Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Second Campaigner Challenge

Monday, March 5, 2012


Second Campaigner Challenge (of my Fourth Campaign, February 2012)

I’ve been asked for a more difficult Challenge this time, while at the same time I know many of you would prefer not to be *too* challenged. So I’ve given you a range of different activities you could do below, all based on the same prompts, and it’s up to you whether you do one or some or all of them. I’ve determined the judging criteria in advance too, so it will enable the judge to assess all your entries equally no matter what you decide to do. I can’t wait to see what you come up with!

Prompt 1:

Two people are sitting together under the remains of a concrete bridge. Their backs are against a rusted bridge support. One person’s leg is cut. The other person has wet hair.

Prompt 2:

(Source)
Prompt 3

(Source)
Prompt 4

(Source)
Prompt 5

(Source)

Second Campaigner Challenge

Do one or more of the following:
  1. Write a pitch/logline for a book based on the prompts (less than 100 words)
  2. Write a short story/flash fiction piece of less than 200 words based on the prompts
  3. Write a poem with a twist using the prompts as inspiration (in less than 200 words)
  4. Write a story/poem in five sentences, each sentence based on one of the prompts
  5. Write a poem/flash fiction piece (in less than 200 words) about the water pear *without* using the words “pear”, “spoon”, or “droplet”.
For added difficulty/challenge:
  • Complete at least three of the above activities and tie them all together with a common theme (feel free to either state the theme in your post or leave us to guess what it might be)
  • Write in a genre that is not your own
  • Ask Challenge entrants to critique your writing. After the Challenge closes, you may wish to re-post your revised piece(s), and I’ll include a Linky List at the bottom of this post for those wishing more feedback on their revisions (note: revised entries will not be judged, so please label clearly your original post and your revisions. Please do not offer critique unless someone asks for it, as per the usual blogging conventions. If you do ask for critique, make sure you ask for it clearly so people know you want it, and please be prepared to receive feedback that may not be 100% glowing. If you are a critiquer, please be tactful and courteous, and remember to provide positives as well as negatives.)

Boom Boom Boom

Boom, boom, boom!   Incessant sounds of explosions echoed into the night.  The twins had been running for hours to escape the constant barrage of bombs exploding around them.   James and Jenna finally hunkered underneath a partially collapsed bridge, seeking refuge, not knowing the outcome of their family and friends that had been scattered when the bombing began.  Their youngest brother running after a ball in his red coat was their last memory. They both felt like waifs foraging through the debris for anything that would burn.
Jenna leaned against a rusted leg support, her red hair soaked from sweat.  She removed her pullover jacket and used it to towel dry the long ringlets that hung past her shoulders, when she glanced at her brother.
“James, your hurt.”
The bridge shook as another explosion hit too close for comfort.  The deafening sound sent shards of concrete crumbling around them.  Jenna threw her jacket over James’ wound to protect it from the dust that settled.  She lit a fruit shaped wad of paper and used a wooden spoon to shove it under the driftwood they had collected.
“I’m okay,” he stammered.  The pain echoed in his voice. James couldn’t fool her.
She saw with her own eyes how nasty the gash was as the blood soaked his jeans and dripped onto the rocks beneath him.
Jenna stood, pulling James to his feet. “We have to find med…”
A strange light shot into the night sky. What was once their refuge had now become their silent grave. 



30 comments:

YelenaC said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
YelenaC said...

Wow, what chilling imagery, especially the last sentence! Nicely done!

I'm entry #23.

Cherie Reich said...

Great imagery, and I love the last line!

Morgan said...

REALLY enjoyed this... You have a nice fluidity to your writing. Very action packed, but filled with beautiful images at the same time ;) Just "liked"

Unknown said...

I have a love/hate relationship with sad endings. But! They are awesome. You did a brilliant job. :D

Nancy Thompson said...

Aw, that's so sad. I didn't see that coming at all. Poor kids. I think you did a marvelous job of threading all the prompts together. Personally, I found this challenge difficult and barely managed to accomplish what little I did. You'll have to tell me what you think. I'm entry #5.

(BTW - as I stated on your last blog post, Tagged and Tagged Again, I just now found the comment you left for me back on February 23rd. It was in my spam folder so I never knew you had tagged me. I left a comment on that post. I'm so sorry I missed it earlier.)

S.P. Bowers said...

Nice tying them all together and an interesting story.

Unknown said...

Morgan: Thank you for the kind words, and well for "liking it"
hehehe. It was difficult. I would like to try my hand at a pitch(my weakness). Thanks again.

Unknown said...

Thank you, Yelena, for liking it. I checked yours out and it was awesome. The ones with the pitches added blew me out the water. Pitches are my weakness. But this writing sure helps.

Unknown said...

Thanks Cherie, for liking the imagery and last line.

Unknown said...

Oh no! :/ I definitely didn't expect that. How frightening, and it all happened so quickly! You did a great job! The imagery was so nice!

Unknown said...

Wow! Such a great job melding the prompts together and creating a compelling story. I wanted more!

Michelle
www.michelle-pickett.com

Unknown said...

I like the immediacy here. And at least they went quickly, right?

Carrie Butler said...

Great ending! :)

Melissa said...

Nice piece. Awesome ending.
Melissa Maygrove #14

Melissa said...

Consider turning off your Capcha. ; )

Skippy Bo Bippy said...

Writing action in such a way as to build tension isn't easy.. but you do it incredibly well, either naturally or through practice, the effect is compelling in your story. Well done!

Kevin, (#19)

Unknown said...

Gee, Kevin, thank you. That was felt at heart level. I appreciate it.

Rek Sesh said...

Congratulations! You have been shortlisted to move onto stage two

Melissa said...

RE: Word verification (Capcha)... This may help:
http://66squarefeet.blogspot.com/2012/02/how-to-turn-off-word-verification-from.html

or this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hktnge5LS5g

(I like the video best)
Good luck. ; )

Sarah Tokeley said...

Oh no! What an emotional ending.

Unknown said...

So full of action! I hope the twins survive!

Gina Gao said...

This is really great writing. I loved the last line.

www.modernworld4.blogspot.com

Deniz Bevan said...

Oh no, what a sad tale, from the younger brother, to the very end. The poor things.

Sylvia H said...

Hi Kathy, I feel for your characters. Very nice ending. I am intrigued. So I think I am late to this party but how and where do I write my submission. Thanks, Sylvia

Traci Kenworth said...

Oh--so sad an ending. Good job.

Unknown said...

Thanks everyone for your lovely comments. You are all so encouraging and I must tell you, the competition is fierce. However, I am just enjoying the ride and having fun! Everyone has such wonderful ideas for the same pictures. Imagination is a wonderful escape into the mind.

Unknown said...

Thanks Rek for the shortlist.

Anonymous said...

Great read but such a sad ending.

Jenn said...

Ohh, ominous ending. Nice to use those prompts! Fun challenge, no?

Great job! Also entered as #84.

But also tagged you in the 7 Meme that's been going around the Writers Campaign Blogosphere. www.jennifernbaker.com/blog. I see we're both in the YA (all genres) group!