UPDATED — We have a winner!
After a week of voting and a very close race, Katrina of Tour Absurd is the winner of Round 1 of the 150-Word Writing Challenge.
Congrats, Katrina! And thanks to everyone who participated and voted. Stay tuned for Round 2 on April 20!
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Welcome to the newest feature here on A Dangerous Business!
We all know the phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Using this as my inspiration, I decided to start a new monthly writing contest on my blog, where I will challenge writers to come up with a story based on a photo.
But the real challenge is, they only have 150 words in order to tell their story.
YOU, the readers, will choose the winner, by indicating in the comments which story you like best. Each month, the winner will receive a small prize. This month, the winner will get a $25 Amazon gift card.
Round 1
Here’s the photo I sent out this month to participants:
Read all the entries below, then scroll down to read the REAL story behind this photo.
Before you go, make sure to vote for your favorite story, by leaving a comment at the end of this post.
Round 1 Entries
Written by Marie of Eurotrip Tips
It doesn’t take much to have a perfect moment.
Sometimes it’s just the early evening light. The soft breeze against your cheeks. A quiet walk after dinner. A whisper.
Life’s true gems hide in the simplest things, she always told him.
And on that very day, he listened.
After a perfect day of enjoying the sights, they wandered on the deserted beach, in silence. She smiled at him, sincerely. He knew it was the right moment. He smiled her back and tightened the grasp of their hands. He took a step back, kneeled down and started talking. While the following moments are somewhat blurry, the most important is crystal clear: she said yes.
They hugged for what seemed ages. The waterside pub suddenly seemed particularly inviting. They kissed over the sound of their pints toasting, still holding hands.
It doesn’t have to be much to mean everything.
.
Written by Katrina of Tour Absurd
As I awoke bleary-eyed and groggy on the walkway along the beach, I was relieved to see that I’d ended up in a place where English was spoken. I was disappointed, however, to realize that I was still not somewhere tropical.
At least I’d made it to a beach, which was much closer than the previous attempt. Apparently, “exotic” was not specific enough to cut it, as the first time I had opened my eyes only to find I was in a specialty pet shop in Peoria. The second try was better, landing me in a mid-eastern restaurant somewhere near Berlin (“exotic” plus “foreign”). “And yet,” I thought to myself, “this lamp was the best 2 euros I ever spent!”
My stomach rumbled. Since I needed to wait for the timer to reset anyway, I set off in search of fish chowder and a beer.
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Written by Laurel of Expat in Germany
The Fisherman’s Table was the perfect location for the show that was about to begin — if all went well. Guests would soon start filling the seats on the terrace overlooking the dark blue waters.
But the scenery alone was not why the guests came. It was just merely the backdrop.
The restaurant manager scanned the waters and frowned. Where were the celebrities? Were they going to be late again? Or perhaps show up late, as had been the case on too many occasions to count? You just never knew with celebrities, but guests had paid good money and would be sorely disappointed if they didn’t at least make an appearance.
Just then, he saw a ripple in the water, then another. Ah ha! The celebrities had arrived. Guests would get a glimpse of newborn baby dolphins that had just entered this world only days before. Let the greatest show on earth begin!
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Written by Jeremy of Budget Travel Adventures
It was a sunny but bitterly cold day. However, that didn’t matter, as we had finally arrived. Three continents and six months of traveling finally led us here — the beach.
The last few steps were the hardest. It wasn’t the cold or walking through the heavy sand. It was the heavy hearts from our journey that had made this so difficult. We followed the tips and clues we received from various people in our travels. And now we were here.
Was he kidnapped? Had he felt trapped, confined, and needed to escape? Did he feel like he didn’t belong with us and needed a place that felt more like home?
As we walked along the deserted beach and looked at Fisherman’s Table, our hearts sank. This is where he had last been seen and there were no more clues. It didn’t look good for our pet fish Rocky.
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Written by: Sashya Sharone Amee
Howard and Margie were casually strolling on the beach when Margie suddenly broke the deafening silence.
“That’s it! That’s where we are dining this evening. Right there on that lower concrete slab.”
“Margie, dear, I hate to interfere with your delightful imagineering of tonight’s culinary event but . . . Have you ever considered the rising of the tides?”
“Howard,” Margie quipped back, “Have you ever heard of the novelty of life lived? Don’t worry. We will dress for the occasion.”
Later that evening, Margie and Howard sat on the concrete slab, feasting on the clam shells they had ordered from the Fisherman’s Table. Popping the cork of the finest champagne, they poured the liquid bubbles into the shells and toasted their heartfelt wonderment of the moment as the oceanic waters swirled around the event. Then they slipped their wet-suited bodies into the rising waters and simply floated home.
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Written by: Anil of foXnoMad
Ironically, both of them filled out “likes long walks on the beach” on their Internet dating site profiles.
.
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So what’s the REAL story?
This photo was taken on a sunny winter afternoon in Wellington, New Zealand, as I walked along the nearly-deserted beach with a friend. Though most of the participants this week assumed the couple in the photo was a man and woman, it was actually a father and son! Which makes these stories even more entertaining.
Would you like to participate in a future round of the 150-Word Writing Challenge?
Each month, I will pick 5 writers to participate in the challenge. I will also be posting the monthly photo on Facebook, and will accept 1 or 2 additional entries into the contest each month. If you’d like to be assigned to a month, or just get more details on the contest, shoot me an e-mail, or leave me a comment.
And, before you go, be sure to vote for your favorite entry from Round 1 by leaving a comment!
(Voting will be open for one week — until March 23.)
Great idea! Loved all the entries but I think, for me, Expat in Germany wins.
It will be fun to watch as more of these take place.
Glad you enjoy this! And thanks for casting your vote.
Thanks for your vote Debbie, I appreciate it! Can we vote for ourselves?
Laurel recently posted..Wild Adventures in Banff National Park- Canada
Sure you can vote for yourself, if you think your story is the best one!
Fun! I vote for Jeremy and his pet fish.
Thanks for this post, Amanda. It was a pleasure to write!
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Feel free to enter any other month, as well, once I post the photos on Facebook!
Neat idea Amanda.
I put a vote in for Jeremy.
Andrew recently posted..Expat Life- The Benefit of Languages
I liked ‘em all! I’m going to vote for myself, thought, to get the votes flowing…
Thanks for the fun. I really enjoyed this. Enjoying reading the other submissions even more!
Katrina recently posted..Morocco Prep 2- The New ‘Do
Glad you had fun with this! It’s so cool to see what different people come up with, based on the same photo. Thanks for participating!
Katrina: Your two euro lamp does the magic! Get voted from me, free!:)
Thanks, Shyam!
Katrina recently posted..Quote- …I first became aware of the outside world
I like Laural’s story – or perhaps her writing style more then the story but none the less she gets my vote.
I have to go with Anil’s short yet to the point and somewhat funny story. I think it’s brilliant!!
On a separate note, would love to take part someday. Great Concept!!
Cheers
Raghav
Thanks for voting!
And I’ll shoot you an e-mail with all the details on how to get involved in an upcoming month.
Such a fun idea. All these entries are great, so creative. But I think I’m going to vote for Jeremy.
Alouise recently posted..Road Trip Memories Week 2 – Going To Manitoba
I love this! I can’t wait to read more.
And even though it’s not 150 words, I like Anil’s!
Thank you! These contests will run every month, on the third Wednesday of each month. So be sure to check back on April 20 for the next round!
And, check back here on March 24 to see if your favorite entry won!
Wow, this is tough.. I really enjoyed reading these stories.. I think my favorite has got to be Sashya Sharone Amee’s story.. It was so elegant.
Lainie Liberti recently posted..Miro’s Hostile – Hostel Experience
Nice, hadn’t seen the posting of the picture somehow. Or I might have given it a shot myself.
A pleasure to read all of the entries, though I’ll defintely vote in favor of Katrina’s.
For the moment described, Katrina’s story is short and to the point. But it still hints subtly at events having taken place in the past and outlines some expectations to what could happen in the future. The character is dynamic and clearly evolving even in this small piece, which makes me as a reader instantly connect with the person. Very imaginative to couple this location to other unconnected locations by a 2 euro magic lamp
Nice work all of you.
Mikkel
Thanks for your vote, Mikkel! Keep an eye on my Facebook page on April 1 for next month’s photo. Perhaps you can enter then!
Wow, thanks, Mikkel! I’m just about blushing.
Katrina recently posted..Quote- …I first became aware of the outside world
Love the idea, and would love to participate. I vote for Anil!
Andi recently posted..Not quite Wordless Wednesday 102
I’ll e-mail you the details, Andi!
This is the equivalent of asking which child I like best….arrghhh.. Ok, since it’s so funny, direct and to the point, I have to go with Anil. They all did a great job….congrats!
Renee recently posted..A guest review of Tripsplitter- the app
I have to vote Anil just because that one-liner says so much. Hilarious!
Our vote is for Laurel! Cool idea….would love to play along…do we need our blog up and running to be one of the cool kids?
Thanks for the vote!
And nope, having a blog is definitely NOT a requirement for this contest (though, if you do have one, I’ll gladly link to it). I’ll shoot you an e-mail with all the details!
I vote for Katrina of Tour Absurd! Though they were all quite imaginative and entertaining. What a fun idea!
Thanks, Aristana!
Katrina recently posted..Quote- …I first became aware of the outside world
So hard. I am torn between number three and four. Will go for number three though.
Natalie recently posted..Camel Wrestling – The Ultimate Traditional Turkish Experience
This was a lot of fun! I really enjoyed reading all of these and enjoyed doing this a lot more than I thought I would. Doing this story was fun for me because I have dabbled in fiction before but to do it in only 150 words was hard! Thanks for letting me be a part and hope everyone enjoyed writing and reading the stories!
Jeremy B recently posted..Win a home exchange membership with Luxe Home Swap!
Yay, I’m happy to hear you had fun with this, Jeremy! That’s the whole point, though. I knew limiting it to 150 words would make it tough – but that’s why it’s called a challenge!
I hope you’ll participate again sometime.
Enjoyed all of it! Vote goes to Katrina.
Thanks, Katherine! Your shamrock’s in the mail.
Katrina recently posted..Quote- …I first became aware of the outside world
I’ll vote for myself then. Thanks for letting me be a part of this. It was more difficult than I had anticipated, but a lot of fun and nice to do something different for a change.
Laurel recently posted..Wild Adventures in Banff National Park- Canada
I vote for Katrina! Second place for Antonio (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54bY9OUo5tY&feature=related)
What a great idea! It is really interesting reading ideas from contestants around the world…… it shows how different and alike we all are….. and no vote here….. they were all good……maybe I’ll contribute next time.
I vote for Anill’s!
One vote for Jeremy! A beach is a perfect end for any travel…
What a cool contest idea! I wish I could vote for them all, but I’ll go with Anil’s entry. It was short and witty… and was seriously the same thing that popped in my head when I saw the picture! I’d like to think it’s shared genius.
Christy @ Technosyncratic recently posted..Photo of the Week- Lonely Bench in New Orleans
Well, you know what they say about great minds…
Thanks for voting! And I’m glad you like the idea!
I’d like to throw my vote in for Jeremy also…his story was funny, and makes me kinda hungry?
Liz recently posted..Travel TV
I vote for Jeremy and his pet fish “Rocky!”
Gotta vote for the most intriguing.. Katrina’s
Phil recently posted..Guide to Music in West Africa- Senegal Part I
Thanks, Phil! Ima draw you a camel for that!
Katrina recently posted..Cork St Patrick’s Day Parade
Well done everyone!
Katrina I quite enjoyed your piece for both the reasons Mikkel Kirkgaard Nielsen describedm as well as my own personal liking towards a simplistic, precise, imaginitive, evocative beauty.
Well done!
Oein, when will you stop being awesome? You’re so cool. Thank you!
Katrina recently posted..Cork St Patrick’s Day Parade
Well done to everyone! There’s so much I’m liking about the talent shown here.
Katrina of Tour Absurd I very much enjoyed your little piece of writing awesomeness! I found it both clear and simple. Great imaginative from an image I wouldn’t know what to write about. You kept it interesting for me and made me want more to the story!! Brilliant!!
Best of luck to everyone.
Wow, thanks, Steven! I shall raise a glass of Moroccan mint tea to your awesomeness!
Katrina recently posted..Cork St Patrick’s Day Parade
I liked Katrina’s story. And it left me wondering why MY magic lamp doesn’t have a timer?
Why thank you! (ps: did you buy yours from a seedy looking guy with a pencil-thin mustache and a dirty fez? he sells fakes, I’m afraid
Katrina recently posted..Cork St Patrick’s Day Parade
I vote for Katrina! I would never have come up with a story about a magic lamp looking at that photo, very imaginative!
Tá tú go hiontach, Janet! (You are great.
Katrina recently posted..Cork St Patrick’s Day Parade
I give my vote to Laurel of Expat in Germany because I liked “the show must go on” with or without the celebrities.
What a great idea!!
I vote for Marie. I really enjoyed the romance in her story although I have to be honest in saying that they are all very creative and well-written!
Annie recently posted..Lesson 8- Dirty Water is for Wieners
Thanks Annie! My story is inspired from my own engagement, so it’s very personal. I’m glad you liked it.
I vote for Laurel. Her story had the best “twist” at the end. The contest is a cool idea!
I love this idea! I used to do the exact same thing for my year 5 class back in Australia as a creative writing tool-although they didn’t win a $25 voucher-just something out of my prize box I kept behind my desk!
I vote for Sashya Sharone Amee-love the creativeness of a romantic dinner!
Thanks, Elise! It’s a great writing exercise, and I’ve had to do similar things in past college classes, as well. The prize just makes it a little bit sweeter!
Thanks so much for putting in your vote! Today’s the last day, so you’re just in time!