The prompt for this round is: “I would want to be told”
The prompt sentence can go anywhere – first line, last line, third line, whatever. But make sure you don’t change any of the words and they must stay in quotes. You can add to either side (i.e. “Frankly, my dear, I would want to be told” or, “I would want to be told that my hair smelled like gym socks.”) but the prompt must remain in dialogue form.
Your word limit this round is 106 words (100 words + the prompt sentence). Think of your 106 words as the opening of a story. Your goal is to draw the reader in, same as you would want to be drawn in if you were picking up a book.
Your entries are due on Wednesday, May 9th by 11:59pm Kansas City time. You may email it to me by clicking here or at Stephanie(at)GoTeenWriters.com – no attachments please! Include your name as you would like it to appear on the website.
I always send confirmation emails, so if it’s been 48 hours and you haven’t heard from me, feel free to check back. And please do, because last time my email declared a couple entries to be spam, and I didn’t see them until it was too late. So please, please check back with me.
The contest is for those age 21 and under. One entry per person please.
This is the first contest that we’ll be using the new “judging chart” for the feedback, so if you’d like to get an idea of what your feedback will look like, check that out here. For more details about Go Teen Writers’ contests and a sample winning prompt, click here.
Many thanks to our judges Betsy St. Amant and Laura Kurk. Without these lovely ladies giving up their time, there’s no way these contests could happen. Thank you Betsy and Laura!
Betsy St. Amant lives in Louisiana and is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers group. Betsy is multi-published through Steeple Hill and has been published in Christian Communicator magazine and Praise Reports: Inspiring Real Life Stories of How God Answers Prayer. One of her short stories, ‘Kickboxing or Chocolate’, appears in a Tyndale compilation book, and she is also multi-published through The Wild Rose Press. She has a BA in Christian Communications and regularly freelances for her local newspaper. Betsy is a fireman’s wife, a mommy to a busy toddler, a chocolate-loving author and an avid reader who enjoys sharing the wonders of God’s grace through her stories.
Laura Kurk
Laura Anderson Kurk bets she has more cringe-worthy teenage memories than you. She calls writing for teen girls and young adults great therapy, especially since she knows teens who’ve been hit with life’s cruel one-two punch and still find reason to hope.
Laura has always been a writer. As a child in rural Oklahoma, she wrote stories, wrapped them in plastic and duct tape, and hid them under rocks in the creek behind her house so her brother couldn’t find them. She holds a B.A. in English from Abilene Christian University and an M.A. in English from Texas A&M University. After a career spent writing for others, she committed to telling the stories that mean something to her. She lives in College Station, Texas with her husband and two children.