Welcome to Week Three! Can you believe we’re at the halfway mark for the challenge?
You all did so well with your stories last week! There were so many interesting and unique ways you interpreted the prompt. It’s now the third week, so it’s time to do it again! Will your story have aliens? Zombies? Maybe it’ll have a dragon in it! Whatever you decide, we can’t wait to see what you come up with.
So, without further ado, here’s your next prompt!
Week Three Prompt – The Starting Sentence Prompt
Write a story that starts with the
following sentence: So this is what drowning feels like.
Wait…what’s a “Starting Sentence” prompt?
A sentence prompt is a prompt that uses a particular sentence. It doesn’t matter where your story takes place, who’s in it, or what’s said. The only thing that matters is that your story must start with this sentence: So this is what drowning feels like.
Before you start writing, we have some important rules for you 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.
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.
Remember to scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and post your story as an “answer” to this question, not a “comment”. 🙂 You’re all doing such a great job! I’m so proud of all the stories you’ve posted.
Happy Writing!
Will you notice if someone is like 1-25 words over the 1000 word limit (asking for a friend hahaha)
what if i accidently posted my story as a comment last week lol? does it still count?
Hey Izzy and Ava,
If you accidentally post your story as a comment instead of an answer, you should get an email to alert you! It will still count for points for your team, but no one will be able to vote for it.
And, to answer your question for your friend 😉 As far as word count, for your story to count for the challenge, it does need to be 1,000 words or under. Great questions!
The Storm Within Me – By EmJW (Team One)
So this is what drowning feels like. The storm deep inside the cracks of my mind needed only one trigger for the rain to pour into every space in me, yet the emotions refused to be released as much as I wished they could.
“Ok, I need you to be quiet right now, you are not helpful.”
My mind was already in its darkened state. Hurtful words I’ve only said to myself that lash around the darkness of my mind, yet now someone has verbalized what I always thought. I’m a burden. I deserve all the anger towards myself for making my friend feel the way she does now. I’m not helpful to anyone. I’m just a burden for someone to carry when I come through.
“Ok, I need you to be quiet right now, you are not helpful.”
She didn’t know the storm that brewed in the edges of my mind, or how her words tore the veil that kept it at bay. Now my tears poured inside me, filling my lungs so I had no ability to speak without giving away the hurtful impact. So I excused myself from the grey and blue cafeteria room to the bland hallways beyond. The team could figure out how to fix the schedule without me. After all, I was not needed.
“Ok, I need you to be quiet right now, you are not helpful.”
I could feel the tears press against the back of my eyes while my lungs pleaded for a chance to breathe, but the storm would not break through. This was it. I pleaded, Dear God, please let me cry. I don’t think I can hold these emotions any longer. Please just let me cry, I know that will make me feel better.
I stood by the wall next to the cafeteria doors, waiting and hoping for the tears to come. Yet there was no forcing them. It felt like seconds went by for eternity–
“Hey, are you ok?”
I looked up to see two young girls from the Immigrant and Refugee summer program walking over to me. Both with concerned looks on their faces. Here I was, supposed to be helping them by organizing fun activities for them to do, and God sent them to help me instead. I do not know which one of them said that question, but in that moment, the storm broke through. Tears poured out of my eyes and over my cheeks as I shook my head in response, and I could breathe.
“What happened?” the girl with long dark hair asked, whom I believed also asked the first question.
“Just something somebody said was hurtful, but they didn’t mean it that way,” I said, not wanting to go into detail. I didn’t want to let this moment turn me more into a miserable human being by saying hurtful things behind that lady’s back. The emotions were all around tense in that group back in the cafeteria when the schedule needed to be changed on the spot, which is a prime motivation for Satan to release hurtful words through anyone present.
The two girls didn’t press any further, but instead offered a trip to the bathroom to get a tissue since they were heading that direction anyway. I accepted, knowing I needed to break and have a chance to say thank you when the words could come back.
Though I may find moments in my life where the storm may pour and lash out inside me till I’m drowning, I can look back at this moment knowing the Father will break through the storm so I can breathe. Even if it simply is someone saying, “Are you ok?”
Thanks for sharing your work. It’s so hard to put work out there. Congrats!
Wait so if we like accidentally post our stories as a comment here, will it count or be ignored?