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!
Team A
“Going Home”
“So this is what drowning feels like,” I thought.
With the impenetrable darkness surrounding me from all sides, the weight of the water began to press upon my bones as I hovered weightlessly in its depth. I knew the underwater cliff was poised before me less than five feet away, but there were no shades of this darkness, only black making everything around me seem like unmoving rock. Closing my eyes enticed a calmness to spread through me when I suddenly remembered to breathe through my mouthpiece. Taking the air in slowly I relished the fact that my lungs filled with air in usually an automatic fashion, but at this moment it was a precious breath, a freeing breath. No outside world could reach me in this peace.
A crackling came over my earphones.
“Why’d you turn the light off?”
“I didn’t,” I replied. “It just went out.”
After another static noise, Yohan replied, “Put your hand on the end of the light and give it a twist.”
Following his order obediently, my fingers walked to the round end of my light, gripping it before twisting. The brightness smacked my goggles as my eyes began to adjust to the absence of any rays. Swinging the flashlight slightly to the right allowed the beam to spread its reach along the cliff revealing the jutting rocks along its face. I spotted a sparkling reflection of light below the beam and turned to allow my flippers to float up behind my body for propulsion in hopes of finding the artifact I sought.
“I think I see tube about thirty meters to the right. Swimming now, but it looks partially stuck in some rocks,” I announced.
“Of course its stuck in some rocks, Kit. Just get our wire on it.”
I reached the two-foot-long metal tracking device that had wedged its three wings in a crevice with the round end angling downward. I removed the clip from my belt and attached it to the ring on the bottom of the tube.
“Okay, wire connected. Give it a gentle tug.”
When the wire pulled taught, the tube only moved a few inches to straighten up.
With only a wiggle of my flippers I swam a little upward to be ready to latch on when it came free.
“It moved. Go again.”
After a five second wait the wire pulled again, raising the nose of the device a few more inches but the wings remained caught.
“Hang on,” I said.
“Copy that. Hanging on.”
With my free hand I removed the wire grip and attached it to the cable lowering myself to be next to the tube. Since I would need both hands for this, I gave the light a gentle lift as I let go so it would float next to me. With both hands I gripped the nozzle of the tube to give it a hard twist which freed the wings as some loose rock which had helped keep it wedged jumped out like popcorn from an open hot pan.
One hand taking back the floating light, the other clasping the grip I had attached to the line I placed both flippers on the rock face for a forceful push away.
As I shut the light off, I looked upwards and stated, “Clear of the face, bring us home.”
While blackness was around me once again, my eyes were fixed above revealing the perfect glow of our destination, which was where both my boat, and my home resided. Much could be learned from the darkness, or better from how we act in that dark depth.
“Coming up at a constant, safe rate,” he replied. “And your light went out again. Pretty scary in the dark isn’t it. Kind of like drowning.”
“Actually,” I said, “I found it peaceful. That is until your voice shattered the silence.”
“Great, Darling. Bringing you home. Job well done.”
I’m afraid to scuba dive, so I read this with a little anxiety. LOL. Beautiful description. I really like it
Thanks Brenda. I have never been scuba diving. Really have no clue there. I am curious to know how dark it can get but I think you may have to go really deep for this to happen.
Wait so if we like accidentally post our stories as a comment here, will it count or be ignored?