Time for the MSP Fiction Workshop’s second 50-Word Challenge!
For this contest, we’re looking for story starters--those hot-as-habanero first few lines that make a book impossible not to finish, that make the hair stand up on the back of your neck and your curiosity boil over like a pot full of spaghetti noodles. The winner will be awarded $5 SBD, and the winning entry will become part of a Fiction Workshop collaboration. As a group, we’re going to take those beginning threads and weave a story that will leave readers breathless.
During our last contest, we had a bit of a glitch. One entry got lost in the shuffle. So for this challenge, please just paste your 50 words in the comments of this post, prefaced by ENTRY, in all caps. That way it will be a little easier for contest moderators with tired eyes to find them in the shuffle. Also, make sure each ENTRY is the leading comment, not buried down in the stack or it could easily be overlooked.
TIPS FOR WRITING A WINNING ENTRY
Show! Don’t tell. Put us directly in the action. EDIT THOROUGHLY. Grammar, syntax, and spelling issues could easily disqualify you. All genres are accepted except erotica and anything that would need to be rated NSFW. Entries will be judged over the weekend of 7/15 and 7/16 and announced in the Fiction Workshop the following week. Deadline is FRIDAY, 7/14 at midnight EST. Allowances are made for time zone issues. Judges will be @rhondak (me,) and @carolkean .
So ready. . .set. . .WRITE!
ENTRY
Some people say the so-called Reverend Chan is a prophet, but I think he just got lucky. After all, for any given day you could pick out of a calendar, there had to be someone, somewhere in the world who said that’s the day the Second Coming would happen.
ENTRY
An awful, chilling nausea shuddered through Dino’s bones. The twisted stench of turbo charged anxiety left no room for doubt. He'd made a monumental mistake. The last time would have to wait once again. Retching with delightful anticipation, he scuttled beyond the dilapidated squat into the fearless, sordid night.
This post received a 2.5% upvote from @randowhale thanks to @gmuxx! For more information, click here!
ENTRY
The temperature tonight is a crisp 44 degrees. Feels even colder when you’re flying at the acceleration of gravity. My hands are gardens of glass shards, raised up to protect my face. It ain’t the fall that kills you. Sometimes, it’s the sonofabitch who pushed you from the 70th floor.
Love love love.
ENTRY
I'm a CRO. Chief Retribution Officer. Just a fancy title for revenge specialist.
I didn’t get this job by applying.
Skills: Manipulation. Reverse Psychology.
What makes you qualified for the job? I can exact the right amount of pain as what was given my client, maybe more for a tip.
Thanks for another great opportunity! As you may have figured my genre is usually sci-fi or fantasy...
ENTRY
“Alright class! Please explain the Paperback Wars of Ancient Earth? Cinderella? No? How about you Xho'geshlorg?"
“Humans…SLORCH!...slaughtered…by our...Planetary Alliance...SLORCH!”
“Indeed! Why?”
“Because everything they wrote came to life elsewhere in the universe.”
“Exactly, class! They created all of us, and were our ancestors grateful?”
“No!”
Absolutely love it! I want to know what happens next... :D
ENTRY
She stood holding two tickets. One to the past, young love and innocence, a time she wished she could relive; The second would take her to the future, Exciting and new a fresh start. This was a decision that would change her life forever. She smiled stepping onto the train.
ENTRY
George swung the edge of his Quasar 470 deluxe metal detector gently where he had seen the group of beach goers had been sitting. He awaited the cheerful ping of a pound coin inches in the sand. Maybe two if he was lucky. The needle bounced across hard and screeched,
ENTRY
He lay with his head in the gutter, transfixed by the thick stream of blood crawling towards the drain.
His blood, his life slowly depleting. No pain. Confusion.
Why me? Who were they?
Smiling sadly he closed his eyes, whispering a prayer to a God he had never believed in.
ENTRY
Once I would have killed the guy. Once I would have thanked him. Once I would have done many things differently. Now, here, today I just exhaled the last draft of my cigarette, turned and walked away. Today was going to be a long day. The last day. Ever.
ENTRY
When I got home, I was greeted by a banquet of apple slices and dead pigeons carefully laid upon my table.
“I made this for you,” said the stranger in the corner.
He was young. He was small. He was wearing my clothes. He smelled of sea salt and charcoal.
Nice. Intriguing start!
ENTRY
The psa poster on the guidance office wall reads, “Not all monsters are under the bed.” They have no idea about that bitch just seven doors down on the right. She’s counting down the days until my daughter's 18th birthday, and I have just seventy-two hours left to kill her.
ENTRY
Holding my passport above the scanner, she looks at the screen and then at me. I try to appear calm as my heart pounds against my chest, expecting questions, but surprisingly—she stamps it.
"Enjoy your visit."
Relief... freedom!
Suddenly, someone calls out my real name behind me. I freeze.
ENTRY
Spoonfeeding her grandmother, Lily heard knocking at the door. The old woman’s eyes opened wide with intensity. Lily stared, mouth agape. Grandma hadn’t shown reaction since…
KNOCK KNOCK
Lily looked towards the door, then froze. A frail hand clutched her wrist; she heard grandma’s raspy voice say, “GO…NOW.”
ENTRY
‘Disgusting litter louts, too lazy to dispose of their trash safely,’ Phil grumbled passionately as he angled his kayak so the bow was half underneath a wooden landing stage.
‘Whoa!’ he yelled as he slithered unceremoniously from his cockpit almost capsizing and splashing down helplessly in a soggy, undignified heap.
lol another Marshall. Waves.
Hi, im making Top 20 New Authors - Steemit. You are on my list. Your blog was suggested by @cristof
Cool! If Rhonda would ENTER a contest rather than only JUDGE contests, I'd put her at the top of the list :-)
I made a post already and one of the most important persons on steemit commented that he is now following everyone from that list. Its your big chance! https://steemit.com/curation/@luckysteem/top-20-new-steemit-users-authors-june-july-2017
I'm actually working on a short story today. It came to me while I was thinking what I might enter in this contest, were I a participant. :-)
Hi, i dont have a contest, you are already picked winners XD
ENTRY
"Come with me! I will heal you," the little waif said, tugging at my unbroken hand as I lay on the pavement bleeding to death. There was something strangely familiar about the waif.
She looked like an angel.
"Go away, child!" my wife interrupted harshly. "Why are you still here?"
Entry
“Katie Day, you come in here and get out of that road afore them ghosties come out there and get you too, the same as they did Ole Willy Jackson. Come on now, get on in here and bring that dog with you. Don’t make me tell you again, child."
ENTRY
In the belly at Michael something stirred. His face contorted in pain.
What's wrong with you? — exclaimed Jay.
Ned tried to scream: "Help!". But only opened and closed his mouth. Jay's hair stood on end when she saw other Michael, which suddenly materialized out of the ears of a guy...
(P.S. Sorry for bad English)
ENTRY
"Come to me." His eyes open seeing her just in the hall, struggling to stand he moans with each agonizing step. "Yes that's it come to me I am right here just a little farther." She motions slowly reaching behind her for the blade holding it just out of sight.
@cristof namedropped you:)
ENTRY
Far from the battle cries, oblivious to the horrific death toll, a group of excited and scared Altorians engaged in wrongness. What they did threatened to corrupt the very soul of their precious rock floating in space. Their crime - trading in a free market. In Altoria, freedom is not tolerated.
Yes! :-) He was just telling me about you. YAAY! So glad to see this entry.
ENTRY
Bzzzt! Bzzzt! Bzzzt! Anaru's cell phone buzzing as he sat motionless in black darkness; a gloomy ray of moonlight beaming through the curtains. His mind now running wild, his owl-like eyes full of fear. "How is my phone buzzing? No one knows my number, no one knows where I am".
ENTRY
Tap tap tapping, abruptly silent. Blue light of computer displays a dimly lit shack. Sleeping cot, rucksack, alerted dog on tattered old quilt smelling of wood smoke. Moonlit steam beckoning from beneath the door.
With the curiosity of a creative mind Steemian, stepping outside, is instantly transformed. The dog, whimpering, races...
ENTRY
I awoke to the sweet sound of nothing -- no train, racing motorcycles, general traffic, passing planes, noisy neighbours, barking dogs, not even birds! It was pure silence. Glorious silence.
I was enchanted with this peace until I realised its curious cause:
Every living thing was frozen in time -- except me.