The doors of the library shuffle and sort themselves. You wander through them, hands running along broken spines. You can feel the weight of the library surround you, the scent of slowly aging paper emanating a vanilla twang in the soft wind. Trees sprout from the deepest shelves, fertilized by mysterious means only the Pages know of. Your casual perusal is stopped by one thing, a call echoing across the shelves. Something flits out at you. It's obtuse, hungry. A creature in the depths, something screaming with need, with unfulfilled and unmet desires that will leave your mind strewn about the floor. Or, possibly, that may simply make your life frustrating and cruel.
Grasp the book. Pull it back, feel the weight of time and emotion on the spine, the heft of the pages. You can taste the age, the yellowing of the pages releasing vanilla and linden into the air around your face. Each page is scrupulously, hungrily blank, a detestable state for any book to be in. The cover is similarly blank, twirling geometric designs interlaced with a single piece of text.
Your name, as author.
There isn't really any other option. You open the book, and begin to write what fate wills.
What Is This?
This is a monthly, rotating event that will be occurring on the Wanderer's Library! Every month, a prompt will be chosen by the winner of the previous contest (with the first prompt being chosen by the contest marshalls). You'll have two weeks from the date of the prompt being posted to write and formulate an entry to the prompt, and a further two weeks to post. The prompts will not call for a long piece, but if you wish to go above and beyond you are more than welcome to. If you're lucky and there's enough time in the week, the best entries will be read out live.
How This Works
Roughly at the start of each month, there will be a short two day period in which the marshalls select a prompt. The prompt will then be broadcast in an official forum post, after which we will allow the two week/two week writing and posting time. You don't need to signup—simply post your piece in the forum thread for each contest and you'll be entered automatically! The winner of one round will then go on to choose the prompt for next month.
The Rules
- Every author may submit as many entries as they desire.
- Collaborations are allowed for the prompts.
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- If multiple prompts are provided by a contest winner, the collaboration must choose a single prompt.
- If you have an idea for a combination of some sort, pitch it to a contest marshal.
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- Galleries are allowed.
- Entries will be tagged writprompt and will be entered into our Collection Page.
- Entries must be written with the prompt in mind. Pre-existing drafts are allowed to be re-purposed as prompt entries as long as the majority of writing applies to the prompt.
- All entries must be completely original. No copycatting!!!
Prompts!
The first prompt will be chosen by the contest marshal. After that, the following prompts will be chosen by the winner of the previous rounds. The prompts should focus on a few things, mainly creating something unique and interesting. Starting with the sound of a can falling from the top shelf, a street with one person, or a picture with an obscure liminal space. There are no real limits to it.
Submissions
Submissions must be made within the posting period (two-four weeks after the posting of the initial prompt). They can be done in any form—text, video, audio, poetry, prose, nonfiction. As long as it fits the form of the prompt an entry will be welcomed with open arms and added to our collection. The submissions will be tracked by the Prompt Marshalls FleshMaddAvalon.