| 52 Shorts |
www.millionstories.net www.millionstories.net www.millionstories.net www.millionstories.net www.millionstories.net
Welcome to the 52 Shorts Challenge Archive!
Browse through the writing prompts for the first six months of
2011 and see what we were doing to stimulate your regular
writing habit!
Below are the 27 writing prompts from January 3rd to June 26th
(in week #18 in May we had 2 writing prompts!).
Feel free to browse through and use any to feed your own
creativity!
Click on the links provided to some of the best stories submitted
to us as direct results of these prompts...for your reading
pleasure!
Browse through the writing prompts for the first six months of
2011 and see what we were doing to stimulate your regular
writing habit!
Below are the 27 writing prompts from January 3rd to June 26th
(in week #18 in May we had 2 writing prompts!).
Feel free to browse through and use any to feed your own
creativity!
Click on the links provided to some of the best stories submitted
to us as direct results of these prompts...for your reading
pleasure!
The
Challenge Archive!
Challenge Archive!
| Writing Prompt #1 for January 3rd 2011: The beginning of the year is traditionally about starting something new and so this first writing prompt is simply 'Resolutions and Revelations'. "The Peace Button" by JF Chavoor |
| Writing Prompt #2 for January 10th 2011: A thousand blackbirds fell out of the sky in Beebe, Arkansas, then five-hundred starlings, blackbirds and cowbirds rained down in Louisiana. In Falkoeping in Sweden dozens of jackdaws met a sudden death while Italy saw the mysterious end of four-hundred turtledoves. This week's writing prompt: 'Strange Rain'. "It Is A Strange Rain" by SC Lambert "Showers Of Gratitude" by Leena Jarayaj "Raining Apricots" by JF Chavoor |
| Writing Prompt #3 for January 17th 2011: The new year has seen children returning to school this week. This has made us reflect on our time at school, how things have changed, the way kids look today and how much is still the same. This week's writing prompt: 'Someone's Daughter, Someone's Son'. "Riding Goofy" by Abi Wyatt |
| Writing Prompt #4 for January 24th 2011: Statistically speaking Jan 24th is this year's 'Blue Monday' when a larger than normal percentage of people are feeling down. Well, if you have been made redundant, flooded out of your house or otherwise terrorised then perhaps you have a right to feel like the good times are over for a while? Don't worry, they will return! This week's writing prompt: 'Out Of The Blue'. "The Sure Thing" by JF Chavoor |
| Writing Prompt #5 for January 31st 2011: Chris Cole is an anti-war activist campaigning against the use of drones and is based in the UK. His partner, Virginia Moffat has work published on this site. He is currently in a UK jail serving a short sentence for standing up for what he believes in. He is not a young firebrand, but a respected family man and his kids miss him. We hope he will be home soon. This week's writing prompt: 'Taking A Stand'. Chris is now home with his family! "The Fight" by Leena Jayaraj |
| Writing Prompt #6 for February 7th 2011: We have just enjoyed the spectacle of the Superbowl in the USA and continue to be thrilled by all the action of the European Six Nations Rugby Tournament. With the traditional Saint Valentine's Day just around the corner there was only one way this week could go... This week's writing prompt: 'The Big Game'. "Old Soldiers, Old Bones" by Abi Wyatt |
| Writing Prompt #7 for February 14th 2011: Today is St Valentine's day in the 'West', where romantic love is celebrated. It has also been nominated, on the Internet, as 'I Love Tunisia Day'. Looking along the coast from Tunisia, at recent events in Egypt, it could have been a different story had fear ruled the day... This week's writing prompt: 'Love Your Neighbour'. "The Bear" by JF Chavoor |
| Writing Prompt #8 for February 21st 2011: Commentators are calling it the 'Arab Spring' as protests sweep from Morocco to Bahrain. Social media sites are said to be helping to alter the way these changes are perceived and documented. We are all correspondents now... This week's writing prompt: 'It Happened To Me'. |
| Writing Prompt #9 for February 28th 2011: Congratulations to all the Oscar winners on receiving their awards. At the cinema we suspend our disbelief for a time knowing that what we are seeing is an interpretation of a story, or real events as seen through the eyes of a director... This week's writing prompt: 'Made In Hollywood'. |
| Writing Prompt #10 for March 7th 2011: Pablo Picasso's painting 'Nude, Green Leaves £65,000,000 (or $104m+), which is a lot of money in anyone's language. As it goes on display in London we wait for the usual debate and protest... This week's writing prompt: 'What Price Art'. |
| Writing Prompt #11 for March 14th 2011: Our hearts go out to the people of Japan following the 'quake, the murderous tsunami and continuing threat of nuclear calamity. We can only hope that things stabilise quickly... This week's writing prompt: 'Force Of Nature'. |
| Writing Prompt #12 for March 21st 2011: The Moon has not been this close to the Earth for twenty years. It is much bigger and brighter than usual and we have been captivated by its beauty... This week's writing prompt: 'By The Light Of The Moon'. |
| Writing Prompt #13 for March 28th 2011: Good news! If you have been writing with us since Jan 3rd you are now a quarter of the way through writing 2011! Congratulations on your staying power so far. To mark this occasion we cast around for a worthy prompt: could it be radiation in Japan; rioting in London; civil war in Libya; or the passing of Elizabeth Taylor? Ultimately the inspiration for this week's prompt was more prosaic. It seems a burglar, making good his escape, vaulted a wall into a churchyard and 'discovered' an ancient well. He was trapped thirty feet underground for two hours before his subsequent rescue and arrest... This week's writing prompt: 'Natural Justice'. |
| Writing Prompt #14 for April 4th 2011: Well we survived April 1st without falling for any major tomfoolery, and then got all worked up over the cricket world cup final. There was passion from the start with the toss of the coin requiring adjudication from the referee. The coin had to be thrown again, it was a fierce battle but India went on to knock Sri Lanka for six... This week's writing prompt: 'Heads or Tails'. |
| Writing Prompt #15 for April 11th 2011: We have heard very many justifications for war in Africa, War in the Middle East and War in Afghanistan, but the men (and it's nearly always men) at the top always stop short of the real reasons for going into battle and laying other people's lives on the line. Someone somewhere is making money out of it, of that we can be sure... This week's writing prompt: 'The Business Of War'. |
| Writing Prompt #16 for April 18th 2011: In honour of the achievements of 36,000 runners and riders at the London marathon and the £millions raised for good causes... This week's writing prompt: 'Twenty-Six Miles'. "Twenty-Six Miles" by Virginia Moffat |
| Writing Prompt #17 for April 25th 2011: Love them or loathe them, if you are in London this week, then you can't ignore them. Prince William & Kate Middleton are bringing the town to a stand-still... This week's writing prompt: 'The Wedding List'. |
| Writing Prompt #18 for May 2nd 2011: The town of Tuscaloosa is in our thoughts this week as reports come in of record breaking destructive weather systems all across the South Eastern United States... This week's writing prompt: 'Tornado Season'. And for those of you keen to respond to the news of Bin Laden's demise how about: 'Conspiracy of Silence'. |
| Writing Prompt #19 for May 9th 2011: We mark the passing of Claude Choules who has died aged 110. He was the last living man to have seen active service in WWI and was present at the surrender of the German fleet in 1918... This week's writing prompt: 'In Living Memory'. |
| Writing Prompt #20 for May 16th 2011: At the weekend we witnessed a remarkable showcase of musical talent from across Europe in the Eurovision Song Contest with songs from Moldova to Ireland, Russia to Portugal all making an impact on a global audience of 125 million. Azerbaijan won with their song "Running Scared"... This week's writing prompt: 'Going For A Song'. |
| Writing Prompt #21 for May 23rd 2011: This week we heard news of an Amazonian tribe with no concept of time, just a notion of 'what will happen' and 'what has happened', no clock, no calendar... This week's writing prompt: 'Out Of Time'. |
| Writing Prompt #22 for May 30th 2011: So the US President has been meeting heads of state in Europe; the Queen of England, Presidents and Prime Ministers. Quite a tour... This week's writing prompt: 'A State Occasion'. |
| Writing Prompt #23 for June 6th 2011: Following the Fukushima disaster in Japan, the German government has announced plans to phase out nuclear power generation in Germany. Is this the beginning of the end for nuclear power? Probably not... This week's writing prompt: 'In The Atomic Age'. |
| Writing Prompt #24 for June 13th 2011: Our sympathies are with those who have lost loved ones in the recent outbreaks of e-coli in Germany and the UK. The furore this has raised over salad vegetables has exposed our deep emotional need for safe food supply... This week's writing prompt: 'Dangerous Cuisine'. |
| Writing Prompt #25 for June 20th 2011: The recent lunar eclipse was spectacular, but it doesn't take an astrologer to tell you a red full moon might have an effect on people... This week's writing prompt: 'A Midsummer Night'. |
| Writing Prompt #26 for June 27th 2011: We are halfway through the year! Well done for keeping up, dipping in and generally enjoying our prompts! This week we are chilling after a fantastic Glastonbury weekend full of amazing performances from some terrific bands... This week's writing prompt: 'After The Festival'. |
| One Million Stories One Million Stories... One Million Dreams... |
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
| ONE MILLION STORIES |