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: 92
• Mary B: 59
• Elisabeth: 53
• Funto: 9
• Benj. Evans: 30
• S. Brightly: 12
• Jacqueline: 59
• Rebekah B: 38
• Anna: 27
• His Princess: 55
• Tara T: 52
• Evan: 10
• Rcubed: 60
• Sarah: 67
• Jillian: 10
• Brooke: 12
• Kaley: 2
• Karina: 23
• Kaira Anne: 29
• Katheline: 16
• Lottie Le: 6
• CeCe: 10
• 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 helped the judge panel tremendously.

Also, please don't get discouraged if you have yet to place (or haven't in a few weeks)! The competition is 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: 

I grabbed my jacket and ran out into the rain. It was coming down so hard that it made our window look more like one of those built-in waterfalls than a pane of glass, but I didn't care. Maybe out there I would find the air I so desperately needed to breathe. 

Water blinded me as I ran, my chest heaving, side aching unbearably. I wished it were only the rain, but truthfully, tears mixed equally with raindrops on my face.
This could have happened any other time. Why today? Why not before, when I had time to hold on to my heart? But now it was gone, and I feared I could never get it back. 

Accusations rang bitterly in my head as I finally slowed to a painful walk. I should have been smarter. I should have realized the truth about Josh- even though it was a truth I couldn't imagine, not even now. How could he be capable of these things?

Why, God, why? 

It was the only prayer my broken heart could utter. 

Congratulations, S. Brightly! Click here for your badge. =)

Second place winner: 

My eyes widened and for the second time that night a scream lodged itself in my throat. Three men wearing hunting garb and carrying rifles emerged from the bushes. Two of them jumped forward and grabbed us, hauling us to our feet. “Get walking and not a word or else.” One of them hissed. I silently acquiesced, afraid of the consequences should I disobey. We marched off the road and into the thick woods surrounding. After what seemed like an eternity we came to a dilapidated shack well camouflaged with overgrown brambles. Our captures lead us roughly inside where we were tied up and made to sit in one of the dusty corners. I surveyed our surroundings with the small glow cast from the fire one of the men was starting in the fireplace. The dinky one-room building’s furnishings consisted of a table, two chairs, and an old broom stuffed in the corner opposite us. I shivered and envied the man standing by the warm fire with a jacket on since I wore only a thin sweater. On the table sat an open suitcase and by the meager amount of clothes I could see, it appeared they were traveling light. The sounds of an argument outside cause the man by the fire to look up from the embers. He uttered an oath and stormed out the rickety door. I laid my head back against the wall, glad the man was gone, when the voice at my side startled me.
“My name is Cal Gresham.” 
“Samantha Watson.” I told him. “Now will you please tell me what is going on?
“Well since you are already mixed up in this I might as well tell you.”
Finally, I would get the answers I had been dying for.

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

First place winner: 

She could do it. She knew she could. All she had to do was pack her suitcase, hop on her broom, and fly away.

Kora shivered as she tugged her thin jacket closer to her trembling body. She was freezing and sticky. Her wet, soda soaked hair clung to her face no matter how many times she tried to swipe it away. As Kora sat on the front steps of her brownstone waiting on her landlord to come unlock the door, she cursed herself for deciding to attend a college intended for Norms instead of taking her friends’ and family’s advice and attending a school back home intended for Specials. If she had just stuck with her own kind instead of running off into a world she had no business living in, this never would have happened. She wouldn't be stranded outside of her locked apartment doused in diet coke with wads of gum stuck in her blonde hair and dried spit balls littering every square inch of her outfit, with trails of mascara running down her puffy red face. She wouldn't have gotten her satchel stolen which contained her crystals, book of spells, and house key in it. And she certainly would have never met the bane of her existence, Whitney and her slew of minions. 

Oh how Kora wished she had her spell book to whip up a hex that would put Whitney in her place, but sadly, all ill spirited spells got you was a one-way ticket to see the Council and that’s the last thing she needed. She’s in enough trouble as it is since her magic materials are now in the hands of Norms. If only her biggest worries were her finals coming up next week and getting this gum out of her hair.

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

Honorable Recognitions: 

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

1. Jacqueline
2. TW Wright
3. Katheline

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.

• 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: pie, clock, and key. 
• Write a passage based on this picture. 
• Write a passage using this piece of dialogue: Today would mark the first day of the rest of my life.

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

♡ ♡ ♡

Would you like to start a Purple Moon party?!

If you get together with at least four of your friends to read my book, let me know and we can put together a Purple Moon party! 

Pin It!

For this party, I will . . .

• Send you a free autographed book for you or your friend
• Email you a free PDF which will instruct you on how to throw a Purple Moon party by providing certain snacks, coffee, and chocolate. It will also include fun activities you can do with your friends at the party, such as creating a prediction of how you think the rest of the series will go, creating your own dream school or coffee shop, instructions on how to make a Luna Bonita Latte and a sleeping mask, etc.!
• ​I will also be willing to chat with you girls via Skype! In this session, we will discuss the Reader's Group Guide which can be found in the back of the book. You will then have the opportunity to ask any questions you may have.

Interested? Email me at christiswrite (at) gmail (dot) com. =)

{Click here for more Reader Fun opportunities!}