Dollar Challenge - Quote Me Baby (Vocal Legends Edition)

Today is the day! The deadline for my most recent unofficial dollar challenge. And for once, I 'm bang on the deadline. (You may applaud.)

If anything, I'm a little ahead of schedule. It doesn't actually close until midnight, so you have a few hours to go. Any entries that arrive today or overnight will be added to this piece, and winner's tips will go out tomorrow.

Here's the challenge:

TL;DR...

The Quote:

Here comes the sun

- The Beatles

The Prompt

Write me a piece inspired by the quote.

This could be fiction, micro fiction, or poetry. Any genre.

The Stretch:

If you wanted to take that a step further, I invited you to invert the topic. Instead of hope and renewal (which are typical themes for springtime), make these words in your story more sinister.

The Responses

There were 21 entries. I was blown away by how many tried the stretch, and also by the sheer quality of them all! If there were any justice in the world, you'd all be making a fortune off your wordsmithing.

In order of submission, then:

His Grand Majesty, Paul:

Angie (This one got Top Story!)

Mikey:

Harper Lewis:

Paul Aaron Domenick:

Julie Lacksonen:

Dana Crandell:

Rebecca Patton:

D. J. Reddall:

Sean. A (Top Story):

Aarsh Malik:

Andrea Corwin:

Lana V. Lynx:

Raymond G. Taylor:

Susan Fourtané:

Sasha Desideri:

Sara Wilson:

Novel Allen:

Ruby Red (Top Story):

Matthew J. Fromm:

Kelli Sheckler-Amsden:

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A Prompt For June:

The prompt is always based around a quote. The quotes can be from anywhere. Mostly, I've picked stuff from popular culture - books, films, songs, etc.

This time, I'm going off-piste. You can pick your own quote.

BUT! (and there is a big, wobbly BUTT, here) it has to be from someone on Vocal. Specifically, it has to be from one of their stories here on the platform, so you can link back to it.

And! you have to tip them a dollar. (Unless you pick me, in which case you can if you want.)

It can be an old story, or a new one. It can be from a Vocal favourite, or someone less well-known. It could be from a piece that won a contest, or got Top Story, or maybe you want to give some visibility to something that has languised without it.

Mission: Totally Do-able

Your mission (should you choose to accept it) is, as usual:

Write me a piece inspired by the quote you chose.

This could be fiction, micro fiction, or poetry. Any genre.

Them's the rules

Word count: No limit, but if you write a piece that Vocal tells me is longer than a 5 minute read, I'm only promising to read that one from you and not a second one.

Prize: Same as usual, I'll tip my favourites a dollar each. If there are fewer than five entries, everyone gets a tip.

Winners: If more than 10 people enter, I'll pick 3. More than 20, I'll pick 5. More than 50 (unlikely): $20 first prize, $5 runner up, 5x$1 Honorable Mentions.

Content: As ever: you can include the quote, in which case it should feel like it belongs. Or your story can be inspired by it, in which case the link should be clear. You can submit to any community.

Limits: You can submit as many as you like, but I'm only promising to read the first two from each person (if they're both under 5mins), or only one (if you go full War and Peace on me). I'm only going to read them and include them if they meet the criteria below:

Vitally important:

• The quote, and its origin (author and story) must be in the subtitle of your piece. It can be in the body of the text as well if you like, but it must be in the subtitle. This is the core of the brief.
• Link to this piece in yours, so others can find it and give it a go.
• Link to your piece in the comments here, so I don't miss it!

Minor extras to make my (self-imposed, let's be real) task easier: Confirm you've tipped the person in your subtitle. And, in your comment below, also link to the piece that contains the quote you've used, because I'd love to read that as well.

Hint: Pick a line that really got under your skin, that knocked you out of your chair. That made you pause. One that stuck with you, niggled away in your mind. Made you feel jealous you didn't write it.

Closing date: 11:59PM GMT, 30th June 2026.

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Thank you for reading!

If you took part in the Spring challenge, THANK YOU!

If you give this one a bash, THANK YOU!!

I can't wait to see what you come up with!