Writing challenge! Can you write an opening sentence to a story incorporating these 3 words? (Winners will be published in WD)
Looking for a little Friday procrastination in the form of a writing challenge? Close that Excel spreadsheet you’re working on, minimize your boss’ emails or postpone your daily chores (come…
Looking for a little Friday procrastination in the form of a writing challenge? Close that Excel spreadsheet you’re working on, minimize your boss’ emails or postpone your daily chores (come on, nobody would rather change a litter box than write, right?). Take five: It’s time for our Your Story contest.
Basically, in every issue we give our readers a chance to get published in Writer’s Digest by responding to a writing prompt. Here’s the latest, from our November/December issue (featuring an interview with the awesome George RR Martin, I might add):
In 25 words or fewer, write the opening sentence to a story incorporating these three words: fresh, hair and tangled.
Want in? Post your entry in the Comments section below, and it’ll automatically be entered in the competition.
The rules:
- Your sentence (just one, only one!) must be 25 words or fewer, no exceptions.
- The deadline is Nov. 26, 2012.
- One entry per person, please.
- How it all works: We’ll select the top 10 entries and post them on our forum. In early December, readers will vote for their favorites to help rank the winners.
- This is a free writing competition. The prize is publication in WD.
- You can also submit your sentence via the form here.
- Finally, as we say about this contest in the magazine: “You can be funny, poignant, witty, etc. It is, after all, your story.”
Good luck! One of the most fun things we get to do around here every issue is read the entries, and we appreciate every single word that comes in.
Now, to return to our Excel spreadsheets and litter boxes …
Happy Friday.
—Zachary Petit is an award-winning journalist, and the senior managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine.
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Need help brainstorming story ideas for fiction or nonfiction? On the hunt for some great writing exercises?
Where Do You Get Your Ideas?explores the processes professional writers use in turning raw ideas into marketable books. This new manual from author Fred White (currently on sale!) is designed to help writers both generate story ideas as well as understand where they come from, how they are developed and how to separate the good from the bad.
Zachary Petit is a freelance journalist and editor, and a lifelong literary and design nerd. He's also a former senior managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine. Follow him on Twitter @ZacharyPetit.
