Welcome to the first week of the Spring Writing Challenge!
We’re so excited to get started on these stories. It’s time to roll up your sleeves, set your fingers on your keyboard, and get writing. Will your story contain aliens? A prince in disguise? Maybe even a sweet summer romance? Whatever happens, we can’t wait to see what you come up with!
So, without further ado, here’s your very first prompt!
Week One Prompt – The Dialogue Prompt
“If you know something bad is going to happen, do you have to try and stop it?”
“I just got here.”
Wait…what’s a dialogue prompt?
A dialogue prompt is a conversation between two characters. It doesn’t matter who says it, or if it takes place in the beginning, middle, or end of your story. However, one character must say the first sentence, and the second character must respond with the second sentence.
Before you start writing, there are some important rules to follow.
Writing Rules
1. Please keep the content of the stories you post to a PG rating. Please avoid real curse words. Violence/fighting should be limited and purposeful. Please do not include any spice. Moderators may remove stories and comments for any reason at any time. Moderators may remove any member from the challenge at any time.
2. Your story must be 1,000 words or less, and must contain the prompt to be counted for the challenge. You’re not required to post it in order to “win” the challenge, but if you want it to count for your team, your story must be posted by Sunday at 11:59 PM ET, and you must include your team name.
It’s time to post your story as a comment down below! We can’t wait to see all the fun directions you guys take this dialogue prompt. If you have any questions, feel free to email us at info@writers.company!
Happy Writing!
Ava,
Your story was very well written! I enjoyed reading it! 👏
Melissa
Ooh, what a fun story, girl! Fantastic job!
Wow, this is beautifully written!
I love your writing style!
Wow, I’m very impressed. The worldbuilding here feels grounded and real, the characters fleshed out, and the prompt just flows so smoothly with the rest of the narrative. Great story here!
I hope this part of something larger. I was totally sucked in.
Thanks for sharing your work. 🙂 Enjoyable read.
great opening line!
Beautiful story! Great job!
Absolutely loved it
i NEED the rest of this asap! i would love this as a book series. its excellent! The world-building is so good. you did a great job. i especially love how the characters are already full of the knowledge of the world and there is no need for any one character to outright explain things. again, have i expressed how i literally want this in my life so much!
Great details! I was brought right into the world you built!
Such a fun story! Loved the comical banter between characters
Planning
Lucas Helm, Team A
Jimmy walked down the street, completely unsure of what he was doing. The mysterious envelope that had appeared on his kitchen table raised more questions than the letter inside answered. All that it contained was a time and an address. The address he was outside of at this moment, but as for the time; he was ten minutes late.
The street he walked down was a cold reminder of the harsh times in which they lived. Before Jimmy was born, the government had taken complete control over every aspect of their lives, but somehow some people still found hope. Jimmy was one of them. He prayed day in and day out that the Lord would change the hearts of the leaders and guide them to him. Many across the nation also prayed similarly, but all knew that whatever happened, they were in God’s hands.
Jimmy gingerly walked up to the house and knocked on the door. It cracked open slightly, allowing light to spill out onto the midnight street.
“Get in!” a harsh voice commanded as Jimmy was pulled through the door.
When Jimmy’s eyes adjusted to the sudden light, he could see four people huddled around a table. They were teenagers like himself, two boys and two girls. On the table was a map with many different chess pieces on it.
One of the girls turned to Jimmy and asked, “If you know something bad is going to happen, do you have to try and stop it?”
“I just got here.”
“Let me explain,” the boy who did not pull him through the door said, “We’ve received information about a convoy carrying food to a nearby town.”
“Okay,” Jimmy shrugged, “So what? The people need food somehow.”
“That’s the problem,” the burlier boy who had pulled Jimmy through the door grunted, “It won’t reach its destination.”
Jimmy’s head was swirling, “Okay, I don’t mean to be rude, but who are you people and what concern is this to us?”
“Us? You’re already associating yourself with the group? I told you I liked this guy Jerome,” the red haired girl who had not spoken up to this point said.
“Fine,” Jerome waved her off, “Then you explain it to him.”
“Gladly,” she smiled brightly at Jimmy, “For starters, I’m Emily, the one who pulled you through the door is Jerome, the other boy is Timothy, and the other girl is Sandra. We’re what we like to call freedom fighters, but you’d probably know us as what the government calls us: Cold blooded revolutionaries. You see, they take great offense to us spreading hope of a better future, so they use propaganda to make us look like villains. Terrible I know. To answer your second question, we’ve received notice that a defecting part of our network, now known as the thieves guild, has planned to attack the food convoy.”
“I still don’t see the problem,” Jimmy was more confused than ever.
“Neither do I, but Emily insisted we call the meeting,” Jerome rolled his eyes.
“The problem is that we have a chance to stop it,” She slammed her fist on the table.
Jerome lashed out, “Why should we? This is a good lesson to the government as to what it’ll cost them to continue like this!”
“But those people will starve otherwise!”
“It’s worth the cost for freedom in the future.”
“Ugh, fine. Jimmy, this is why we invited you. We’ve seen you lead your small group Bible study, and we know that you’re… Discerning. What do you say to do about our dilemma?”
Jimmy’s whole world had been turned upside down in a moment. He felt he was just trying to serve God the best he could, yet now he was presented with a monumental decision that could affect countless lives. Could he really make such a choice? Not knowing what else to do, he silently prayed for an answer.
“Well?” Jerome’s harsh voice cut through Jimmy’s conscience.
Jimmy breathed in deeply and then nodded, knowing what was to be done. “Christ has commanded us to care for those in need.”
“Yes,” Jerome yelled, “And caring for those would be to strike the government down!”
“No. That is not our place, at least not here and now. Jerome, you still have influences with the thieves guild, yes?”
“Yes,” Jerome looked away.
“Then you can get them to call off the attack. I don’t support the emperor, but I also don’t support taking away what little these people have. We must rely on God to carry out his plan, and there may be a time for action, but it is not this way.”
“Fine! Have it your way then, I’ll call off the attack. Just know when they continue to oppress us at every turn, you could’ve stopped it!” Jerome stormed out of the room.
Emily turned to Jimmy, “I’m proud of you. You did the right thing and standing up to Jerome can be frightening. I think you certainly have a place here. Can I count on you for our next meeting?”
Jimmy thought for a moment, “Yes, but before we dismiss, I have a plan to help even more.”
Quickly, plans were drawn up for something no one had thought of. A secret garden, one that could be used to feed those hungry. While that meeting wasn’t the victory the group was looking for, it was a victory in a much different and better way, and one that God used to his glory as he does all things.
I really liked that tension between two opposing ideals as shown with Jerome and Jimmy’s argument. Although I agree with Jimmy, I think it is important to also show another way of thinking since this is how the world we live in works. I also love that God can be seen at work in this crumbling society (not too far from our own), which desperately needs His hope.
I really liked your ending and the plan for the secret garden. Sometimes God’s plan is having people help themselves when they can’t rely on others. God always works things out.
An interesting resolution – a quiet revolution, planting seeds before taking arms. That made for a good twist.
To Change the World, by Ava Murbarger
P.S.- sorry I missed the meeting, we were out of town. I hope to be at the next one!!
The sky was bleeding again.
Rust-colored clouds hung over the City like bruises, pulsing faintly. Rael kept her eyes fixed on them, one hand on the rail of the Watchers’ Tower. Her gloves were too thin. The steel was cold enough to bite.
Behind her, a door creaked open.
“You’re late,” she said without turning.
Boots scraped against the stone. A new recruit, probably. They sent one every week now. Fresh eyes, fresh loyalty.
“I got lost,” the boy said. He sounded too young to carry the badge. Too soft to hold a blade. “Sorry.”
She turned and looked at him.
Dust-colored coat, too long in the sleeves. Wide eyes. Not from the City, then. One of the Outer Rings. Maybe even farther. She sighed.
“If you know something bad is going to happen,” she said, “do you have to try and stop it?”
The boy blinked. “I just got here.”
“Well, obviously.” She crossed her arms.
He shifted nervously on his feet.
Rael turned back to the cityscape. “The answer is yes, by the way. At least, if you’re cursed with a conscience.”
He joined her at the rail. Together they watched the distant flicker of drones weaving patterns in the smog. A red warning rune glowed briefly on the horizon, then faded. Rael knew what it meant. The Reclamation Agents were moving again. Soon, another neighborhood would vanish.
“Why do you do this?” the boy asked.
She laughed without humor. “Because no one else will. Because the High Council stopped caring two winters ago. Because someone has to.”
A long pause. Then, “Is it true the Watchers can see the future?”
“We read the signs,” she said. “Patterns in weather. Seismic anomalies. Political shifts. The Council says it’s superstition.” She paused. “But when the streets burn exactly seven hours after the rats vanish, over and over again, you stop calling it chance.”
He was silent. Good. Maybe he was listening.
“You said you got lost. But you still came up here. Why?”
“I heard the bells.” He hesitated. “They said you can’t hear them unless you’re meant to.”
Rael glanced at him. The brass bell on the tower hadn’t rung in years. She narrowed her eyes.
“Name?”
“Wren.”
“That’s not your real name.”
“It is now.”
She smirked. “Fine, Wren. Welcome to Watcher’s Hill. Welcome to the losing side.”
Another alarm rune lit the smog. Closer this time.
Rael pulled her scope from her belt and scanned the eastern edge of the city. “Sector Four. They’re burning the food lines again.”
“That’s the second time this week,” Wren said quietly.
She lowered the scope. “Third.”
He didn’t speak for a long time. Then he said, “My sister was there.”
Rael’s fingers tightened around the rail. She didn’t ask if the girl had survived. That wasn’t the kind of world they lived in anymore.
Instead, she reached into her coat and handed Wren a folded map, inked with lines and red X’s.
“There’s a storm tunnel under the old trainyard,” she said. “It’s not on any schematics, and it’ll get you to Sector Four faster than any street. But it’s dark. And crawling.”
Wren took the map with trembling fingers. “Why are you helping me?”
Rael looked at him, really looked. The wide eyes weren’t wide with fear, not completely. It was fire. Just hidden under the ash.
“Because sometimes the only thing worse than seeing the future,” she said softly, “is doing nothing to change it.”
Wren nodded. His jaw set. “Then I’ll go.”
Rael watched as he turned, vanishing back into the tower’s dark. When the door slammed shut behind him, the bell gave a soft chime. Just once.
And far below, the wind began to shift.