Test Your Craft
Participate in bi-weekly challenges judged on quality, not popularity. Awards for best character development, best hook, and more!
Bi-Weekly Short Story Challenge
The sentence starts the story
BI-WEEKLY POETRY CHALLENGE
A poem about "support"
DUET POEM CHALLENGE
POETRY DUET CHALLENGE: 1.) Find a partner – another member on this site. It can be someone you know or, if you’re particularly bold, someone you don’t! – and ask them if they’d be willing to do this Challenge with you. 2.) Together, choose a topic to write about 3.) Agree on a style of poetry, replete with number of lines you’ll each need to write 4.) Then decide – however you choose to do that (could be alphabetical order, could be eeny-meeny-miney-moe, could be heads-or-tails) – whose line goes first. 5.) Combine the poems by taking turns, one line at a time: the first writer’s first line, then the second writer’s first line, then the first writer’s second line, and the second writer’s second line, etc. I was introduced to this idea several years ago by my dear friend Sandy Nelms-Ludwig, who’s also a member on here. We chose as our title/topic “Fidelity,” and here’s our finished product: ************************************************************************* FIDELITY Far beyond the promise to be true, From the cradle some are fed unforgettable heartache Fidelity carries the promise of ferocity when the bond is challenged. Maturing with broken inner workings like an old clock. It’s the bodyguard for the union of two souls, Time after time faithfulness remains a foreign unshared feeling. With heartstrings so entwined, they become a solo vestment for two wearers, Its absence is a wound oozing and tainting most emotional interactions. The embodiment of a shared unity, However, others seek strength in counseling to learn how to suture the open scars And a lifetime suit of armor for the promise of trust inside. Warily accepting that freely giving love and devotion is necessary for healing. When we finished and combined our two poems and read them, we got hysterical at first, our initial question being, “HOW ARE WE FRIENDS WHEN WE ARE THIS DIFFERENT??????” But then, as we began to examine and discuss it further, we realized that, although our upbringings and life experiences have been extremely different, our creativity and writing prowess and ability to express ourselves is our tie that binds. It was such an eye-opening experience, really.
BI-WEEKLY SHORT STORY CHALLENGE
Short story of any length
BI-WEEKLY POETRY CHALLENGE (EXTENDED)
Rondolet Form The traditional French rondelet is generally defined as: Line 1: 4 syllables (refrain) – A Line 2: 8 syllables – b Line 3: Repeat line 1 (4 syllables) – A Line 4: 8 syllables – a Line 5: 8 syllables – b Line 6: 8 syllables – b Line 7: Repeat line 1 (4 syllables) – A Rhyme scheme: AbAabbA Example The Old Key Open for me. Rust has stolen all my bright shine. Open for me. I fail before each door I see. My twisted teeth no more align. Still I dream your hand will find mine. Open for me. (Tim Margetts)
Judges:
Rachel Gosling
Bi-Weekly Short Story Challenge (DEADLINE EXTENDED)
Theme and Variation on the News
Judges:
Rachelle Allen
Bi-Weekly Poetry Challenge
Nonet - nine lines, either starting with one syllable and, with each line, growing to nine syllables OR starting with nine syllables and decreasing to one.
Judges:
Tim Margetts
The Neighbors
Write a fictional story, no minimum or maximum length
Judges:
Rachel Gosling
BI-WEEKLY POETRY CHALLENGE
STACKED LIMERICK
Judges:
Rachelle Allen
TRADE-OFFs
Is there really such a thing as a calculated risk?
Judges:
Rachelle Allen
IN A FLASH
250 words or less - flash fiction
Judges:
Rachelle Allen
BI-WEEKLY POETRY CHALLENGE!!
Contest Requirements: Any form of free verse Minimum twelve lines Employing only words of THREE SYLLABLES OR MORE Exception: conjunctions and prepositions USE OF PRONOUNS PROHIBITED
Write a Poem from One of These Words
Any genre of your choice. Winner gets a $20 Barnes and Noble gift card
Judges:
Diane Kenel-Truelove
The Color of Silence
Silence can be peaceful, lonely, healing, awkward, comforting, or heartbreaking. For this challenge, explore silence through imagery, emotion, and color. Any poetic form is welcome. Optional challenge: Avoid using the words silence, quiet, still, stillness, or sound.
CHANGE OF VENUE
Short Story, any length - flash to novella
Judges:
Tim Margetts
THE MOMENT OF FREEDOM
Poetry of any genre. Forty-line maximum
To Tell Or Not to Tell
Is it ever okay to divulge a secret?
Judges:
Rachelle Allen
AFTER THE MOMENT
Epistolary (Letter) Poem Write about what remains once the moment has passed. Form: Epistolary poem (letter form) An epistolary poem is written as a letter. It can be addressed to anyone — a person, a past or future self, an object, a place, or something abstract. It should feel like it is meant for someone, even if it is never sent. Tone and voice matter more than strict structure. Keep it under 200 words
Judges:
Rachel Gosling
The Day That Changed Nothing… and Everything
It starts like any other day. Nothing unusual. Nothing waiting. Until something shifts— and suddenly it is not a day you forget.
What You Kept Anyway
Some things do not stay because they are right. They stay because we make room for them. This challenge is about that quiet knowing... and choosing it anyway.
Judges:
Tim Margetts
Flash Fiction Challenge
Write a story in one hundred words or less
Poetry Challenge
Any style or genre of poetry, 12 - 30 lines in length
Judges:
Berniethebard, Diane Kenel-Truelove, Rachelle Allen