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Writing Challenges
These are word challenges, short stories and poems I wrote for some fun, online writing competitions. They were lots of fun to do and I hope you enjoy them!
Short Poem/Word Challenges
A Limerick :: Challenge was to write a Limerick with the name of the place I live. A limerick is a rhyming, humorous and often nonsensical, five-line poem. The first, second and fifth lines rhyme (forming a triplet), and have the same number of syllables. The third and fourth lines rhyme (forming a couplet), and have the same number of syllables. Limericks often begin with the words: "There once was. . ." or "There was a. . ."
Angel Beads :: Challenge was to write a 5 line poem using at least 6 of these 8 words: angel, beads, turkey, chocolate, stones, paper, Kleenex, frog.
Bellboy Farmer :: Challenge was to write a poem (8 lines max) or a paragraph (200 words max) using the following words: bellboy, bread, backseat, envelope, farmer, needle, racecar.
Cherry Coke Love Bug :: Challenge was to write a 5 line poem using the following words: LoveBug, ocean, nailpolish, cherry coke.
Dear Diary :: Challenge was to write a "Dear Diary" entry (any format) using these 10 (exact) words: flower, waiting, iridescent, gray, grain, ponder, trickle, alabaster, autumn, light.
Dewdrop Glistening :: Challenge was to write in 250 words or less, a poem or short story using all of these words: bliss, darkness, dewdrop, effervescence, sorrow, windowpane.
Diamante (Diamond) Poem :: Challenge was to write a Diamante (diamond) poem. Instructions on writing a Diamante are included.
Diamond Eyes :: Challenge was to write a 4 line poem using the following words - Lagoon, Child, diamond, Valley.
Dreaming of You :: Challenge was to write a letter to a missed loved one with the theme, "Dreaming of You".
Friday the 13th :: Challenge was to write a Dear Diary entry (as entry or poetry form) about Friday the 13th, using all ten of these words: rhapsody, midnight, trepidation, suspended, quest, superstition, time, reflection, absence, infinite.
I'd Love to Be... :: Challenge was to write a short poem beginning with one of the following lines: "I'd love to live in ______" or "I'd love to be ______".
The Intruder :: Challenge was to look in the mirror and write an 8-line poem about one of my facial features.
Late Departure :: Word Challenge was to choose ten words from the list below and write something using those ten words in your writing. (I uses all fifteen): plane, departure gate, rush, luggage, rain, ticket, traffic, seat, child, book, coffee, regret, home, smile, achievement.
Nukes :: Challenge was to write a poem in any style about "one thing, if you had the power to change in the world today and accomplish this at the snap of a finger".
Passion > Love :: Challenge was to write a Cinquain poem. Details about writing a Cinquain included.
Phantom Leaves :: Challenge was to write a short poem with the use of Alliteration in each line. Alliteration is the repetition of the same or similar sounds at the beginning of words such as tongue twisters like 'She sells seashells by the seashore'.
Reverberate :: Challenge was to write a 4 line poem using the word reverberate.
Scent Challenge :: This challenge was to write about a smell, aroma or fragrance or a combination of lots of smells and the memory it brings to mind.
Spring Snow :: Challenge was to write a 4 line poem using at least 6 of these 8 words: spring, snow, winds, flowers, green, rain, trees, bike.
Tongue Twister :: Challenge was to write a tongue-twister.
Valentine Limerick :: Challenge: Write a Limerick about Valentine's Day using the following six words only once each, having created the second set of three words by making one new four letter word from the first set of three words: SET ONE: heart, valentine, romance. SET TWO: heat, vine, roam.
Valiant One :: Challenge was to write an 8-line poem using all 10 of these words: harmony, infant, gravity, messenger, brilliant, soldier, darkness, companion, pompous, enemy.
Walking Through Illusion :: Challenge was to write a spine poem (an acrostic with a spine phrase) using the title of a book, movie or song that's at least 4 words long.
Warm Kiss :: Challenge was to write a double Cinquain poem. Details about writing a Cinquain included.
Winter Whispers :: Challenge was to write a Japanese Tanka, 5-7-5-7-7 syllable form, to include these three words: edge, restless and soul. Details about Tanka included.
Short Stories
Daniel's Rose :: Challenge was to write about confusion with an eight-year-old adopted boy as the main character and a rose as the key object, set in a bus station. I won the Third Place award for it!
The Freedom Box :: Challenge was to write a story that ends with the sentence: "She touched the little box in her pocket and smiled to herself." I won an Honorable Mention Award for this one!
Good Things Come in Large Packages :: The theme for this short story challenge was open (to write about whatever we wanted). I WON THE FIRST PLACE AWARD FOR IT!
Joy of Spring ~ A New Perspective :: The theme for this short story challenge was to write a story about Spring told in the first person from the perspective of a sunflower. I WON THE FIRST PLACE AWARD FOR IT!
Reunited :: The theme for this challenge was "Twist of Fate". I was awarded Honorable Mention for it!
All of these are Written & Owned by Brenda Barnhart. Copyright © 2004 Brenda Barnhart. All Rights Reserved.
