Share Your Ideas to Shape the Future of Vocal Challenges

Horror/Fiction: Horror story in which the paranormal characters (ghosts, ghouls, etc.) are the "normal" characters, and humans are the creepy antagonists. Confessions: Something you didn't mean to do or did while you were upset that ultimately turned out well. (Ex: I was joking about proposing, but now we've been happily married for 10 years, and I definitely can't tell my spouse.) Education: The paper/assignment you worked the hardest on and ultimately received a terrible grade OR the assignment that you barely worked on at all that received the highest mark. Families: A parenting technique that your parents did that you swore you would never do, but then eventually did (that either did or didn't work). Gamers: Guilty pleasure video game you hide from your friends OR a game widely accepted as terrible but you absolutely love Marriage: The best and/or worst moment of your wedding, reception, etc. Styled: Your best and/or worst fashion choices at different life phases Pride: Something similar to the "After the Parade" challenge last year, but as prose instead of verse (or maybe even fiction).

I previously suggested a challenge for a poem with a hidden message, and it seems a new similar challenge came out which is good, but I was wondering if you can bring out a challenge later where the hidden message can be set by the writer (e.g. I wrote a haiku within a poem, but it was related to the overall subject). I think that would be a funny and actually challenging challenge

Of Write down what you believe, because whether what you believe is true or false, you will always get results.

It a great work

Create 10 original memorable quotes about - love - Home - music - hope - education - life - writing - hate - friendship -marriage - flowers - Death - reading - traveling - dating Etc

Write a story all about a birthday. It’s not just another candle on the cake. The birthday would change someone’s life or make someone see them differently. Maybe they inherit a trust fund, or it’s the day they find out a secret. Maybe it’s a deadline to achieve a goal they set. Could be your birthday. Could be someone else’s. Could be a famous person’s. The story could be from any genre about anything. It’s wide open for interpretation but the birthday must be central to the story and change something significant in their lives.

I'd like a MEGA challenge with several rounds. Here is how I think it could work: - Everyone submits a story as an application for the challenge. The criteria would be really broad, like fiction between 600 and 2000 words. Only one entry each. You just submit your best and hope the judges like it. Could just be for members, or maybe non-members would need to pay a small fee. This is like a knock out round, or a winnowing. Those who are good enough pass on to round 1. - Round 1: the judges split the entrants into, say, four groups. Or maybe six (depending on how many entries). Each group is randomly assigned a genre, (say, Sci-fi & Fantasy, Horror, Thriller/Mystery, Romance) and a prompt connected to that genre. The winner, second place, and runners up move on to round 2. - Round 2: This time the genres cycle, so, whoever got sci-fi in the last round gets Fantasy in this one, and whoever got Fantasy now gets Horror. New prompts issued for each one. Winner, second place and a much smaller number of runners up move on to the next round. - Round 3: the genres cycle again (no group gets the same one twice). New prompts. Fewer runners up awarded each time. - Round 4: The winners at the end of this one have shown really good range - they are the only ones to move on to the last round. - Final round - Once everyone has had a go at each genre, the final group of winners have one more write-off. It could be flash fiction (say, 1000 or less). It could be a new genre, or not specified. Prompt might be something like, "it has to include this object" or "must include this word/phrase". Totally original piece of fiction (no old pieces submitted, or anything that has been submitted elsewhere). The prompt could be issued just a day or two before the contest closes.

I don’t know if anyone has already suggested this, but a short story challenge that’s a retelling of a fairy tale would be a good one. It could be a modern retelling, a fantastical retelling, a horror retelling, even a sci-fi retelling. It would just be nice to see people put their own twists on fairy tales, especially ones from cultures that don’t get to be in the spotlight very often.

Create a playlist for the Beats community. The rules: Hit shuffle and use the first 10 songs. No skipping. No matter what. You can explain why the song is in your library or how it relates to your life or what the lyrics mean to you, etc. Do whatever you want with the writing portion as it relates to the music, you just have to use the first 10 songs no matter how embarrassing or obscure.😈

The Reverse challenge- It’s time the judges get in on the challenge fun. For this interactive challenge the judges compete as well. This is how it could work. Before posting the new challenge, the judges come up with their own secret prompt for a specific type of challenge- Fiction, poetry, non-fiction, ect. They submit their prompt on a piece of paper in a hat or something. Depending on how many actual judges there are, three (or more) entries would be randomly selected. These selections would then become the actual prompt choices for the next challenge. The vocal creators would then choose anyone to write about. Judging would commence as usual. Once the first and second place winners are determined, the owner of the winning prompt steps forward to reveal to the other judges that it was their prompt. When the winning submissions are revealed to the community, vocal would also let the creators know which judge won; even if it’s just a nickname because they wish to remain anonymous. Here is a quick and simple prompt that could work for the Reverse concept. The challenge is for fiction: The judges all write down what they want the last sentence of a story to end with. They conceal their choices. A random drawing would determine which judges (remaining anonymous) have a chance to win bragging rights. This would give the creators 3 or more sentence choices they could write a story about… The Element of wonder would be in full effect since no one would know who wrote the active prompts and which sentence will produce the best story. I think it would be cool knowing that there will be a winner on both ends. Good luck in advance if you decide to try this. Thank you.

1. Write a story about a love that got away. 2. Write a story about a game or contest you almost lost. 3. Write a story about three chance encounters that changed your life.

Turn a fairytale on its head

Writing on the subject of the object in which can be right in front of you each day, which is no longer noticeable to others but to, well……write away…..

Write poetry akin to that of a dead poet if they were alive today. As an example: What would Dickenson write about quarantine?

Write a poem within a poem, or a poem with a hidden message. I wrote a few recently and they are very challenging to do, but it's been quite fun

Write about the best gift you have ever recieved and what makes it the best

Create your own original fable. Eg - Why the sky is blue - Why Babies don't talk - Why the elephant has a trunk - Why the cow eats grass - Why the Lion roars

write a poem made up entirely of questions

Reimagine The Climax to a Film or TV Series An Epic Poem, I am thinking Odyssey, Iliad, Ancient Mariner, or The Raven (I have already done this) A Story based on the year of your birth (again one I have done, but would be great to get an idea of the age spread of Vocal Creators) A Totally Positive Story (No jeopardy) I have only managed this once

Write a story about someone who gets sucked into a movie and has to remember how it ends and act it out in order to escape the movie.

Write a story from the bad guys point of view. What turned him bad? Does he think he’s bad? Maybe he’s the good guy or hero from his point of view. How does he justify doing the things he does?

A clever informational poem that helps you remember something. (e.g., "Thirty Days Hath September...")

Keeping the prompt fresh and open is my favorite. For example: "lost opportunity" as a theme. You can add one random noun that must appear: a castle, a vase, a fan, etc...

A story that begins with this sentence: In hindsight, Dave really wished he hadn't pressed that big red button.

Something happens on a submarine and it needs to be saved before it sinks