Submit a Short Story!

     In the event that you all wanted a short story about a scene I drew, I decided that y'all could submit short stories instead! I brought the idea up and got 4 yeses! So here are the rules :)

1. You have write anywheres between 100-2000 words. You could go for 5000, but don't feel pressured!

2. You have to write about the scene I've drawn. It can be anything, but whatever you see about this scene that creates words, put it in! Mention the girl; the mysterious bag; the location (seriously, what's she doing up the mountains on that path?); the hand; and did you notice her ears?

and most importantly

3. Have fun.

The Deadline: A few of y'all were uncertain if y'all would have time to write a story. So, firstly, I hope the scene has given you an idea so you know what to write instead of meandering over an idea for the story.
Secondly, I decided that since you weren't sure you'd have time, I'm going to give you 3 1/2 months to write a short story. If you really are hard-pressed for time, I can give you longer. Just let me know!

After some consideration, I decided to have a winner! I will have my family read the stories and judge which ones they like best. The winner shall receive a choice of

A survival bracelet -any color; it can be one color, two colors, or multi-colored
This is just an example, of course. Mine are a little more colorful...

A duck tape wallet -mustache, purple, LSU or Saints football, owl- so much more! look here for reference. and keep scrolling, there's lots)
This isn't mine, I just saw it and it was pretty much what mine looks like, minus the trees and birds... ;)

or

a lanyard! Basically, a knitted lanyard with a ring for your keys. It's round, like rope, and multi-colored yarn, but I can do any color you like.
 
Ha ha it's a pretty weird winners choice, but it's what I make. :)

The winner's story will go up first, and everyone else's will go up one at a time afterwards. The swag you get for it will be mentioned at the end of every story!
Okay, so remember, you have 3 1/2 months to work on your story. Whenever you're done, email it to thewriterofponderings@gmail.com with the subject as Short Story Submission. Don't forget to add your name so I know who it's from!

I think that's it! If you have an questions about the contest, feel free to ask and I'll reply as soon as I can! :)

Here's the picture for you to write about:

click to enlarge

I tried scanning it, but it kept cutting out the weird/mysterious arm...I had added a tree in front of that wall where the arm disappears, but it doesn't mean anything. I just felt like telling you.

Savo'lass a lalaith, and Happy Writing!

-The Writer

Solving the Little Mysteries

Yesterday I was randomly writing, when I thought, “I’ll draw something instead."
     I like to draw characters with the wind howling around them, leaves spraying here and there, and soon, I had drawn a scene.
      Not any particular scene, but you could make a story out of it. You can make a story out of anything, really.
     But the thing about the picture is that there are so many unsolved mysteries in it.

Who is the girl?

What is she doing?

What is she holding?

Why does she give that look?

Whose arm is that? What is it doing?

Where is she?

What is the place she is in?

What’s happening?


How do we solve these mysteries?
     The answer: Ask yourself questions and answer them.
     In stories, the reader needs to know what’s happening. It can’t just happen, even though you understand; the reader doesn’t!
     Who is your character? What is her goal?
     What does she hold that is dear to her?

     What are is the turmoil inside of her? How does she feel about whoever she’s with, what’s happening right now?
      What is your obstacle character, your antagonist? What are they doing to be who they are?
      All this is good to know. But, we do like a look at the scenery. Not too descriptive; you’ll bore the reader.
      What is happening right now? Why does the protagonist find themselves in this situation?
      Don’t skip over a mystery, you need to solve it or the reader might not understand. You don’t want your reader asking all these questions, because they don’t have the answer. You do. It’s your book.

     You don’t want to be overly detailed, either. Seriously, no one wants to know that the backpack that carries the map has intricate figurines stitched on the side, and a pocket in the front with a double zipper carrying the key to the chest. Also, a latch for the light brown, leather cover so the map doesn’t spill out.
     That’s just not going to cut it.
     Also, don't mention something particular if you're not going to use it later on; it could be a mystery you solve later on. It might even be the character just looking around.
     'She glanced down and saw he was holding an object of a curious size. She tried to figure out what it was, but nothing came to her mind. It was a small, glowing object with little indentations.'
     Either I'm going to use this object later in the story, or the character is avoiding something and putting her mind on other things. I'm not just randomly throwing it in there. (actually I am for the post, but that's not important)
     
     You get what I'm saying? These are things I'm trying to work on; not being overly detailed and mentioning things I'm not going to use. I do this quite often and my sister is constantly telling me, "Seriously, what is up with that?"

     My brother came up with the question thing. When you get stuck in one part, ask yourself all sorts of questions, answer them, and use that to help you along. It's worked for me once, and I'm sure it could work again.

     Anyhow, I hope y'all enjoyed the last Wednesday Wonder! I got a lot of delightful comments, and Clara has replied to every one of them, so if you commented check back for a reply! We had quite a bit of fun. :)

Savo'lass a lalaith,

-The Writer