New Challenge Ideas

Vocal has 48 Communities, as of last count (49, if my suggested Chronic, for Disability- and Health-Issue-centric stories ever gets past the admins), yet many of them are sadly under-represented in Vocal Challenges.

That’s almost enough for one community per week for an entire year. More, if you account for themed weeks like Halloween, Pride, Juneteenth, New Year, Mothers/Fathers Day, Book Week, etc. We could even skip Fiction and Poets, given the amount of action those two communities regularly see.

With that in mind, and because my challenge suggestions never seem to get picked up, I sat down and wrote up a challenge for each Community.

If Vocal doesn’t pick them up, feel free to take them as inspiration for a community you’ve never written in.

There is the option to do these challenges speed-run style: 3-4 days between challenges, with the first challenge open for a week. 1 week for judging, for a turnaround time of 2 weeks.

Alternatively, medium pace is 1 week between challenges, 2 weeks for judging.

Slow-mode is 10 days - 2 weeks between challenges, 2 weeks for judging, should Vocal feel particularly like torturing us.

01

AI is here. What are your opinions on AI, and how can it be used ethically? If you could introduce one law or regulation about AI, what would it be?

Art

Challenge includes a number of paintings from different periods (Renaissance, Baroque, Impressionist, Modern, Post-Modern). Use them to tell a story.

Beat

Write a story using a ballad as a guideline. Free-range, or Vocal can provide a list of songs to be used as the guideline.

OPTIONAL: to be Dolly Parton themed, in honour of that great lady’s memory.

Blush

Write a story about your opinion of beauty standards, for men or women. Do you agree or disagree with them? What good or harm do they cause?

BookClub

Write about a book you enjoyed as a child. What made you fall in love with it, and how do you feel about it looking back?

Chapters

Write the Epilogue of your novel. It should reference characters and events that took place in the novel, but not rely on them entirely. Max limit: 1000 words.

Cleats

What makes Football or Soccer the best sport? Share your love of the game with us.

Confessions

What is your biggest struggle right now? What is stopping you from resolving it? What is your next step?

Criminal

Write a piece about a crime that you think shouldn’t be a crime. Tell us about the history that made it a crime in the first place, and why you believe it no longer applies.

Critique

Share a piece that you want feedback on. Go into detail about what kind of feedback. Do you need help with the plot? The characters? Are you stuck on how to end it?

Earth

What do you think is the biggest environmental concern right now? How did it come about and what can be done to fix it? (Eat the Rich is not an answer)

Education

What’s something you wish you learned in school, but never did? Why didn’t you learn it then, and how did you learn it later in life? How do you think education can be improved for future generations?

Families

Write a letter to a deceased family member, or one you have no contact with. What do you wish you could tell them, even though you never will?

Feast

What’s a recipe everyone should know, but probably doesn’t?

Along with Winners, Runner-ups and Honourable mentions, an additional 25 recipes will be selected for inclusion in a charity cookbook for food-insecure families.

But wait, there’s a catch! You can only submit once. Make it count!

Fiction

(I almost want to leave this out; there have been so many fiction challenges recently...)

Write a fiction story about overcoming a challenge.

Filthy

This is a two-for-one, because if five minutes on the internet and the Bad Fiction Awards have taught me anything, it's that some people should not be allowed near sex scenes...

Option 1: Write a steamy story. Go full Smut. Readers should be reaching for a cold glass of water after the first paragraph.

Option 2: Write about the mechanics of a good steamy scene. What makes it good? What do you wish adult romance included more of? What takes you out of the story?

Futurism

We've had enough of living in Very Interesting Times. Write a speculative piece that takes a hopeful look into the future of our world.

FYI

Pick an interesting fact, and follow it through History. What is the first documented instance of this thing that you could find? Is it younger or older than you first thought? How do you think it will develop in the future?

Gamers

Tell us about your favourite video game and what makes it so great. You can focus on the gaming community, the development and production of the game, or any other aspect that made you fall in love with the game.

Geeks

Pop-Culture focus.
What is an aspect of Pop Culture that you'd change if you could. Why, and what would you replace it with? How do you think the culture got to this point?

History

Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Pick a current event, and compare it to a historical event. Outline the similarities, and why you think History is repeating itself.

Horror

What elements make for a good Horror Story? It it suspense, or a sudden twist?

OPTIONAL: in honour of Tim Curry, who made villainy delightful

Humans

What is the most important thing in a relationship? Reflect on what keeps a relationship going, and what key thing is lacking that makes a relationship end.

Humor

Tell a joke. It can be a pun, a dad joke, a man walks into a bar, anything. Be sure to include what makes it funny to you.

Interview

Interview someone famous. Twist: they have to be dead. Quotes and sources are encouraged.

Journal

List the pros and cons of where you work or volunteer. How could it be improved? What do the do right?

Lifehack

Without confessing to crimes on the internet, what is a life hack that everyone needs to know? From everyday skills to job interview success tips, we are here to learn!

Longevity

Share your tips for a healthy life. Whether it’s healthy recipes, ways to reduce stress, or how to make daily exercise not suck, we await your wisdom.

Marriage

Marriage is both a personal decision and a social construct.
For this challenge, explain whether or not you think Marriage is a good thing, and why. How has your opinion changed over time?

Men

Write a story describing something traditionally or stereotypically masculine that you don't vibe with. Something that everyone claims is part of being a man that just never sat right with you.

Motivation

The world has enough negativity. Describe a moment when someone went out of their way to be kind.

It could be you stopping to help a stranger, or witnessing someone else be kind. Making the world a better place, one step at a time.

PetLife

Tell us about your fur babies!

What part of pet ownership were you unprepared for? What advice would you give people considering a new pet?

Photography

Pick the 5th-last photo in your library, and tell us about it.

Where were you when you took the photo? What about that moment made you stop and pull out your camera?

Poets

(Another one I thought about skipping, due to how over-represented it's been in Challenges lately)

Freestyle: Tell us about your favourite type of poem, but you have to do it in your chosen style.

Example
Addictive Haikus
Something to do with nature
And another thing

Potent

What is one fact about Cannabis or Marajuana that people misunderstand, and you would like to correct? Why do you think people get it so wrong?

Pride

Write about a person who made their mark on the Pride Community. It can be the leaders of the Stonewall Riots, the organisers of the first Pride March, or someone who may or may not have been LGBTQ+, but advocated for them, or otherwise had an measurable impact on the Rainbow Community.

Proof

From Top Shelf beverages to Happy Hour affordability, tell us why alcohol is such an important part of shaping culture. Don’t be afraid to explore the dark sides, as well as the benefits

Psyche

Mental health is just as important as Physical health. Tell use how you manage yours.

Serve

It's not all glory and fighting and medals. Tell us about the day-to-day, the struggles and the sacrifices.

Styled

Pick a fashion trend from any country or time period, and explain what made it great, as well as why it died out.

Chain

A lot of people decry Cryptocurrancy as a scam, but are they correct? Tell us why or why not.

Swamp

Politics can be a tricky subject to navigate. This challenge isn't about taking sides, but trying to find common ground. Write about an issue you think could be bipartisan, and how you would resolve it.

Trader

Everyone is doing it tough right now. Write a piece about your biggest cost-of-living concerns, and financial tips for dealing with them.

Unbalanced

What sports do you enjoy, either as a participant or a spectator? What makes them so great? Share your love of the sport with us.

Viva

Write a story describing something traditionally or stereotypically feminine that you don't vibe with. Something that everyone claims is part of being a woman that just never sat right with you.

Wander

Bucket List Challenge!

What is one place you’d love to go, or holiday you’d like to take? What draws you to it and do you think expectations will live up to reality? If you’ve already been, what makes you want to go back?

Wheel

What is it about cars and other automobiles that makes them such a passion for you? Tell us about what you think is the best car ever built.

Writers

Write about the art of writing. It can be a trope that always seems to be misunderstood, a popular plot point that you'd like to see done differently, how to grow a character or plot out a story arc... anything. Give advice, or just rant away, it's up to you.