03/mmc-11.html

      ReplyDelete
    9. Here's the link to my entry:

      http://ingodswritinghands.blogspot.com/2016/03/dreams-mmc-march-7-2016.html

      And these are my prompts:

      1) https://www.pinterest.com/pin/295196950556703678/
      2) heart, crayons, three chairs
      3) "I told you I'd be back."

      -Maddie

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. Just so you know, I already posted the picture prompt. :)

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      2. I'm actually rather confused, lol.

        Delete
    10. Items: carpet, sequins, music book

      Picture: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/407294360032238438/

      Sentence: "(They) can't do that, can they?"

      ReplyDelete

    Thanks for stopping by my blog!