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WRITING CHALLENGE #2 (NOVEMBER)

TOPICS:
� WRITE A STORY/ JOURNAL/ POEM BASED ON FALL OR THANKSGIVING

(OR)
� WRITE A FAIRY TALE RETELLING IN THE FORM OF A STORY/ POEM

Both of these will be judged separately unless the number of entries are too less for one or both of the topics

Word Limit- 700 words (can be extended max by 50 words)
Judging Criteria : Creativity, Originality, Accuracy (Grammar and coherence)

(Winners will be decided by voting after we check if it's original)

Entry submission date: 3rd Nov- 29 Nov

Where to post your entries: Send them down here as a message or if not possible, as a link to a google doc

WINNERS NAMES WILL BE DISPLAYED ON THE GROUP HOME PAGE!!! All the very best <3

Note: If you wish to send more than one entry you can send the other ones in the Writing activities section where it will not be judged in the competition

OK so before you think this was going to be easy, here's a little addition to the challenge!

The winners will be decided by voting where each vote counts as 1 point but you can add more points to your entry by using the following prompts (it is not compulsory but it will add to your points)

PLS MENTION THE PROMPTS YOU USED

╰┈� 1. Use a word of the week (counts for 1 point in total)

╰┈� 2. Give your entry a title (counts for 1 point)

╰┈� 3. Add in poetic/literary devices and mention them (counts for 2 points in total)

╰┈� 4. Use both topics together -for example, fairy tale retelling with a side theme of fall- (counts for 3 points)

╰┈� 5. Write a note at the end about your experience writing it - any difficulties you faced, your general thoughts about it, what sparked the idea and so on (minimum 35 words) (counts for 3 points)

The Essence of Fall:

Red, roving through
the trees, carried by an
autumn breeze, the
twin of nature to her
fate, a mirror
of serenity

For she who ambled was like the leaves,
scarlet-adorned and full of ease,
breathing in with the season,
the essence of eternality

To her grandmother's house she was traveling,
with the intent to stay,
but what she wouldn't give, Red,
to see the woods forever this way

Inspiration: I've been wanting to try poetry for a while now, and what better opportunity than this? Red Riding Hood was the obvious choice for me, as I wanted to touch on the subject of nature.

My Process Writing: It was challenging to piece the prose together in poetic fashion, but it was surprisingly easy after the first verse. I intended it to be a haiku, but filling the syllable quota got too difficult.

Prompts: A fairy-tale retelling (Red Riding Hood) with the side theme of fall, literary devices, a title, experience note.

Literary Devices Used: Metaphor, symbolism, simile, rhyme, personifaction.

Forbidden Roses

Verse 1
We were a tale as old as time,
One that will never be given a happily ever after.
You were the light in my darkest night,
I was the beast, chasing laughter.
Irrefragable, our worlds collide,
In a castle of shadows, where dreams go to hide.

Chorus
You were the rose I could never possess,
The forbidden fruit that brought me distress.
A kiss that should never have graced my lips,
Now I’m drowning in the depths of our eclipse.

Verse 2
I remember moonlight by the courtyard gate,
Whispers of hope, tangled in fate.
Your laughter danced like petals in the breeze,
But the spells we cast brought me to my knees.
A glance, a touch—each moment divine,
Yet in the end, you were never really mine.

Chorus
You were the rose I could never possess,
The forbidden fruit that brought me distress.
A kiss that should never have graced my lips,
Now I’m drowning in the depths of our eclipse.

Bridge
Through the halls of longing, I roam with despair,
Each echo a reminder that life’s never fair.
I was your beast, but you lit up the night,
Now I’m lost in the shadows, away from the light.

Chorus
You were the rose I could never possess,
The forbidden fruit that brought me distress.
A kiss that should never have graced my lips,
Now I’m drowning in the depths of our eclipse.

Outro
So here I stand, a heart made of stone,
In a world meant for two, forever alone.
Tales as old as time, cursed from the start,
You were the beauty, but I’m the beast with a broken heart.

Why I wrote it:
This song is a Beauty and the Beast aesthetic song. It was inspired by what if they couldn’t be together. I wrote this song loving tragic love story endings

My Secret -
Dear diary,
Today something strange is happening. I don’t know what yet but I can feel it.
There is not the usual festive joy or happy cries of my sibling, mother and father are arguing more and my secret is getting even more dangerous to keep.

I don’t know what to do.

I can’t tell any of my family
Or friends
Or even my pet.

I can’t even write it down here without the fear of being discovered. You are the only one who knows I have a secret so,

Dear Diary,
Can you tell me what to do?

Why I wrote this:
I've never submitted a pice of my writing into any competitions before so I wanted to try it. I mostly write fanfics and I don't use prompts so I wanted to try see where my imagination can go with prompts rather than fanfics. But I must admit; this was not one of my best pieces of writing.

Prompts - Title, Literacy device (I think), Why I wrote it

Free

I watch the sun set
As my ink bleeds on paper

The leaves slowly falling
Red
Orange
Brown

The light glowing
In the branches
And slowly
Slowly
Disappearing

The world outside
Forgotten

The wind in my ears
Whispering tales
Older than life itself

My steps once quiet
Crunching in the dying leaves
My book clutched to my heart

In this universe
I do not matter
An infinitesimal object
In the great concept of time

And finally
Oh finally
I can breathe


writing process:
a few days ago, i just grabbed my notebook and decided to take a quick walk to the field close to where i live. i ended up just staying and sitting there for much longer than i intended, just writing and daydreaming. the light was just so incredibly beautiful, and i felt happier than i have in a long while. i called it Free, because these are the moments in which i can truly be myself. nobody watching, just me and my words and the beauty around me.

Prompts - title, WOTW, writing process

Whoever wants to participate , you have only around 2 more weeks left !!

A Compass of Shattered Stars and the Falling Moon

I was seventeen when the autumn winds came,
Whispering secrets, calling my name.
A bear stood still, his fur like dusk,
His eyes a fire, an ancient trust.

“Come,� he beckoned, “where the sky is torn,
Where stars are faded, and dreams are worn.
East of the sun, west of the moon,
Where leaves fall slow and hearts are strewn.�

Through forests cloaked in amber light,
I walked with him through endless night.
Each step was soft, the ground aglow,
A world suspended in autumn’s flow.

At dusk, the bear would shed his skin,
A prince of fire, of light within.
His voice like echoes of a song unsung,
His soul a wound, a bell unrung.

But dawn arrived, a thief in hand,
And stole his name, his heart, his land.
I told him stories, I wove him close,
But the curse that bound him none could diagnose.

His spirit, tethered to frozen lands,
Wove through the twilight, like shifting sands.
“I’ll free you,� I whispered, the wind a vow,
For love is the force that breaks time’s bow.

Through cold winds and frozen sighs,
I ventured on with trembling eyes,
To find the queen with frost in veins,
Who wept beneath her cursed chains.

Her crown of ice, her gaze like glass,
A silent grief that none could pass.
“To break the spell,� she softly cried,
“Is to give your heart, and not to hide.�

With every step, the fall grew near,
The leaves turned gold, but filled with fear.
I gave my name to the wind’s cruel bite,
And traded my soul for his fleeting light.

The curse unraveled like threads in air,
The prince reborn, but none could care.
He stood tall in the autumn light,
But the winds had stolen me from his sight.

His eyes were wide, but empty too,
For my love was lost, and time withdrew.
The compass broke, the moons fell low,
And none remember the girl of snow.
He ruled his kingdom, his crown aglow,
While I became the shadows' glow.

Now east of the sun and west of the moon,
I linger in fall, a whispering tune.
The trees still sigh where the stars once bled,
For to save a soul is to lose the thread.

In the fall, where the shadows blend,
I am the story that has no end.
For in each leaf that tumbles low,
Is the love I gave, and the loss I know.

Now east of the sun and west of the moon,
I wander the world, a ghost, a tune.
The stars still weep where their light once shone,
For to save a life is to lose your own.

> Words used: 445

> Inspiration and Story Summary:

The poem is inspired by the Norwegian fairy tale "East of the Sun and West of the Moon", a 'timeless' story of sacrifice, love, and curse-breaking. The narrative is rooted in a girl’s journey to free a prince cursed to take the form of a bear by day, mirroring the themes of self-sacrifice and the consequences of true love.

> Note on Experience:

Writing this was a beautiful challenge. I wanted to blend the beauty of autumn with a tragic fairy tale, exploring themes of sacrifice, love, and loss. The autumn setting added a melancholic depth, and finding the right balance of lush prose with the storytelling was key. It was inspired by the bittersweetness of letting go, a theme I’ve always been drawn to.

> Literary Devices used:
Metaphor, Alliteration, Enjambment, Symbolism, Personification, Imagery

> Prompts:
Title; Poetic/Literary Devices; Fairy Tale Retelling & Fall Theme; Experience Note

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
Fear. What was it really? Recognising vulnerability in yourself? A survival mechanism? In my words, it’s just a silly weakness, a flaw in a human. Something one says when they lack courage. Like an armour, born to hide from war.
Fear, was a part of my life as I grew up, like any other child. All children went through fears of heights, darkness, of truth.
I never realised that fear of oneself could be as intimidating.

My parents, being the rulers of our kingdom, held a prized possession—a magic mirror. An item valued across the countries and spied upon as well. As a child, I went and asked it,

�Mirror, mirror on the wall
What will I fear most of all?

And it answered,

In my gaze, the truth stands tall,
It whispers softly: Fear yourself most of all.�

“Mother,� I cried, after hearing the answer from the mirror. “Why? Why should I be afraid of myself?� My parents looked at each other, trying to soothe my distraught figure.

“Now, this feels believable,� I thought, as my strides struck the rock-hard ground, and I emerged from the castle, blood dripping from my sword. Blood of my soldiers, blood of my family, blood of my beloved. I grinned. How the tables have turned�

I suppose it all started yesterday. It was another day of fall, and I was taking a stroll in my garden. The soft sun hit the fiery bushes as autumn paved its way through the monsoon’s offset.
I absentmindedly kicked away a few stray leaves, awaiting the arrival of my parents for tonight’s Thanksgiving feast. But of course, my uncle and the royal advisor, Uncle Nidor, was still with me.

I inhaled the crisp air, not knowing this might be my last chance at peace.

As I dressed for the feast, my handmaiden rushed in, tear-struck. “My Lady! I bear such u-unfortunate news!� She hiccuped tearfully.

“Calm down! What is the matter? Gosh!� I interrupted.

“Th-The king and queen, my lady... they’re dead.� She whispered, sobbing.

I stared at her. “What?�

“I’m so sorry, my lady. Sir Nidor’s coronation will be aligned with the feast tonight.�

I couldn’t bring myself to shed tears, no, not when I couldn’t believe it. Numb, I dressed quietly and went through what she said again. Nidor’s..coronation? Was I not the direct heir? I scoffed. I always knew he was after my father’s throne.

My gaze landed on my sword, Seraphis. I sheathed it under my dress, knowing I would surely need it tonight, and left my chambers.

Galas and feasts in this kingdom usually start late. And so did the coronation. I knew my intentions during it and knew everything my parents taught me for this very moment.

I scurried into the hall just in time to hear the words, “If anyone dares to object to the coronation of soon-to-be King Nidor, speak now.� Now or never.

“I object!� I yelled, raising my hand.

“Princess?� Nidor blinked. “You’re just a minor, child; leave it to the adults, please.� He laughed mirthlessly.

“This kingdom’s crown is MINE, and you know it. Move away, uncle. My parents would never have agreed to this monstrosity.�

“YOUR PARENTS,� he snarled, “ARE DEAD. So to hell with their opinions and get lost, child.�

I grimaced. Things were about to get ugly.

I drew my sword and charged at him, aware of the dozen soldiers rushing my way. I struck, metal clanging against metal as we fought, my sword piercing through them as I screamed, “Get out of my kingdom!� at Nidor as he growled.

Before my sword could touch a hair on him, my lover, Calden, stepped in front.

“Move, please,� I pleaded with him as he drew his sword out. “I’m sorry, I bow to only King Nidor,� he said harshly. I gaped at him, astonished how quickly one’s emotions towards another changed.
I lunged at him, slicing at his frame, and he blocked quickly, knowing my moves. Snarling, I swept right and nicked his weak spot above his ribs, blood pouring from the wound. He howled in pain and crumbled to the side, leaving Nidor in front of me.
“Bring it on,� he smiled. I attacked, faster than he could move, and in one move, sliced his head off in victory, ignoring the blood spattering all over my figure.

I suppose that leads me to now, wondering how the tables turned...
Maybe I should fear myself the most..


NOTE:
so i finally wrote this.. and I'M SORRY FOR LATE SUBMISSION.
i initially had a great idea for Rumpelstiltskin but decided not to, at 7pm yesterday..(dm if u wanna hear it)
so now coming to the story, i had written just the mirror part for the prev comp, but used it now. and Nidor is basically me writing Victor, and reading it as Nidor HELP.
initially, it was an idea: how can i write a story based on fearing yourself? then this started and eventually got extended. coincidentally, calden is the surname of the MMC in my WIP..
and i was writing this today, when my dads like go STUDY so i was sitting there with my chem book and a nb writing shit down like uh shore this is bUckMInsTERFuLLerENE guyz ��

point distribution:
-> both topics:
- snow white in the 'magic mirror'
- fall descriptions
-> literary devices:
- metaphor 'Like an armour, born to hide from war.'
-personification of autumn
-> note at the end!