Prompted: #2

PROMPTED: INTRODUCTION

The February Prompted Challenge was such a success that there was little question that I should follow it up, just as I had hoped to do. For the March Challenge, we'll be switching from poetry to prose.

Due to the increased amount of time needed for reading and judging this one, I decided not to delay between the results of Prompted #1 and opening Prompted #2 for submissions. If you choose to participate, please make sure you read and comply with the rules and requirements.

I welcome your feedback and encourage you to join in the fun. Also, please help spread the word. The more the merrier!

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THE PROMPT

The March Challenge will be to write a short story between 2,000 and 4,000 words in length. To be clear, this is not a flash fiction, or microfiction, challenge. Your entry must be newly posted to Vocal, not something from your archive.

Your story should be centered on one of the following prompt words. The word you choose should be central to the story and is to be taken literally, not metaphorically. In other words, if you choose "door", an actual door must be central to your story.

• Door
• Compass
• Key
• Clock
• Candle
• Anchor

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THE RULES

The rules are simple.

Follow the instructions above for using the prompt. Your story must be posted in the Fiction community. You must provide the link to your story in the comments below. Only those entries that follow these instructions correctly will be considered for a prize.

Entries will be accepted from the time the challenge is publicly posted until 11:59 PM (US Central Time) on March 14, 2024. Winners of the challenge will be announced on, or before, March 19, 2024. Only one entry per person will be accepted for this challenge.

It is not required that you link back to this post for your entry to be valid, but it would be appreciated if you help spread the word by doing so. To reiterate, you must post a link to your entry in the comments below.

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THE PRIZES

Winners will be chosen by me, at my sole discretion. Prizes will be distributed on Vocal as Tips. Winners are determined by content and quality, but you MUST have tipping enabled to receive payment. The awards will be as follows:

1st Place: $50.00

2nd Place: $30.00

3rd Place: $20.00

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Keep track of this and future prompts by hitting the "subscribe" button on my profile.

Questions or feedback? Let me know in the comments. Good luck!

- Randy

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THE ENTRIES

"The Doors of Tazir" by Matthew Fromm

"Ogma's Candle" by D.J. Reddall

"The Keep" by Hannah Moore

"Game On!" by Lamar Wiggins

"The Clock" by Shirley Belk

"Cleaning Up" by Suze Kay

"Time Will Tell" by Heather Zieffle