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Choose an issue that really matters to you -- and write it! Don't stop to fix spelling or grammar. Get all your thoughts out. Shout it as you write. Whose your audience? Tell them exactly what you think! Record it and post it here.
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Where do you see the greatest opportunity to create peace in your community or the world? Write an essay or poem about what you can do to promote peace. This challenge is from the YWP archive, so you might see some responses from past years. Sprout from any of these if they move you!
[Photo credit: YWP Photo Library, photo by Jonathan Palmer]
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Write about a time when you rely on an animal for comfort. Does the animal just know that you need help? What does it do? (Can be real or fiction.)
[YWP photo library, photo by Abigail Kirby]
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What is the happiest you’ve ever been? How did it feel to be in that moment? Reflect and try to describe the sensation and the experience.
[YWP photo library, photo by mythicalquill]
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Look at the photo examples in this challenge. Each one evokes a setting. Take your own photo of an inspiring setting -- so inspiring that writers will want to write about it! Post your photo(s).
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To mark the Fourth of July, write a letter, a poem, a song, a rant, a plea to this land. Begin with Dear America ... (This challenge was first published on this site last year. See the responses from 2018, and sprout from them or start your own 2019 version.)
(Illustration credit: YWP Photo Library, Sophie D.)
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Write a poem about the ferocity of a thunderstorm. Use onomatopoeia sounds to convey the thunder, lightning, and rain.
[Unsplash, photo by Lucien Kolly]
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Write about a time when you loved and hated someone or something at the same time. Describe the conflicting emotions you felt in this confusing situation.
[YWP photo library, photo by Elizabeth Goodrich]
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Do you love an item that is typically considered “junk” like an old tire or a rusty wagon? Why do you find meaning in this item?
[YWP photo library, photo by Brooke Fontaine]
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What are you hungry for? It could be a favorite food or a dream job or a change in your life. What is the thing that bites at the inside of your stomach and you can’t stop thinking about?
[YWP photo library, photo by Riley Allen]
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Is there something special or unusual about your family? Do you have a kooky aunt or a famous cousin? Do you have a favorite spot where you gather in the summer? Funny family traditions and rituals?
[Unsplash, photo by Mike Scheid]
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Sometimes you get a feeling in the pit of your stomach about a person or situation. Was there ever a time when your intuition was right? What happened? What about a time when you were wrong?
[YWP photo library, photo by Shawn Baker]
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Author Seth Godin says, “Art is a personal act of courage.” With art -- either in words or images -- show your own personal act of courage.
[YWP photo library, photo by Jaylin Seaman]
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In great detail, describe the best sandwich you’ve ever had. What was on this incredible sandwich? Who made it? Where were you?
[Unsplash, photo by Eiliv Sonas Aceron]
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What do you want your legacy to be? What is the one thing or personal characteristic you would like to be remembered for?
[Unsplash, photo by Laura Fuhrman]
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Respond to one or all of these prompts for potential inclusion in VT filmmaker Bess O'Brien's Listen Up Project.
1. People always tell me ...
2. What parents need to know ....
3. If I was in charge...
4. Write whatever's on your mind ...
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Find an interesting place where you can sit and observe, uninterrupted. Focus on a tiny, detail -- a color, a texture, a movement. Create a haiku by describing (...
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Write as a person trapped in the form of an animal. How did this happen and how do they react? Do they manage to undo the transformation, and if so, how?
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Tyler Poulin]
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Write the story of someone with extraordinarily good luck or excruciatingly bad luck. What is everyday life like for them? Were they born with this luck, enchanted, or does it come from an object? What experiences and emotions result from it? Show the character in action.
[Photo credit: Alain Pham, Unsplash]
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The Challenge: "YWP is ..." what? Finish the sentence. Tell us how YWP has affected you; talk about a comment you've gotten or of getting published or of having a civil space to create. Tell us how you felt when you posted your first piece. Tell us what works and what doesn't. Take seven minutes, and tell us:
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The pet store is closing in five minutes and you have to make a choice -- which pet to take home and which to leave behind. What do you do?
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Madi Cohen]
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You’ve been commissioned to illustrate the cover of a new edition of your favorite book from your childhood. Submit the illustration to your YWP blog (and tell us the title of the book).
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Madi Cohen]
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YWP is looking for your visual art -- photographs and scanned art -- to be featured in our monthly magazine, The Voice, on the front page of the site, the newspaper series, and the Anthology! Respond to this challenge and post your best photos and art!
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You wake up slowly, your eyes gradually adjusting. Suddenly, you're on your feet, looking frantically in every direction. You don't recognize a thing. Where are you? How did you get here and what happens next?
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Kevin Huang]
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Good titles introduce, describe and catch interest. Deciding on one can be a complex process. Pick one of your pieces that you think has a perfect title -- or rename the piece after giving it some more thought. In a short essay, explain how the title relates to the piece it introduces. Is there a separate story about the title itself?
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Abigail Harkness, challenge submitted by Hazel Civalier, YWP]
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An official phone alert wakes you up from a deep sleep. It says, "We are under attack. Lock your doors and bar your windows." Hundreds of random numbers are sending, "Let me in." Write a short, fast-paced story to match the urgency of the situation.
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Samantha Aikman]
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Begin or end a poem or story with the phrase, “She was beautiful, but in a different sort of way.”
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Shannon Ripp]
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A two-part challenge. 1. Write a story of 500 characters. 2. Copy your best and post them here as a blog response. Details:
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Write about a character who realizes their perception of reality is completely different from that of most people, including those closest to the character. How does your character react upon discovering this? Why do they see things differently?
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Kevin Huang]
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For the avids:
Describe anyone or anything around you. Just remember: only 15.
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Facebook is slumping, hit by accusations that it has been sloppy with users' data and manipulated by foreign adversaries. Do you like Facebook?
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You adopt a cat that you think is pretty ordinary … but when you bring it home and start talking to it absentmindedly, it responds to you -- and only you -- with the most expressive facial expressions. Describe your interactions.
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Abigail Harkness]
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What happens at your house when no one is home? What’s the first thing the inanimate objects do? Have a party? Hop into the hot tub? Play tricks on the absent humans? Write a whimsical tale.
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Madi Cohen]
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(This challenge idea comes from irishjayne, who used the word "fog.")
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Imagine a talking forest where the trees’ dialogue reflects their characteristics: sweet-talking maples, cool but prickly spruce? What do the trees say? Write their dialogue.
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Shannon Ripp]
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Write about a family experiencing a hurricane. What do they say to each other while they’re huddled in the basement, listening to their house being battered and torn apart?
[Photo by noaa.gov]
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Write a story that leads your readers to believe it’s about one thing, but it turns out to be about something else entirely. Make it wacky and surprising!
[YWP Photo Library]
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Write about the relationship between a child and an imaginary friend from the perspective of the child or the friend. What’s the personality of this invisible character, and why does the child take such comfort in their company?
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Holly Margulius]
/invasive
This challenge has $$$ prizes! DUE: March 15. More details here.
1. Write a persuasive essay urging people to take action against the invasive insect, emerald ash borer (EAB). Present a fact-based argument. You might include why this matters, how communities and homeowners can respond to EAB, and why a response is needed.
OR
2. In poetry or prose, tell the story of an ash tree that is threatened by EAB. You might stretch back to the ash...
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You’ve always wanted to dye your hair a gorgeous new color, and when you finally get up the nerve to do it, something goes terribly wrong. You didn’t read the fine print on the bottle. Now what?
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Madi Cohen]
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When you go to wake your child one morning, you immediately sense that the baby in the crib is not yours. While they look the same, you know in your heart your own child has been replaced. Does anyone believe you? How do you rescue your child?
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Kevin Huang; challenge submitted by Rowan Potzler]
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Classic stories and myths are full of prophecies. Write about a character who is warned about a future event. Do they listen? What’s the source of the messages? Is the oracle thing legit or is it made up?
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Alexandra Contreras-Montesano]
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Where is your home? Far away in another land? Or here, where you live today? Read this poem "Home" by Balkisa Omar, a member of the Vermont slam poetry group Muslim Girls Making Change. Write about your own experience of home.
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Alexandra Contreras-Montesano]
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“They were almost ready to leave, but now there was a problem.” Using this phrase as inspiration, what happens next?
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Tess LaLonde]
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What are the dynamics in this group of friends? Do they all get along? Is there tension between some but not others? Imagine their dialogue as they swing. What are they saying to each other?
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Alexandra Contreras-Montesano]
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Spring is a time of rebirth and nature kicking in for its big show. Write a poem or story about a plant, animal or creature, real or imagined, coming to life.
[YWP Photo Library, illustration by Ada Shookenhuff]
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Listen to a favorite song and either write your interpretation of the lyrics or use them as inspiration for a poem, story or another song. What mental images do the lyrics evoke? Remember to list the song title and credit the artist.
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Abigail Harkness, challenge submitted by Hazel Civalier, YWP]
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Write about a character who discovers someone else’s journal and realizes something very strange or alarming about the writer. What is the secret and what does the character do about it?
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Kevin Huang]
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Write a story as a series of letters or diary entries. Popular books that use this method include The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Dear Mr. Henshaw, Letters from Rifka, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Kevin Huang]
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Listen to the sound file and write the opening scene for a play, inspired by what the sounds make you feel: suspense, discomfort, anticipation?
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Sophia Cannizzaro, sound by freesound.org]
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You’ve just won a dream vacation, and you can pick the location and one traveling companion. Where do you go and with whom do you travel? Describe the sensation of being lifted from your everyday life into a paradise of your choosing.
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Rebecca Orten]
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Take a walk in your neighborhood, on a farm, in a city, down a school hallway. Stop for a moment and use as many senses as you can to describe what you see, hear, touch, smell -- and maybe even taste. Write a poem about your discoveries.
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Kevin Huang]
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VERMONT WRITES DAY!
You've walked past this sign for years. One day, it seems to be calling you inside -- and the adventure begins. Tell the story.
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VERMONT WRITES DAY!
Describe a time, real or fictional, when you have to summon up your courage. Focus on the actual "moment of truth," when time slows down and you have to commit to breaking through. What happens and how do you feel afterward?
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VERMONT WRITES DAY!
You have just been put in charge of the world, but you can only make one rule. What is it and what events or experiences led you to it?
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VERMONT WRITES DAY!
Some people believe that forests are enchanted places, with elves living there. Write a story or poem about the forest elves. Or tell the tale of a person who doesn't believe this, but then something happens to make them less certain.
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VERMONT WRITES DAY!
Thomas Jefferson said, "I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it." Write about a situation in which you, or a character you create, put a lot of work into something, and then luck seems to follow.
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VERMONT WRITES DAY!
Two strangers happen upon a bag of money while they're waiting for a train. Who are they? What do they do?
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VERMONT WRITES DAY!
Choose one of the photos in the slideshow and write a story or poem about it.
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Use sensory details to make the story pop.
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Some school years have a distinct aroma -- kindergarten might smell like glue sticks, second grade like lunchtime in the cafeteria, maybe eighth grade smells like a new book. These aromas can take you back to that place and time. Write about your own experience with certain years having their own special scent.
[Unsplash, photo by Pawan Kawan]
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Notes on Lighting:
Lighting plays a major role in how...
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Write to one or all of these Climate Change challenges created by YWP's Hazel Civalier and Sophie Dauerman for their special SoundCheck on Climate Change on Thursday, Nov. 15 at Burlington City Arts, 135 Church St., Burlington, VT, from 6-8 pm!
FIVE CHALLENGES
Oasis - Artistically portray a place in nature that you believe we should protect: Is it favorite park or hike where you relax? Does it contain a national monument? A...
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You’re babysitting two rambunctious children who have finally gone to bed. You’re exhausted and start drifting off to sleep on the couch, when you hear this sound. What is it? What do you do? https://freesound.org/people/tim.kahn/sounds/435490/
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Tess LaLonde]
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Try your hand at satiric comics such as this one from Burlington YWPer Connor Byam. Tap into your artistic side. Throw in some humor -- and voila!
[YWP Photo Library, illustration by Connor Byam]
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Addie Card was 12 and working as a spinner in a mill in North Pownal, VT, when photographer Lewis Hine took this photo in 1910. Find out more about America’s child laborers by researching Hine’s photos. Write a poem or story based on this photo or others you find.
[Photo credit: Lewis Hine, Library of Congress]
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Write about someone who tastes words, sees music and voices and/or hears colors. How do they use their mixed-up senses to their advantage, and what struggles do they face because of them?
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Kevin Huang]
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Write about a world in which trees can talk and/or move on their own. How would trees be treated if they could speak for themselves? What would they say to each other -- and to us?
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Kevin Huang]
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The fourth wall is the conceptual barrier between any fictional work and readers. Write a piece that breaks the fourth wall with a character who is aware of being fictional, and directly communicates to the reader.
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Jessica Belliveau]
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There is a new sport that’s growing in popularity: people fly kites that joust with each other in the air. Are the kites alive, enchanted, or built with advanced technology? What are the prizes for winning, and the consequences of losing?
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Creative Commons]
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A higher power decides to grant a superpower to all 7.6 billion people on planet Earth. But there’s a catch — if any two people name the same power, it becomes ineffective. What unique power do you choose, and what do you do with it?
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Lia Chien]
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Vermont winters can be brutal and beautiful at the same time. Using descriptive language, write a story or poem that takes place in the dead of winter. Illustrate it with photos or drawings if you like.
[YWP Photo Library, illustration by Ada Shookenhuff]
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Your character is immersed in an unsettling and unfamiliar setting — a claustrophobic character in a cave, a first-time skier on top of a steep mountain, a city where no one speaks the character's language. Describe the environment and the character's reaction to it in a short scene.
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Kevin Huang]
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You’re a terrifying creature — everyone is afraid of you — but you feel completely misunderstood. How did the world come to perceive you this way? Can you change their perception? Tell the story.
[YWP Photo Library]
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Pick a word and give it your own personal definition. Perhaps to you, “friendship” means the secrets that are whispered at 3 AM in the dark, “pineapple” brings to mind an infamous childhood prank and "flower" is a sunny afternoon in your grandmother's garden.
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Hazel Civalier]
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Fall is a time of transition in nature. What if it were for humans as well? Using elements of the season as your inspiration, write a poem about someone who undergoes a biological transition every autumn, .
[YWP Photo Library, illustration by Callie Cox]
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Write a story leading up to a major event or holiday and end it before it actually happens. Try to leave your readers wondering by playing around with ambiguity and cliffhangers.
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Abigail Harkness]
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Write a story or poem starting with the line, “It had been a long time, but now he was here.”
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Ada Shookenhuff]
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What's the story behind these two friends?
[YWP Photo Library, illustration by Ada Shookenhuff]
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Psychologists tell us our earliest memories typically form between the ages of 3 and 4. What is your earliest memory, and how old were you? Are the details hazy, or do you see and feel it clearly?
[YWP Photo Library, Photo by Kevin Huang]
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Delicious meals are universally regarded as a labor of love. Tell the story of a recipe from start to finish: harvesting blackberries to make jam, foraging for mushrooms, roasting marshmallows—and how the experience affects the people who prepare and eat the meal.
[YWP Photo Library, painting by Ada Shookenhuff]
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Imagine if 70° Fahrenheit weather — that pleasant, almost perfect temperature— were a person. How would the characteristics of 70°F weather be represented in a person? What would an interaction with them be like?
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Kevin Huang]
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The first day at school, camp, a new job can be nerve-wracking. Write about a memorable first day experience of your own or make one up, whether funny, mortifying or sad.
[YWP Photo Library, Educational Technology Clearinghouse - University of South Florida]
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Your character is having an argument with someone. They begin hurling insults at each other, but without the use of profanity, slurs or comments about appearance. Maybe they end up laughing at the absurdity. Maybe they part in anger. Tell the story through their dialogue, showing the most creative fighting words they exchange.
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Antonia Armstrong-Laird]
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Use this photo, taken at Shelburne Museum, as inspiration to write a story about a circus or carnival with dazzling acts touring the country.
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Hazel Civalier]
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Your character wanders off to this dock to watch the sunset. Something important has just happened and they need time alone. Tell the story.
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Nora Wootten]
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You have been invited to join a club that you’ve only heard wild rumors about. If you decide to join, what do you find out? What is the club really about? Are there bizarre initiation rituals and secret handshakes? Or if you take a pass, how do you come to your decision -- and live with that decision?
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Abigail Harkness]
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Use your best persuasive skills to convince your teacher or another adult to do something or believe something. What is the conversation in which you urge, coax or demand, and how does it turn out?
[Photo credit: Lewis Hine, Library of Congress]
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Don’t ignore me! Write from the perspective of a character that you wish you would see more often or more accurately in the media, TV and movies.
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Kevin Huang]
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Write about someone who is ruler of something very strange or very silly. How did they become the leader? What “laws” do they pass? Who are their subjects and enemies, and how do they cope with this empire?
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Kevin Huang]
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Write a poem or story that ends with a greeting. What is the backstory? Lead the reader along with you up to the point of the greeting, which might be a surprise (“Oh, hello!”), or a test of will (“Hi, my friends made me do this…”) or a coincidence (“Joe?! What are you doing here?”).
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Amanda Seavers]
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What improvements would you like to see at your school this year? Longer lunches? Later start time? More play, less work? Write a persuasive letter to your school officials, making a case for positive changes.
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Tess LaLonde]
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Write about people in an unconventional afterlife. Maybe people are grouped for eternity by how often they laugh and they party, maybe they are immediately assigned a job position to help influence life back on Earth, maybe they have to drift around outer space together ... Let your creativity flow! What is life like for the dead?
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Tess LaLonde]
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Write a description of yourself or someone you love. Include as many details of appearance, personality, habits and behavior as you can. If you like, use figurative or metaphorical language along with more concrete details.
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Alexis Donna]
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The midterm elections are approaching -- Nov. 6, 2018 -- and whether or not you are old enough to vote, your voice matters. Prompted by today's Daily Read, "Midterms," persuade people to vote. The midterms mark the middle of Republican President Trump's term, and all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate are being contested.
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“The scene in front of her was almost perfect. Almost.” Finish the story.
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Rebecca Orten]
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The man strumming his guitar says to you, “You’re a different soul, aren’t you?” What sets you apart from the crowd?
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Holly Margulius; challenge submitted by Rowan Potzler, YWP.]
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What is this girl thinking? Write her internal dialogue. Is she looking at you as she thinks? Or is she focused on something or someone else?
[YWP Photo Library, illustration by Zoe Maxwell]
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Tell a story about your experience of winter in short, descriptive poetry or prose. Be original. Avoid clichés. The best will be selected for presentation by the Vermont Stage Company at its annual Winter Tales production in Burlington in December.
[YWP Photo Library, photo by Lia Chien]
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Overnight, your character shrinks to the size of a Tic Tac. What dangers await this...
Tell it!
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Choose an issue that really matters to you -- and write it! Don't stop to fix spelling or grammar. Get all your thoughts out. Shout it as you write. Whose your audience? Tell them exactly what you think! Record it and post it here.[Photo by Melany Rochester, Unsplash]
Peace
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Where do you see the greatest opportunity to create peace in your community or the world? Write an essay or poem about what you can do to promote peace. This challenge is from the YWP archive, so you might see some responses from past years. Sprout from any of these if they move you![Photo credit: YWP Photo Library, photo by Jonathan Palmer]
Comfort
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Write about a time when you rely on an animal for comfort. Does the animal just know that you need help? What does it do? (Can be real or fiction.)[YWP photo library, photo by Abigail Kirby]
Photo-Tonal
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[Photos and challenge by Erin Bundock, YWP alumna]
Tonal contrast -- the difference between the brightest highlight and the darkest low-light -- can make dramatic photos. Try taking photos of objects using high contrast lighting -- the whitest whites and the darkest blacks all contained in one space. Post at least four photos in a slideshow. Need some tips?...
Moment.
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What is the happiest you’ve ever been? How did it feel to be in that moment? Reflect and try to describe the sensation and the experience.[YWP photo library, photo by mythicalquill]
Photo-LowKey
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[Photos and challenge by Erin Bundock, YWP alumna]
Set the mood with low-key lighting. Post your photos in a slideshow or post one photo and write a short story or poem inspired by the photo. Need tips? Check out this article.Photo-Setting
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Look at the photo examples in this challenge. Each one evokes a setting. Take your own photo of an inspiring setting -- so inspiring that writers will want to write about it! Post your photo(s).
Dear America
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To mark the Fourth of July, write a letter, a poem, a song, a rant, a plea to this land. Begin with Dear America ... (This challenge was first published on this site last year. See the responses from 2018, and sprout from them or start your own 2019 version.)(Illustration credit: YWP Photo Library, Sophie D.)
Ferocity
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Write a poem about the ferocity of a thunderstorm. Use onomatopoeia sounds to convey the thunder, lightning, and rain.[Unsplash, photo by Lucien Kolly]
Photo-Depth
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[Challenge by Erin Bundock, YWP alumna]
Depth of field describes how much of a picture is in focus. With shallow depth of field, only a small portion of space is in focus. Wide depth of field involves a larger in-focus space. Experiment with both and post your favorites.
Clash
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Write about a time when you loved and hated someone or something at the same time. Describe the conflicting emotions you felt in this confusing situation.[YWP photo library, photo by Elizabeth Goodrich]
Photo-Negative
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[Challenge created by Erin Bundock, YWP alumna; photos from Photograhpy Mad]
With photos, it's important not only to think about what your subject is, but how it interacts with the space around it visually. Is there something in the background, or is it a solid color? What's the shape of the space surrounding your subject? In the simplest terms, positive space is your subject, and the...
Junk
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Do you love an item that is typically considered “junk” like an old tire or a rusty wagon? Why do you find meaning in this item?[YWP photo library, photo by Brooke Fontaine]
Photo-Proportion
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[Challenge created by Erin Bundock, YWP alumna]
Proportion is the size relationship between different elements and how they work together. Proportion in photography is based on camera placement as well as the placement of the elements within the shot. In the examples above, see how placing a hand in different places in the shot changes its proportion to the subject's face? Sometimes it is helpful to play with the...
Hungry
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What are you hungry for? It could be a favorite food or a dream job or a change in your life. What is the thing that bites at the inside of your stomach and you can’t stop thinking about?[YWP photo library, photo by Riley Allen]
Ties
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Is there something special or unusual about your family? Do you have a kooky aunt or a famous cousin? Do you have a favorite spot where you gather in the summer? Funny family traditions and rituals?[Unsplash, photo by Mike Scheid]
Intuition
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Sometimes you get a feeling in the pit of your stomach about a person or situation. Was there ever a time when your intuition was right? What happened? What about a time when you were wrong?[YWP photo library, photo by Shawn Baker]
Godin
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Author Seth Godin says, “Art is a personal act of courage.” With art -- either in words or images -- show your own personal act of courage.[YWP photo library, photo by Jaylin Seaman]
Sandwich
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In great detail, describe the best sandwich you’ve ever had. What was on this incredible sandwich? Who made it? Where were you?[Unsplash, photo by Eiliv Sonas Aceron]
Write a Prompt!
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Credit: "Reaching" by mythicalquill
We've come to the end of our Weekly Challenges for 2018-19 -- and now we're creating next year's list! WE NEED YOUR HELP!! Post your best, original writing prompts for the 2019-20 Weekly Challenges here. We'll collect them and make the BIG LIST. Inspiring, fun, serious, silly, creative, thought-provoking, original prompts wanted!
Legacy
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What do you want your legacy to be? What is the one thing or personal characteristic you would like to be remembered for?[Unsplash, photo by Laura Fuhrman]
5-Photos
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Credit: De controleon, www.flickr.com/photos/tekstbazaar
1. Create a story about what's happening in the sequence of these photos. And/or 2. Create your own 5-photo story. Try to find a place with a lot of movement, a busy street corner or even your own kitchen. Use your friends or family if you want to stage it. Let the photos tell the story, or add...
ListenUp
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Respond to one or all of these prompts for potential inclusion in VT filmmaker Bess O'Brien's Listen Up Project.1. People always tell me ...
2. What parents need to know ....
3. If I was in charge...
4. Write whatever's on your mind ...
Haiku-form
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[Photo by beautiful]
Haiku is a short form of poetry adapted from Japanese tradition. Each poem consists of three lines; the first line has five syllables, the second line has seven syllables, and the third line has five. (5-7-5)Find an interesting place where you can sit and observe, uninterrupted. Focus on a tiny, detail -- a color, a texture, a movement. Create a haiku by describing (...
General
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Photo by gg
General. Share your best writing -- a story, a poem, a sudden spark of observation or insight or creativity. Or photos. Add sound, too, if you like. Anything goes here.Stuck
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Write as a person trapped in the form of an animal. How did this happen and how do they react? Do they manage to undo the transformation, and if so, how?[YWP Photo Library, photo by Tyler Poulin]
Luck
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Write the story of someone with extraordinarily good luck or excruciatingly bad luck. What is everyday life like for them? Were they born with this luck, enchanted, or does it come from an object? What experiences and emotions result from it? Show the character in action.[Photo credit: Alain Pham, Unsplash]
YWP is...
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The Challenge: "YWP is ..." what? Finish the sentence. Tell us how YWP has affected you; talk about a comment you've gotten or of getting published or of having a civil space to create. Tell us how you felt when you posted your first piece. Tell us what works and what doesn't. Take seven minutes, and tell us: - something unexpected that happened here, or that you noticed here, at youngwritersproject.org,
- or, a YWP moment that...
Decide
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The pet store is closing in five minutes and you have to make a choice -- which pet to take home and which to leave behind. What do you do?[YWP Photo Library, photo by Madi Cohen]
Cover
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You’ve been commissioned to illustrate the cover of a new edition of your favorite book from your childhood. Submit the illustration to your YWP blog (and tell us the title of the book).[YWP Photo Library, photo by Madi Cohen]
Post Your Art & Photos!
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YWP is looking for your visual art -- photographs and scanned art -- to be featured in our monthly magazine, The Voice, on the front page of the site, the newspaper series, and the Anthology! Respond to this challenge and post your best photos and art!Lost
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You wake up slowly, your eyes gradually adjusting. Suddenly, you're on your feet, looking frantically in every direction. You don't recognize a thing. Where are you? How did you get here and what happens next?[YWP Photo Library, photo by Kevin Huang]
Title
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Good titles introduce, describe and catch interest. Deciding on one can be a complex process. Pick one of your pieces that you think has a perfect title -- or rename the piece after giving it some more thought. In a short essay, explain how the title relates to the piece it introduces. Is there a separate story about the title itself?[YWP Photo Library, photo by Abigail Harkness, challenge submitted by Hazel Civalier, YWP]
Alert
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An official phone alert wakes you up from a deep sleep. It says, "We are under attack. Lock your doors and bar your windows." Hundreds of random numbers are sending, "Let me in." Write a short, fast-paced story to match the urgency of the situation.[YWP Photo Library, photo by Samantha Aikman]
Beautiful
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Begin or end a poem or story with the phrase, “She was beautiful, but in a different sort of way.”[YWP Photo Library, photo by Shannon Ripp]
#smallstories
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A two-part challenge. 1. Write a story of 500 characters. 2. Copy your best and post them here as a blog response. Details:
- WRITE a story that is real or made-up or half and half.
- Write your 500-character story on TINY WRITES
- Write a lot of them on a regular basis.
- THEN, post your best, on an ongoing basis, as a response to this challenge.
- AND use the...
Reality
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Write about a character who realizes their perception of reality is completely different from that of most people, including those closest to the character. How does your character react upon discovering this? Why do they see things differently?[YWP Photo Library, photo by Kevin Huang]
15 Words
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Describe yourself in 15 words. No more, no less... A sentence, phrases, whatever you'd like.For the avids:
Describe anyone or anything around you. Just remember: only 15.
Like?
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Facebook is slumping, hit by accusations that it has been sloppy with users' data and manipulated by foreign adversaries. Do you like Facebook?
Photo-8 Cat
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You adopt a cat that you think is pretty ordinary … but when you bring it home and start talking to it absentmindedly, it responds to you -- and only you -- with the most expressive facial expressions. Describe your interactions.[YWP Photo Library, photo by Abigail Harkness]
Fable
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Write your own fable. Keep it short, but include the essential ingredients (non-human characters, conflict that leads to a moral, etc.)
Essential ingredients
1: Your moral. What message are you trying to tell? What wrong are you trying to right?
2: Your characters. Who are they? What are they?
3: What conflict arises?
4: What setting are you in? (You don't always need to describe it, unless it is relevant to the plot.)
...
Alone
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What happens at your house when no one is home? What’s the first thing the inanimate objects do? Have a party? Hop into the hot tub? Play tricks on the absent humans? Write a whimsical tale.[YWP Photo Library, photo by Madi Cohen]
Wordgame
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[Photo credit: Kevin Huang]
Ask someone to give you a word. Take the word and build a poem around it.(This challenge idea comes from irishjayne, who used the word "fog.")
Woods
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Imagine a talking forest where the trees’ dialogue reflects their characteristics: sweet-talking maples, cool but prickly spruce? What do the trees say? Write their dialogue.[YWP Photo Library, photo by Shannon Ripp]
Hurricane
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Write about a family experiencing a hurricane. What do they say to each other while they’re huddled in the basement, listening to their house being battered and torn apart?[Photo by noaa.gov]
Twist
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Write a story that leads your readers to believe it’s about one thing, but it turns out to be about something else entirely. Make it wacky and surprising![YWP Photo Library]
Pal
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Write about the relationship between a child and an imaginary friend from the perspective of the child or the friend. What’s the personality of this invisible character, and why does the child take such comfort in their company?[YWP Photo Library, photo by Holly Margulius]
Invasive
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This challenge has $$$ prizes! DUE: March 15. More details here.1. Write a persuasive essay urging people to take action against the invasive insect, emerald ash borer (EAB). Present a fact-based argument. You might include why this matters, how communities and homeowners can respond to EAB, and why a response is needed.
OR
2. In poetry or prose, tell the story of an ash tree that is threatened by EAB. You might stretch back to the ash...
Magic-18
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Photo by Erik Nyhagen
Tell a story about a magical experience related to this time of year -- winter, solstice, special holidays, snow sports. Real or imagined.Dye
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You’ve always wanted to dye your hair a gorgeous new color, and when you finally get up the nerve to do it, something goes terribly wrong. You didn’t read the fine print on the bottle. Now what?[YWP Photo Library, photo by Madi Cohen]
Replaced
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When you go to wake your child one morning, you immediately sense that the baby in the crib is not yours. While they look the same, you know in your heart your own child has been replaced. Does anyone believe you? How do you rescue your child?[YWP Photo Library, photo by Kevin Huang; challenge submitted by Rowan Potzler]
Prophecies
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Classic stories and myths are full of prophecies. Write about a character who is warned about a future event. Do they listen? What’s the source of the messages? Is the oracle thing legit or is it made up?[YWP Photo Library, photo by Alexandra Contreras-Montesano]
Because
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Check out this video and more from the anti-bullying campaign, Because of You. "Because of you, people can feel empowered and loved, but also insecure and hurt... Before you say or do something, think about how you might make others feel." Write about your own experience.
Tests
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Some colleges are turning away from SAT and ACT scores when reviewing high...
Home
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Where is your home? Far away in another land? Or here, where you live today? Read this poem "Home" by Balkisa Omar, a member of the Vermont slam poetry group Muslim Girls Making Change. Write about your own experience of home.[YWP Photo Library, photo by Alexandra Contreras-Montesano]
Problem
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“They were almost ready to leave, but now there was a problem.” Using this phrase as inspiration, what happens next?[YWP Photo Library, photo by Tess LaLonde]
Photo-9 Swings
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What are the dynamics in this group of friends? Do they all get along? Is there tension between some but not others? Imagine their dialogue as they swing. What are they saying to each other?[YWP Photo Library, photo by Alexandra Contreras-Montesano]
Awakening
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Spring is a time of rebirth and nature kicking in for its big show. Write a poem or story about a plant, animal or creature, real or imagined, coming to life.[YWP Photo Library, illustration by Ada Shookenhuff]
Song
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Listen to a favorite song and either write your interpretation of the lyrics or use them as inspiration for a poem, story or another song. What mental images do the lyrics evoke? Remember to list the song title and credit the artist.[YWP Photo Library, photo by Abigail Harkness, challenge submitted by Hazel Civalier, YWP]
Journal
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Write about a character who discovers someone else’s journal and realizes something very strange or alarming about the writer. What is the secret and what does the character do about it?[YWP Photo Library, photo by Kevin Huang]
Epistolary
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Write a story as a series of letters or diary entries. Popular books that use this method include The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Dear Mr. Henshaw, Letters from Rifka, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid.[YWP Photo Library, photo by Kevin Huang]
Sounds
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Listen to the sound file and write the opening scene for a play, inspired by what the sounds make you feel: suspense, discomfort, anticipation? [YWP Photo Library, photo by Sophia Cannizzaro, sound by freesound.org]
Photo-10 Vacation
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You’ve just won a dream vacation, and you can pick the location and one traveling companion. Where do you go and with whom do you travel? Describe the sensation of being lifted from your everyday life into a paradise of your choosing.[YWP Photo Library, photo by Rebecca Orten]
Senses
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Take a walk in your neighborhood, on a farm, in a city, down a school hallway. Stop for a moment and use as many senses as you can to describe what you see, hear, touch, smell -- and maybe even taste. Write a poem about your discoveries.[YWP Photo Library, photo by Kevin Huang]
Got your back
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Credit: Elijah M. Henderson, Unsplash
Write a poem or story to someone who needs encouragement in their life and remind them that you are there for them. Send it to that person. (Challenge created by LadyMidnight)
Spaghetti
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VERMONT WRITES DAY!You've walked past this sign for years. One day, it seems to be calling you inside -- and the adventure begins. Tell the story.
Courage
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VERMONT WRITES DAY!Describe a time, real or fictional, when you have to summon up your courage. Focus on the actual "moment of truth," when time slows down and you have to commit to breaking through. What happens and how do you feel afterward?
Rule
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VERMONT WRITES DAY!You have just been put in charge of the world, but you can only make one rule. What is it and what events or experiences led you to it?
Elves
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VERMONT WRITES DAY!Some people believe that forests are enchanted places, with elves living there. Write a story or poem about the forest elves. Or tell the tale of a person who doesn't believe this, but then something happens to make them less certain.
Jefferson
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VERMONT WRITES DAY!Thomas Jefferson said, "I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it." Write about a situation in which you, or a character you create, put a lot of work into something, and then luck seems to follow.
Moneybag
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VERMONT WRITES DAY!Two strangers happen upon a bag of money while they're waiting for a train. Who are they? What do they do?
4Photos
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VERMONT WRITES DAY!Choose one of the photos in the slideshow and write a story or poem about it.
Allergies
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Write a poem or short story about someone who is allergic to something really strange. What happens to them when they are exposed to this thing? Is is a food or some kind of object?Use sensory details to make the story pop.
Cafeteria
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Some school years have a distinct aroma -- kindergarten might smell like glue sticks, second grade like lunchtime in the cafeteria, maybe eighth grade smells like a new book. These aromas can take you back to that place and time. Write about your own experience with certain years having their own special scent.[Unsplash, photo by Pawan Kawan]
Photo-Lighting
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[Photo by Ilya Ilford on Unsplash]
Pick a stationary object, and place it near a source of natural light. Take pictures of it periodically through the day. When you're done, try to identify areas of front, side, and back-lighting. Post your photos in a slideshow.Notes on Lighting:
Lighting plays a major role in how...
Climate18
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Write to one or all of these Climate Change challenges created by YWP's Hazel Civalier and Sophie Dauerman for their special SoundCheck on Climate Change on Thursday, Nov. 15 at Burlington City Arts, 135 Church St., Burlington, VT, from 6-8 pm!FIVE CHALLENGES
Oasis - Artistically portray a place in nature that you believe we should protect: Is it favorite park or hike where you relax? Does it contain a national monument? A...
Morris
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Can't we do better? Kiah Morris, who represented...
Babysitting
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You’re babysitting two rambunctious children who have finally gone to bed. You’re exhausted and start drifting off to sleep on the couch, when you hear this sound. What is it? What do you do? https://freesound.org/people/tim.kahn/sounds/435490/[YWP Photo Library, photo by Tess LaLonde]
Photo-6 Satire
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Try your hand at satiric comics such as this one from Burlington YWPer Connor Byam. Tap into your artistic side. Throw in some humor -- and voila![YWP Photo Library, illustration by Connor Byam]
Photo-5 Child
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Addie Card was 12 and working as a spinner in a mill in North Pownal, VT, when photographer Lewis Hine took this photo in 1910. Find out more about America’s child laborers by researching Hine’s photos. Write a poem or story based on this photo or others you find.[Photo credit: Lewis Hine, Library of Congress]
Synesthesia
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Write about someone who tastes words, sees music and voices and/or hears colors. How do they use their mixed-up senses to their advantage, and what struggles do they face because of them?[YWP Photo Library, photo by Kevin Huang]
Trees
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Write about a world in which trees can talk and/or move on their own. How would trees be treated if they could speak for themselves? What would they say to each other -- and to us?[YWP Photo Library, photo by Kevin Huang]
Fourth
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The fourth wall is the conceptual barrier between any fictional work and readers. Write a piece that breaks the fourth wall with a character who is aware of being fictional, and directly communicates to the reader.[YWP Photo Library, photo by Jessica Belliveau]
Kites
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There is a new sport that’s growing in popularity: people fly kites that joust with each other in the air. Are the kites alive, enchanted, or built with advanced technology? What are the prizes for winning, and the consequences of losing?[YWP Photo Library, photo by Creative Commons]
Power
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A higher power decides to grant a superpower to all 7.6 billion people on planet Earth. But there’s a catch — if any two people name the same power, it becomes ineffective. What unique power do you choose, and what do you do with it? [YWP Photo Library, photo by Lia Chien]
Snow
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Vermont winters can be brutal and beautiful at the same time. Using descriptive language, write a story or poem that takes place in the dead of winter. Illustrate it with photos or drawings if you like.[YWP Photo Library, illustration by Ada Shookenhuff]
Location
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Your character is immersed in an unsettling and unfamiliar setting — a claustrophobic character in a cave, a first-time skier on top of a steep mountain, a city where no one speaks the character's language. Describe the environment and the character's reaction to it in a short scene.[YWP Photo Library, photo by Kevin Huang]
Creature
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You’re a terrifying creature — everyone is afraid of you — but you feel completely misunderstood. How did the world come to perceive you this way? Can you change their perception? Tell the story.[YWP Photo Library]
Definition
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Pick a word and give it your own personal definition. Perhaps to you, “friendship” means the secrets that are whispered at 3 AM in the dark, “pineapple” brings to mind an infamous childhood prank and "flower" is a sunny afternoon in your grandmother's garden.[YWP Photo Library, photo by Hazel Civalier]
Transition
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Fall is a time of transition in nature. What if it were for humans as well? Using elements of the season as your inspiration, write a poem about someone who undergoes a biological transition every autumn, .[YWP Photo Library, illustration by Callie Cox]
Anticipation
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Write a story leading up to a major event or holiday and end it before it actually happens. Try to leave your readers wondering by playing around with ambiguity and cliffhangers.[YWP Photo Library, photo by Abigail Harkness]
Here
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Write a story or poem starting with the line, “It had been a long time, but now he was here.”[YWP Photo Library, photo by Ada Shookenhuff]
Photo-4 Friends
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What's the story behind these two friends? [YWP Photo Library, illustration by Ada Shookenhuff]
Memory
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Psychologists tell us our earliest memories typically form between the ages of 3 and 4. What is your earliest memory, and how old were you? Are the details hazy, or do you see and feel it clearly?[YWP Photo Library, Photo by Kevin Huang]
Cooking
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Delicious meals are universally regarded as a labor of love. Tell the story of a recipe from start to finish: harvesting blackberries to make jam, foraging for mushrooms, roasting marshmallows—and how the experience affects the people who prepare and eat the meal.[YWP Photo Library, painting by Ada Shookenhuff]
70°
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Imagine if 70° Fahrenheit weather — that pleasant, almost perfect temperature— were a person. How would the characteristics of 70°F weather be represented in a person? What would an interaction with them be like?[YWP Photo Library, photo by Kevin Huang]
Nerves
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The first day at school, camp, a new job can be nerve-wracking. Write about a memorable first day experience of your own or make one up, whether funny, mortifying or sad.[YWP Photo Library, Educational Technology Clearinghouse - University of South Florida]
Fighting-Words
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Your character is having an argument with someone. They begin hurling insults at each other, but without the use of profanity, slurs or comments about appearance. Maybe they end up laughing at the absurdity. Maybe they part in anger. Tell the story through their dialogue, showing the most creative fighting words they exchange. [YWP Photo Library, photo by Antonia Armstrong-Laird]
Photo-4 Circus
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Use this photo, taken at Shelburne Museum, as inspiration to write a story about a circus or carnival with dazzling acts touring the country.[YWP Photo Library, photo by Hazel Civalier]
Photo-1 Sunset
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Your character wanders off to this dock to watch the sunset. Something important has just happened and they need time alone. Tell the story.[YWP Photo Library, photo by Nora Wootten]
Club
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You have been invited to join a club that you’ve only heard wild rumors about. If you decide to join, what do you find out? What is the club really about? Are there bizarre initiation rituals and secret handshakes? Or if you take a pass, how do you come to your decision -- and live with that decision?[YWP Photo Library, photo by Abigail Harkness]
Persuasion
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Use your best persuasive skills to convince your teacher or another adult to do something or believe something. What is the conversation in which you urge, coax or demand, and how does it turn out?[Photo credit: Lewis Hine, Library of Congress]
Hey!
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Don’t ignore me! Write from the perspective of a character that you wish you would see more often or more accurately in the media, TV and movies.[YWP Photo Library, photo by Kevin Huang]
Royalty
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Write about someone who is ruler of something very strange or very silly. How did they become the leader? What “laws” do they pass? Who are their subjects and enemies, and how do they cope with this empire?[YWP Photo Library, photo by Kevin Huang]
Greeting
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Write a poem or story that ends with a greeting. What is the backstory? Lead the reader along with you up to the point of the greeting, which might be a surprise (“Oh, hello!”), or a test of will (“Hi, my friends made me do this…”) or a coincidence (“Joe?! What are you doing here?”).[YWP Photo Library, photo by Amanda Seavers]
Education
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What improvements would you like to see at your school this year? Longer lunches? Later start time? More play, less work? Write a persuasive letter to your school officials, making a case for positive changes.[YWP Photo Library, photo by Tess LaLonde]
Afterlife
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Write about people in an unconventional afterlife. Maybe people are grouped for eternity by how often they laugh and they party, maybe they are immediately assigned a job position to help influence life back on Earth, maybe they have to drift around outer space together ... Let your creativity flow! What is life like for the dead?[YWP Photo Library, photo by Tess LaLonde]
Portrait
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Write a description of yourself or someone you love. Include as many details of appearance, personality, habits and behavior as you can. If you like, use figurative or metaphorical language along with more concrete details.[YWP Photo Library, photo by Alexis Donna]
Elections
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The midterm elections are approaching -- Nov. 6, 2018 -- and whether or not you are old enough to vote, your voice matters. Prompted by today's Daily Read, "Midterms," persuade people to vote. The midterms mark the middle of Republican President Trump's term, and all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate are being contested.
Almost
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“The scene in front of her was almost perfect. Almost.” Finish the story.[YWP Photo Library, photo by Rebecca Orten]
Photo-2 Guitar
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The man strumming his guitar says to you, “You’re a different soul, aren’t you?” What sets you apart from the crowd? [YWP Photo Library, photo by Holly Margulius; challenge submitted by Rowan Potzler, YWP.]
Photo-3 Thinking
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What is this girl thinking? Write her internal dialogue. Is she looking at you as she thinks? Or is she focused on something or someone else?[YWP Photo Library, illustration by Zoe Maxwell]
Winter/18
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Tell a story about your experience of winter in short, descriptive poetry or prose. Be original. Avoid clichés. The best will be selected for presentation by the Vermont Stage Company at its annual Winter Tales production in Burlington in December.[YWP Photo Library, photo by Lia Chien]
Tic Tac
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Overnight, your character shrinks to the size of a Tic Tac. What dangers await this...