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New 50-word story prompt, plus an announcement

Jayna Locke
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It’s time for the 50-word challenge weekly summary and launch of a new prompt. I’ll provide links to the full collection of 50-word stories from last week and highlight a few excellent gems. But first… an announcement.

Announcement!

I am on vacation for a week in a tiny remote town in California that has no internet. (Actually, it does, in one spot, outside a little community center that supports the town’s youth. Which is great because I intended to post this before traveling, and with one thing and another, I wasn’t able to, so here I am sitting on a rough wooden bench amidst golden hills dotted with cows. I digress.)

The writing must go on! So. I will provide a prompt in this post, but I may be very delayed in responding to story submissions and posting the new prompt next week. Thank you in advance for your patience!

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(Image credit: Original image by pixel2013, Pixabay)

Last week’s 50-word stories

I’d like to welcome our newest contributors, @felixgarciap, @henry-gant, and @gmatthe2. Thanks for joining the Fifty Worders!

Last week’s prompt was “break.”

Here is the complete list of stories inspired by the “break” prompt:

If I missed yours, please let me know and I will add it! I always try my best to list them all, but I do occasionally miss one.

Highlights of the week

Each week I highlight a few of the stories from the previous week, to shine a light on the lovely little world of 50-word stories.

How do I choose the highlights, you might ask? Well, the true confession is that it is overall a rather subjective process, but it is based on my many many years as a writer and editor, and my love of the wonder and magic of great storytelling.

When I read a micro-fiction story, I want to see that the author took time to make every word count. I want to be emotionally moved, amused or surprised by the storytelling, to feel that there is a world beyond this microcosm I am witnessing, or a little cayenne dash of inspiration or insight about a moment in time or an event in history. And I want to see proper grammar and punctuation, because that tells me the writer really cared and took the time to edit the piece.

Does it have to be perfect? No. I am not perfect, and I am not looking for perfection. And I know that people bring vastly different writing abilities, language skills and even knowledge of English to the table. So perfection is not what I am looking for.

Also, I try to highlight multiple writers. It would be easy for me to always pick the experienced writers who have the special powers to pull all those special things together — the voice, the storytelling, the editing, and the emotional impact. But I want to highlight emerging writers too, who also put real heart into their writing and share it with a mixture of trepidation and pride.

In short, the “highlights” are just that. It’s always so hard because there are many lovely and deserving stories that emerge from the weekly prompt. The stories I choose are just a sampling. They may not even be the best, in a technical sense, but they are captivating and full of soul.

With that said, there are just a few delicious picks from last week.

Alone on the Sea, by @gmatthe2

In this lyrical story, we get a glimpse into what it might be like to be a cast-away.

Adrift, lips dry, the weather breaks and rain falls down.

A day passes. A night. Light dim and directionless moves through the fog that curls off the water. A necromancer’s potion.

In the distance a bell sounds. Again closer. Your heart beats. You draw your breath.

Lost to the Sea, by @aksounder

I couldn’t help choosing the two stories from last week about drama on the sea, as they are both amazing and so different in perspective.

Storm-strained sails threatened to break the mast. Olandir remained resolute. A surge knocked him to the deck.

Clouds rolled overhead, mirroring the darkness of the tossing sea where Rán eagerly spread her net below. Olandir reached out for the helm.

This attempt to round the cape would be his last.

Broken Innocence, by @therosepatch

This story’s author explores the effects of damage to the human spirit from a unique viewpoint.

Paul swung the rock down on the chain with as much force as his restraints allowed. Twenty years in this hell-hole. He was innocent, dammit!

He swung again. Why didn’t they believe him?

One more strike. The chain broke at last.

He’d show them just how guilty he could be.

The Break, by @thinknzombie

This author does many things in this little micro fiction piece, including exploring the difficulties occurring between two people in a relationship. But it’s not just any two people. They are actively involved in a heist. But she has a separate agenda. Be sure to read the wonderful description @thinknzombie provided of his editing process.

Cassandra spun the dial.
“You done yet?” Joel never believed in her. “Security. Two minutes tops.”
A few more turns…
He sighed. “Time. I’m leaving.”
His footsteps faded just as the safe opened.
Pocketing the gems, she checked her watch. Thirty seconds.
Time enough to escape from security. And Joel.

What Could Possibly Go Wrong? by @preparedwombat

In this story, the author takes a humorous look at the story behind a famous mythological tale. I won’t give it away.

“Your greatgreatgrandpa Dora’s chest must have been in the attic a hundred years. Find anything interesting in it?”

“Mostly junk, except for this cool looking box.”

“Whoa. A wax seal. Stamped ‘Pan’. What’s a Pan?”

“His second wife’s name. Met her in Athens.”

“Break the seal. Let’s see what’s inside.”

Wonderful work, my friends!

This week’s 50-word story prompt

The prompt for this week is “shade.” On your mark, get set, go Fifty Worders. I look forward to seeing what you do with this prompt.

Guidelines

Please review carefully. Images must follow the *Proper use of images* guidelines below.

  1. Write a story in 50 words. (It’s especially cool if you can hit 50 words exactly!)
  2. Use the #fiftywords tag, and **post the link in the comments of this post**.
  3. Be sure to read and upvote the work of the other participants. It’s all about community!
  4. Use only artwork that you have the right to use, and attribute it properly. See the following guidelines.

Proper use of images

Proper use of images means one of the following:

  1. The image is public domain, or under creative commons licensing rules.
  2. It is your own image.
  3. If it is not one of the above, you must have actual permission.

Be sure to properly attribute the image’s source or mention that the image is yours. And if it’s not public domain, under creative commons license, or your own image, be sure to state that you have permission.

I have two resources for you, from my friends at @thewritersblock:

* Image licensing, by @rhondak

* Creative Commons Resource Library, by @therosepatch

And speaking of @thewritersblock, if you would like editing help for your stories before posting them, follow #thewritersblock tag to find them on Discord.

Deadline for this week: Saturday, July 21st.

The 50-word story clan

I’m mentioning you here if have participated in the #fiftywords short story challenge in the past. Please let me know if you would like your tag removed in this or future posts. (Note that I do trim the list. Those who have not participated for a long time or are not active on Steemit will eventually drop from the mentions.)

@ablaze, @adigitalife, @aggroed, @agmoore, @ahmadmanga, @akdx, @aksounder, @alexandered, @alheath, @anikekirsten, @anixio, @anonymummy

@bagpuss, @beginningtoend, @bex-dk, @blueteddy, @botefarm @brandonsadventur, @bryarose23

@caleblailmusik, @carn, @cheekah, @cizzo, @clacrax, @creatr

@damianjayclay, @deirdyweirdy, @desmoniac, @diebitch, @dirge, @divineinyang, @donnest

@eaglespirit, @elementm, @emwalker, @enjar, @eroticabian, @esttyb, @evgsk

@feebie, @felixgarciap, @felt.buzz, @ficciones, @foxfiction, @foxyspirit

@galactichunter, @gaming-stuff, @girlbeforemirror, @gmatthe2

@happyhairdays, @henry-gant

@iamthegray, @isa93

@jadams2k18, @janine-ariane, @jakeybrown, @jasminearch, @jayna, @jluvs2fly, @jonknight, @josecarrasquero, @joyyrush

@kaelci, @kally, @khadija14, @kimberlylane, @ktfabler

@ldacey-laforge, @lightoj, @liverussian, @lucylin, @luiskrupaz

@Mammasitta, @marie-jay, @mark-dahl, @mgaft1, @mineopoly, @miniature-tiger, @mizdais, @momzillanc, @mydivathings

@navaneeth, @negativer, @niallon11

@olakunle10

@paintingangels, @papacrusher, @phillyc, @pixiehunter, @poeticnest, @preparedwombat, @prydefoltz, @puppetmaster1111, @purpledaisy57, @pyrowngs

@ravencorinn, @riottales, @rodrigocabrera, @roxy-cat

@sharoonyasir, @spalatino, @sue-stevenson, @sukhasanasister

@tanglebranch, @thatlovechild, @theblackcrow, @theironfelix, @therosepatch, @thinknzombie, @tiatu, @tinkerrose, @tuwore, @tygertyger

@vaitelavicius, @vdux, @vivek-g

@wa2qr, @wales, @whitelite, @wylde

@zen-art

About the 50-word challenge

This weekly 50-word challenge starts off each Sunday with a one-word prompt. Participants use the prompt to create a micro-fiction story in just 50 words. For more info and inspiration: check out the recent post about this project, [Fifty-word challenge: FAQs, ideas, motivation and showcase](https://steemit.com/fiftywords/@jayna/fifty-word-challenge-faqs-ideas-motivation-and-showcase).

Thanks so much for reading! If you haven’t yet written a story in 50 words, try it. It’s a really amazing challenge to see what can unfold in a mere 50 words!

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