Well, that’s it: we’re down to the top ten writers of Super Challenge 7. Over the next 48 hours you’ll be writing for those actual cash prizes. I could say some stuff here about how you should be incredibly proud to just have made it this far, but that’s not going to make you any less nervous about this round, so let’s just get to it, shall we?
This round your prompt is a sentence. Each writer will incorporate that sentence into an essay about… well, about wherever that sentence takes them for inspiration. The essay could be personal or persuasive. The catch is that the sentence shouldn’t stick out or sound unnatural. Words should flow, nuance should be on-point, and our judges shouldn’t be able to tell where your writing ends and our prompt begins.
Now that that’s cleared up, let’s get to the assignment:
Final Round Prompt
When I was a kid, I would never have [fill in the blank].
That’s right, you’ve got a blank to fill in. It’s the Choose Your Own Nonadventure round!
A few hints and tips for this prompt:
- It’s ok to put quotes around the sentence and make it part of dialogue – yours or someone else’s.
- You can put a positive or a negative action in that blank. Never what? Never ridden without a seatbelt? Never gone to your state capitol to protest? Never built a winning science fair project? Never hit someone? The sky’s the limit.
- You’re not constrained to write a personal or persuasive essay this round. Just go where the prompt takes you.
Your title page for this round doesn’t need a group number. Just go ahead and put “round 3” or “final round” in the right space. And then remember to hit that hard page break (ctrl+enter on your PC, cmd+enter on your mac, or use the nifty insert break menu – this is a skill you will want later in life).
Wait, wait, there’s more!
Don’t post your story anywhere on the Internet until after our judges are done and you get your feedback! But if you want to talk up the competition or live-tweet your writing process, use the hashtag #YWsuper. Just remember not to include identifying details about which story is yours!
Your essays are due Sunday at 10pm US Eastern Time. Remember to check the rules for formatting, including all those fiddly details like title page, font, and filename. Don’t get disqualified on a technicality! We know it seems really useless at times, but all those rules have a purpose, from helping get your file where it needs to be to making sure you’re read anonymously and fairly.
Email your questions to superchallenge@yeahwrite.me—we will not be reviewing other email addresses or social media for your questions over the weekend and we want to make sure you get the answers you need!
We hope you have as much fun with the prompts as we had picking them out. Good luck, and good writing!
The Final Round Closes In:
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About the author:
Rowan submitted exactly one piece of microfiction to YeahWrite before being consumed by the editorial darkside. She spent some time working hard as our Submissions Editor before becoming YeahWrite’s Managing Editor in 2016. She was a BlogHer Voice of the Year in 2017 for her work on intersectional feminism, but she suggests you find and follow WOC instead. In real life she’s been at various times an attorney, aerialist, professional knitter, artist, graphic designer (yes, they’re different things), editor, secretary, tailor, and martial artist. It bothers her vaguely that the preceding list isn’t alphabetized, but the Oxford comma makes up for it. She lives in Portlandia with a menagerie which includes at least one other human. She tells lies at textwall and uncomfortable truths at CrossKnit.
