#50PreciousWords Writing Challenge is OPEN

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TA-DA!

THE 2nd ANNUAL #50PRECIOUSWORDS WRITING CHALLENGE IS OFFICIALLY OPEN!!!

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I am so very excited to read all of the #50PreciousWords entries. For those of you who are visiting here the first time, please let me give you a sentence or two or three about how this all came about.

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March 2nd is the birthday of the incredible Theodore Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. Last year I put together a little contest based on Bennet Cerf’s challenge to Seuss to write a children’s book using only 50 words. And the classic Green Eggs and Ham was born. It’s true that the story has over 700 words…but only 50 unique words.

I thought it would be fun to try to write a story for kids with ONLY 50 words. With a beginning, a middle, and an end. I wondered if I could do it. And then I opened the challenge to everyone. Much to my surprise and amazement, there were 128 entries! Ayear has past…and it’s time to DO IT AGAIN.

Please put on your thinking caps and get busy writing. You have until March 6th at 11:59pm to post your story. Here are the guidelines:

#50 PRECIOUS WORDS WRITING CHALLENGE GUIDELINES

  1. Write a story appropriate for kids ages 12 or under, using only 50 words…they can all be different words, or you can use some of them over and over…just as long as the total word count of the story is 50 or less.
  2. It can be prose, rhyme, free verse, silly or serious…whatever works for you.
  3. Title is not included in the word count.
  4. No illustration notes please.
  5. Between March 2nd and March 6th, post your story on your blog if you have one and want to and put the link in the comments of this post. Or copy and paste the entire story in the comments of this post. I ask for the link so that people will visit each other and find new friends in the kid lit community. Please make sure you put your name in the post. If you have any trouble at all posting the link or the story, please email me and I will be happy to do it for you: viviankirkfield@gmail.com.
  6. Deadline for posting the story or the link in the comments is Monday, March 6, at 11:59pm.
  7. Winners will be announced in a special blog post on Thursday, March 9.
  8. Winners? Of course, there will be winners…and prizes, too!

21 winners…21 prizes…1st place takes whichever prize she/he wants, then 2nd place gets to pick, and so on. I will reach out to 

  1. . A critique from my beloved agent, Essie White (some of you may remember that the winner of last year’s contest chose Essie’s critique as her prize…and she subsequently signed with Storm Literary Agency!)

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  1. A seat in author and mentor Susanna Leonard Hill’s amazing Making Picture Book Magic online writing class (the first writing class I ever took and it set me on the path of writing wonderful picture book manuscripts).

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3. A seat in author and nonfiction writing guru Kristen Fulton’s incredible Nonfiction Archaeology online writing class (that was the class that opened the door for me to discover the joy of writing nonfiction picture books).

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4. Coupon for 50% off author Alayne Kay Christian’s ART OF THE ARC online writing class (this is the next class I would love to take).

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5. Or, if you have already taken Alayne’s wonderful class, you can choose a coupon for 50% off an in-depth critique from her (when Alayne says it is an in-depth critique, she isn’t kidding. I had one of those…it is supercalifragilisticexpialidocious).

6. A seat in one of the KidLitCollege webinars (I’ve attended a few and they are FABULOUS!) OR $19.99 off a critique, donated by Jodell Sadler, JCLA Editorial Agent and Founder of KidLitCollege. Winner choses one and will get a special code.

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7. A manuscript or query letter critique from author Rebecca Colby.

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8. A picture book manuscript critique from author Lori Degman.

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9. A picture book critique from author Anna Forrester.

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10. A fiction picture book critique from author Ariel Bernstein

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11. A picture book critique from author Rosie Pova

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12. A book on the craft of writing from Rosie Pova.

13. A copy of Bunny’s Book Club from Annie Silvestro.

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14. A book on the craft of writing from author Maria Marshall.

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15. A copy of Hello, My Name is Tiger from author/illustrator Jennifer P. Goldfinger.

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16. A copy of LIZZIE AND LOU SEAL plus an adorable SEAL NECKLACE from author/illustrator Patricia Keeler.

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17. A copy of CLAMS ALL YEAR by author/illustrator Maryann Cocca-Leffler.

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18. A SUPER HAPPY book prize package from author Marcie Colleen with copies of Super Happy Party Bears Gnawing Around and Super Happy Party Bears Knock Knock on Wood.

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 19. A copy of Mutt’s Promise,  a middle grade dog adventure written by Julie Salomen…donated by author/illustrator Jill Weber.

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20. A signed copy of Mr. Fuzzbuster Knows He’s the Favorite from author Stacy McAnulty.

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21. A picture book critique from me and a signed copy of my parent-teacher book, Show Me How! Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and Cooking.

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WOW! That is some list of prizes! What a generous Kid Lit community we have! I’m grateful to the prize donors…I hope you all visit their websites, buy their books, and review them on Amazon. Did you know that when a book gets 50 reviews, Amazon helps promote it?

And now, before I invite you to post your stories, I wanted to share my #50PreciousWords with you. Hopefully, my story is a good enough example…with a beginning, a middle, and an end (and what an end!)…that is kid-friendly (well, remember those Grimm’s Fairy Tales)…that is 50 words or less. I hope it makes you smile.

 

WHY PIGS LOVE THEIR LITTLE FEET (50 words)

Everyone made fun of Pig’s little feet.

An invitation arrived.

                   Please come to Coyote’s feast.

Rooster knew the invitation was for him.

Cow disagreed.

They hurried to Coyote’s den.

 Pig followed.

By the time his little feet got him there, the feast was finished.

And so were Rooster and Cow.

 

I always loved Aesop’s Fables and folktale type stories when I was a kid…I guess I was inspired by those.

Dear friends, please share this around your social media…the more the merrier… #50PreciousWords.

If you have any questions or need clarification, just email me: viviankirkfield@gmail.com

.Are you excited? I am!

Remember…THE MAGIC HAPPENS WHEN YOU MAKE EVERY WORD COUNT!

And I just can’t wait to read all of your precious words.

2,135 thoughts on “#50PreciousWords Writing Challenge is OPEN”

  1. WHEN IS IT MY TIME?
    by Linda Sakai

    Baby takes up so much time.
    Mama holds her
    feeds her
    changes her.
    When is it my time
    to be held by Mama
    to be fed
    to be cuddled?

    Ah! It’s baby’s nap time.
    Time for me.
    Time with Mama.

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply ↓

  2. The Basement

    Creep, creep, creep, creep
    down the basement stairs so steep.
    Sneak, sneak, sneak, sneak
    ‘round the corner, take a peak.
    Old toys dusty,
    bike wheels rusty,
    treasures in the house held deep.
    Spider crawls along the wall.
    Eek! I race up toward the hall.
    The basement’s not cool after all.

    Liked by 7 people

    Reply ↓

  3. A Brief for CF
    (50 Precious Words)
    By Erin Buhr

    Ever think about your breaths?

    Air in. Air out.

    Put on shoes. Off you go.
    Legs fast. Lungs pumping.

    Air in. Air out.

    Some kids work for every breath.
    Legs fast. Lungs fighting.

    Every in. Every out.

    They hope one day it will just be

    Air in. Air out.

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply ↓

  6. Reading everyone’s entries has been a blast! I think Dr. Suess would be bamboozeled and totally flumfloozeled to see the great talent from all the wordsmiths here. It was fun to write one, too, and I’ll put on my big girl pants and publish it. Please enjoy.

    I Spot a Tall Tale
    By Erin Ball

    “Why is the window broken?”
    Well…
    There was an alien.
    He zoomed through the window.
    “An alien broke the window?”
    Well…
    He came to help.
    The monster yelled and stomped.
    “So a monster broke it?”
    Well…
    He stepped on glass when he picked up the baseball.

    Spot wanted to fetch.

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply ↓

  7. Pingback: CAN YOU WRITE A STORY IN 50 WORDS? | Alayne Kay Christian

    • Holy Moly is right, Alayne. What a turnout! It’s Saturday evening and I am wading through over 1000 comments…guess I should thank my lucky stars there aren’t 1000 entries. 😉 But honestly,I am THRILLED! And touched by the quality of the entries.
      Your walk through the winter wonderland is lovely…soothing, with a bit of crunch crunch…I’ll have a hot chocolate, please. 😉

      Like

      Reply ↓

  9. This is an entry for Michael Samulak

    A Cucumber Kind of Day
    By Michael Samulak

    Today was a cucumber kind of day.

    Cool.

    Crisp.

    Green.

    Clean.

    A wee bit wet

    With a hint of something sweet.

    No sharp edges,

    Flexible

    Yet firm.

    A little too long.

    Maybe tomorrow will be like…

    A big sweet juicy strawberry!

    Today was definitely a cucumber day –

    Without seeds.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply ↓

  12. This is amazing! I thought I’d read just a couple tonight, I can’t believe how many entries there are! My whole family lol-ed at your sample story Vivian! I will post before deadline. Still mulling over a word! Hope I get time to read and comment on many more!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply ↓

  13. Thanks Again Vivian

    Escape to Snug Cottage
    By Nina Q. Haines

    Let’s escape to a place,
    not far away
    by the sea.
    Escape from what!
    From boring toys, phones, business of going here and there and everywhere.
    Snug cottage waits for family,
    to play by the sea, swim in the water all day and cozy up at night.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply ↓

  14. Third time is the charm.

    Ice Skating Contest
    By Nina Q. Haines

    Petite Piggy watched Flamingo skate, gracefully.
    She wanted to skate like Swan, elegantly.
    Ice skating contest
    Waltz Waddle Pond
    Standing on ice she could do, as long, as she didn’t move.
    At practice there were more downs than ups.
    Piggy came in last.
    Her friends thought she was the best.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply ↓

  15. Time to stop tweaking my entry and get it posted. I hope you’ll visit the link
    http://bookish-ambition.blogspot.com/2017/03/second-annual-50preciouswords.html
    but I’ve copied it below just in case. Thanks, Vivian!

    The Ballad of Mary Fields,
    by Joanne Roberts

    Mary Fields comes chug-chuggin’ from the saloon,

    A thundering locomotive,

    Streaming smoke from her cigar.

    Wolves on the trail,

    Four-legged or man-sized,

    Won’t slow her down.

    Slapping the mail sacks across Moses’s saddle,

    She rolls out of town.

    Her smile wide as Montana skies,

    Freest soul ever born a slave.

    Liked by 9 people

    Reply ↓

  17. These stories have been so much fun to read…and write. Here’s my entry. Thank you, Vivian, for this little event.

    NIGHT SONG

    Alone, Bullfrog sings at night.
    He serenades sleepy squirrels, drowsy dragonflies and groggy geese to slumber.
    He wakes orbiting owls, raiding raccoons, and ambling armadillos to hunt.
    Bullfrog sings at night. An invitation.
    SHE hears his call and finds him.
    No longer lonely, Bullfrog ends his night song.

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply ↓

  18. Vivian, I’ve never done this challenge in previous years, but now I can’t stop thinking IN 50 WORD sound bytes!

    BEFORE SUNRISE
    Birds are calling, suns in bed.
    Sister comes, pats my head.
    Tries to climb on in with me.
    Gets her foot stuck, hurts her knee.
    Brother hears and joins us too,
    Brings a chair for him and Lou.
    Legs on chairs climb over bars
    Party in my room of stars!

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply ↓

  19. Love all of these wonderful entries – including yours, Vivian! Thanks so much for hosting this fun contest! Here we go …

    BADGER’S GIFT
    by Jen Bagan

    Badger reviewed her delivery list:

    Slippers for Skunk
    Gloves for Grizzly
    Hankies for Hedgehog

    She locked her store and began walking.
    Badger returned at dusk, sat down and rubbed her sore paws.

    “Hmmm … what’s that in the corner?”

    She gasped at the attached delivery slip.

    Bicycle for Badger

    Liked by 6 people

    Reply ↓

  20. This is a great opportunity for new authors, such as myself! Here’s my entry, based on my new children’s book series, Olivia and The Mush:

    This is Olivia,
    And this is The Mush.
    She is a cat.
    And, he is a cat too!
    Olivia likes flowers.
    And, The Mush likes hats.
    Olivia likes to run.
    and The Mush likes to sleep.
    They are good friends.
    Two cats,
    in one house…
    Oh my goodness!

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply ↓

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