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!
Kathy Saunders
Team A
So this is what drowning feels like.
Waves crashed over her. Water filled Destiny’s lungs as the panic set in.The sun fractured into distorted beams above her. She was sinking fast.
Yesterday was the last day of school. Destiny and her brother were eager to get out of the house after taking the hardest finals in their life.
To celebrate, their parents decided to take them to the beach.
The drive was amazing. Beautiful views. Cute boys skating down the road. Cute girls riding bicycles. The smell of saltwater to clear the dread of school. Everything this bookworm needed and more. It was perfect.
Leo spotted the ridge of jagged rocks that poked out of the water about one-hundred fifty feet from the shore. “Wanna make a bet? I bet I can beat you to that rock!” he teased.
Destiny didn’t even hesitate. She tossed her sunglasses toward her beach bag, tightened her ponytail, and grinned. “You’re on.”
She dove into the water head first. But, somewhere between the shore and the rocks, the water changed.
It began slowly. The current shifted which she hadn’t anticipated. She tried to correct her course, swimming back toward the rocks, but the current became more aggressive. Each stroke began to feel like a battle. She called out, but her voice died in the wind.
She kicked harder, but the current was relentless, dragging her sideways, Away from the rocky island. Away from the surface. Away from safety.A strange, paralyzing mix of anxiety and fear took hold. This couldn’t be happening! She was just a few strokes away. The shore wasn’t far. But the more she struggled, the more the ocean seemed to laugh and pull.
The saltwater rushed into her mouth, burning her throat. Her legs began to cramp. Panic set in fully now, wild and unthinking. She flailed, arms seeking purchase in the liquid void, lungs burning for oxygen.
Black spots danced in her vision. Her body, heavy with exhaustion and fear, began to sink. The sea embraced her like a lover now, possessive and cold. The sun, fractured above, shimmered one last time through the ripples as her head dipped beneath the surface.
But then—something shifted.
A memory surfaced: the time she fell off her bike when she was seven, and everyone told her to give up. She didn’t. She got back on. She had always fought. Fought for better grades, for her place on the soccer team, for her voice to be heard. This was no different. This was a fight for her life.
With one last desperate burst of energy, she kicked and clawed through the water. Her hand brushed something sharp and rough. Rocks. The outcrop. Her hands, her knees, her chest –all hurt—but she welcomed it. Pain meant she was still here. Still fighting.
Slowly, she pulled herself up. The rocks burned her skin. She collapsed onto them gasping and coughing. The waves still lapped angrily below, but they no longer had hold of her. The warmth of the sun seeped back into her bones.
Then, voices. Familiar, beloved voices.
“Destiny!” Leo cried with worry.
Breathless and frantic, “She’s over there!” her mother cried.
Her father’s voice boomed. “Destiny! We’re coming!”
She sat up, waving weakly, tears spilling down her cheeks. Relief broke over her like another wave, but this one didn’t pull—it carried her. She was alive. She was safe.
As her father swam toward her, powerful strokes parting the sea, Destiny watched him come and realized something had shifted inside her. She had faced death and fought her way back. The sea had tested her, and she had survived.
Later, back on the sand, wrapped in towels and love, Destiny looked out at the water. The same sea sparkled under the golden sun, beautiful and terrible all at once. She knew she’d never look at it the same way again.
But she also knew something else: she was stronger than she had ever imagined.
Wait so if we like accidentally post our stories as a comment here, will it count or be ignored?