Hello, caretakers and daredevils.
You know I’m never one to argue, but doesn’t this seem a bit dangerous? I’m sure you can handle it, but I just think you should be careful. This thing looks… mean. What if it snaps shut? I just hope you know what you’re doing, because…
This week’s Writing Group prompt is:
Reaching into the Maw
RULES AND GUIDELINES BELOW!
Make sure you scroll down and read them if you haven’t! You may not be eligible if you don’t!
What a way to close out the year, hey? A prompt that perfectly describes how we’re facing the new year head on, no matter how big and scary its teeth may be.
In the literal sense, a “maw” is a mouth. Reaching into one, I’m sure you can guess, isn’t always the safest thing. It could be a veterinarian, needing to reach deep to give some great stubborn beast its medicine. It could be as simple as a dentist tending to the teeth of his patient. Perhaps a couple of risk-taking adventurers got in a little over their heads, and one is trying to pull the other from the jaws of some hungry creature. Or maybe it’s just some pet that ate something it shouldn’t have, and their human has to pull it out.
But the term “maw” can be descriptive, as well. It doesn’t have to be a literal mouth. It could be a mage investigating some big mysterious cave, reaching their arm inside to illuminate the cavern with their staff. Perhaps a child lost their favourite toy down a gaping well, and they’re reaching anything they can into it to fish it out. Maybe the maw is the metaphorical jaws of depression, and a friend is reaching as deep as they can to help. Or perhaps the maw is the dark, gaping stairway to the basement, and one little child has to be brave and reach inside to pull the string for the light.
There are so many ways to take this prompt. So many literal, and not-so-literal interpretations. So reach far into the depths of your mind and bring us a story from within the jaws of your imagination.
Oh, and uh… mind the teeth.
—Shawna
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Remember, this is part of our weekly Writing Group stream! Submit a little piece following the rules and guidelines below, and there’s a chance your entry will be read live on stream! In addition, we’ll discuss it for a minute and give you some feedback.
Tune into the stream this Friday at 7:00pm CST to see if you made the cut!
The whole purpose of this is to show off the creativity of the community, while also helping each other to become better writers. Lean into that spirit, and get ready to help each other improve their confidence in their writing, as well as their skill with their craft!
Rules and Guidelines
We read at least four stories during each stream, two of which come from the public post, and two of which come from the much smaller private post. Submissions are randomly selected by a bot, but likes on your post will improve your chances of selection, so be sure to share your submission on social media!
Text and Formatting
- English only.
- Prose only, no poetry or lyrics.
- Use proper spelling, grammar, and syntax.
- Your piece must be between 250-350 words (you can use this website to see your wordcount).
- Include a submission title and an author name (doesn’t have to be your real name). Do not include any additional symbols or flourishes in this part of your submission. Format them exactly as you see in this example, or your submission may not be eligible: Example Submission.
- No additional text styling (such as italics or bold text). Do not use asterisks, hyphens, or any other symbol to indicate whether text should be bold, italic, or styled in any other way. CAPS are okay, though.
What to Submit
- Keep submissions “safe-for-work”; be sparing with sexuality, violence, and profanity.
- Try to focus on making your submission a single meaningful moment rather than an entire story.
- Write something brand new (no re-submitting past entries or pieces written for other purposes
- No fan fiction whatsoever. Take inspiration from whatever you’d like, but be transformative and creative with it. By submitting, you also agree that your piece does not infringe on any existing copyrights or trademarks, and you have full license to use it.
- Submissions must be self-contained (everything essential to understanding the piece is contained within the context of the piece itself—no mandatory reading outside the piece required. e.g., if you want to write two different pieces in the same setting or larger narrative, you cannot rely on information from one piece to fill in for the other—they must both give that context independently).
Submission Rules
- One submission per participant.
- Submit your entry in a comment on this post.
- Submissions close at 12:00pm CST each Friday.
- You must like and leave a review on two other submissions to be eligible. Your reviews must be at least 50 words long, and must be left directly on the submission you are reviewing, not on another comment. If you’re submitting to the private post, feel free to leave these reviews on either the private or the public post. The two submissions you like need not be the same as the submissions you review.
- Use the same e-mail for your posts, reviews, and likes, or you may be rendered ineligible (you may change your username or author name between posts without problem, however).
- You may submit to either or both the public/private groups if you have access, but if you decide to submit to both, only the private group submission will be eligible.
- Understand that by submitting here, you are giving us permission to read your submission aloud live on stream and upload public, archived recordings of said stream to our social media platforms. You will always be credited, but only by the author name you supply as per these rules. No other links or attributions are guaranteed.
Comments on this post that aren’t submissions will be deleted, except for replies/reviews left on existing submissions.
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