Round One Closes in:
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Read the whole post
Subtle, aren’t we? But no. We do mean it. Read the whole post. One of the things we pride ourselves on as we kick off the TWENTY FOURTH Super Challenge is that we never hide the ball. We’re not here to trick you or give you impossible prompts. We don’t machine-generate or randomize our prompt combinations, and we do tell you ahead of time what we’re looking for. And we often (now included) give you handy hints that tell you exactly what we’ve told the judges about the prompts. We don’t believe that trying to trick you does anything but stress you out. We’d rather read the kind of writing you can do when you’re relaxed (as relaxed as you can be on a 48-hour deadline) and leaning into your strengths. Plus, it’s more likely to give you a story that you can take from here to publication, even if you don’t move on this round. So… read the whole post, not just the prize amounts and your prompt, ok? We promise it’s a good use of a little bit of your 48 hours.
Let’s remind you what you could win at the end of all this:
First place: $200
Second place: $150
Third place: $100
Now that the best part is over, let’s talk about the remaining good stuff: prompts. You should already have received your email with your group assignment, but before you check your number again and dive in, let’s take a quick look at how to handle prompts in general, since after a whole year (and a half? Something? what is time) of pandemic everyone’s a little scattered.
This round you’ll be writing a story in 1,000 words or fewer with two prompts. In order to get the highest scores from our judges, both prompts should be integral to the story, so let’s take a minute to talk about what “integral” means. (Some of you will have read this or something like it already. You know what? You still shouldn’t skip it. It’s a good reminder.)
First of all, here’s a long, unpacked version of what I’m about to say, and it’s worth a read if you’ve never seen it. Second: integral means that if the prompt were changed, the story would necessarily change.
This is incredibly important for this round’s combo prompt, which features an object: Use the banana test. Could you replace the object prompt with a banana without changing the story? Then it wasn’t integral. So if your prompt was “picking up a coin” you might write a story where the main character finds bus fare to a magical place. If they picked up a banana, that would change the whole story, right? But if you were writing a story about a character riding a bus and they found a coin under their seat and put it in their purse and it never showed up in the story again, what would change if they found a banana instead? Nothing. One word. Meh. That’s the difference between an integrated and not-integrated prompt. BUT NOTICE: if the substitute test object is really similar, like “found a quarter coin” versus “found a dollar coin” the story doesn’t change. And that’s ok: that prompt is still more likely than not to be integral. Replacing an object with a very similar object with the same purpose won’t tell you if you’ve missed the mark on integration. So if your prompt this weekend is “a tablet computer” don’t test it with “a smartphone” – they can perform most if not all the same functions. Test it with the banana. Seriously. Same thing for the second prompt: a motivation. Test it with “get a banana” or “find a banana” or “steal a banana.” You might feel silly for a minute, but it’s worth it to score those extra points for a solidly integrated prompt. We promise. There are no bananas in the prompts.
Now, the whole story doesn’t have to revolve around the prompt: in the magic bus fare story, the plot is about going to a new place and maybe what the character finds out about themself there, right? And it doesn’t have to be super innovative. Using a coin to buy a bus fare isn’t unusual at all. But you’re going to tell your story in the way only you can tell stories. That’s what makes it unique, not necessarily the plot or the characters. Don’t worry too much about coming up with a unique take on the prompts or pushing the limits of what the prompt might mean. Worry about telling a good story, the way you tell it, edited well and with the prompts integrated.
Now that that’s cleared up, let’s talk a little more about these prompts, specifically.
For this round, you’ll have two prompts: an object and a motivation
PROMPT STYLE 1: an object. The object should be integral to the story. Again, for those folks who didn’t follow our advice to read the whole post… An easy test for “is this object integral” is “if I said chewing gum instead, would the story be fundamentally different?” Objects should also fit comfortably within the defined parameters for the object type, if the type is a category instead of a specific object. So if the prompt is “needle” the object might (depending on definition) be a pine needle or a sewing needle or knitting needle, but it shouldn’t be a dog named Needle. Don’t worry: we’ll give you those parameters with your prompt.
PROMPT STYLE 2: a motivation. This motivation is an important goal in a character’s life at the time the story is set. They don’t have to be your main character, and accomplishing the goal doesn’t have to be the plot of your story, although either of those things can be true. To be integral to the story, this prompt should affect the way the character acts. They should not do things that would be incompatible with achieving the goal (unless it’s clearly self-sabotage, because who hasn’t done that?), and so forth. This goal may or may not conflict with other characters’ motivations, so consider how they interact.
If you’re at sea with either of the prompts you’ve been given, why not check out the post written by the people who wrote your prompt? The two prompt styles you’ll be working with this weekend are covered in our posts on object prompts and character prompts from our 2021 Navigating Prompts series. You might also want to check out our post specifically about Combination Prompts—that is, what to do when you have to incorporate two or more prompts into your story!
As always, if you need clarification on a prompt, don’t contact our general email! That means don’t use the contact form, don’t email or DM the editor you’ve talked to personally, just use superchallenge@yeahwrite.me. You can also get in touch with us using the Super Challenge channels on our Discord server. Please don’t use any of the other channels, as our judges are on the server and may accidentally see your post. We don’t let the judges into the Super Challenge channels, though, so you should feel free to discuss the prompts, ask for beta readers and editors, and chat about your story ideas in there.
Ready for your prompts? Let’s get to it.
Group One
Your object prompt is: a pencil with the tip snapped off and no eraser
This is just a regular old pencil (bite marks in the wood optional) with the tip snapped off deeply enough that you can’t write with it. It’s not a mechanical pencil where you can just push a button and restore the tip. Yes, you may sharpen the pencil in the course of the story, and you are free to add one of those little push-on erasers if that makes you happy, but the first time the reader encounters the pencil it should be in the condition originally described. It’s up to you whether the pencil was meant to come with an attached eraser or not originally.
Your motivation prompt is: A character who wants to become a beekeeper.
Implicit in “wants to become” is that this character is not now a beekeeper, and they are not keeping bees for themself or tending them on behalf of someone they live with.
Group Two
Your object prompt is: a broken crayon
The crayon can be a wax crayon or a more formal artist’s crayon such as a stick pastel. It should be at least snapped in half if not partially smashed, rather than just written down to a nub. Not all of the crayon has to make it into your story; it is, after all, broken into two or more pieces.
Your motivation prompt is: A character who wants to go on a successful date.
Notice we said date and not hookup. While your character doesn’t have to be single (we’re envisioning characters who run the spectrum from “only side hugs until you’re married” to “comfortably and ethically polyamorous” with “definitely cheating” a possibility somewhere in there), a “date” for purposes of their motivation should be to form an emotional connection with another person that they intend to continue seeing romantically. Notice also that we said “romantically” and not “sexually.” For our purposes the “success” means that at the end of the date all characters who went on it should have a shared intent to embark on a continued romance, which may or may not include sex.
Group Three
Your object prompt is: a leaky pen
Ballpoint, rollerball, fountain, brush, or felt-tip, all pens are welcome. For purposes of this prompt a pen is a handheld object which contains ink and is meant to write or draw with. If you really really can’t tell whether the leaky object in your story fits our definition of a pen, email superchallenge@yeahwrite.me or ask in the Super Challenge Discord channel ONLY. Or just use something that you are absolutely sure is a pen instead.
Your motivation prompt is: A character who wants to perform well in a test of skill or knowledge
The test doesn’t need to be a math test or a scantron sheet, although it could be. It could also be a race. It can be designed to measure physical or mental capacity. But it must be designed to measure, and have benchmarks that the character wants to meet or exceed.
Group Four
Your object prompt is: a broken piece of chalk
The “chalk” may be chalk like for a blackboard or sidewalk, or a more formal artist’s chalk like a chalk pastel. It may not be an artist’s charcoal, or a pigment stick held together with wax or oil (notice how that’s someone else’s prompt already). At least one piece should appear in your story, but the original unit that the chalk was acquired in must have been broken or smashed at some point before your story starts.
Your motivation prompt is: A character who wants to find a key they lost at least six months ago.
The key is NOT: a piano key, a musical key, a “church key” bottle opener. It is a KEY, an object that opens a lock or starts a piece of equipment. It can be the sort of electronic key that you just have to push a button on or swipe past the lock. It may also be the kind of key that winds a clock or gears.
The key doesn’t need to belong to this character, but they have to have had it in their possession long enough to lose it. The thing the key opens need not belong to the character. Opening/starting/unlocking/winding the thing need not be the plot of the story, although it can be.
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! If you’re dying to chat about your WIP, our Discord Super Challenge channel is open! Just remember to STAY IN THERE so our judges don’t have even the slightest chance to see what you’re working on. If you’re going to need a beta reader for your SC material, remember to arrange it ahead of time and trade contact info so that you don’t end up posting in the main channels!
Your stories 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.
Your title page should be a separate page and should include: title, group number, 1-2 sentence summary, and any applicable content warning. Your title page info does not apply to your word count total.
Email your questions to superchallenge@yeahwrite.me or post your question in the private (judge-free) Super Challenge Discord channel—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! (Also, we don’t want you to accidentally email your questions to a judge; it’s happened! Don’t be that guy! We felt so bad for that guy!)
You’ll receive your feedback on Wednesday, June 1, and we’ll announce who’s moving on to the next round that day at noon US Eastern Time.
We hope you have as much fun with the prompts as we had picking them out. Good luck, and good writing!
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.
