Hello, you lovely little Mortals!
What does it mean to be immortal? Is it simply being able to live forever, or is there more to it than that? What if the cost of immortality is really high, and the longer you live, the higher it goes? It’s time to see if you can afford that price, because…
This week’s Writing Group prompt is:
Functionally Immortal
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!
Immortality is no stranger to us. Immortality that comes at a price is also familiar. Now picture if you will, immortality that has a monthly rate of subscription to actually be active.
It’s a bit of an odd thought, isn’t it? Normally it’s a case of becoming immortal, and… that’s it. Nothing else really goes with it. There’s so many wonderful ways to weave this prompt, however. Let’s start with the classic vampire. What if, rather than just being immortal and being able to sustain themselves on the blood of animals, they had no choice but to feed on humans? Perhaps by not feeding, they age anyway, and are susceptible to regular injuries. Maybe someone has made a deal with a powerful entity, and for every day of immortality, they have to appease said demon with a daily sacrifice. It can be as simple as someone discovering the Philosopher’s Stone, but each day they go more and more insane from the body and mind not being meant to live as long as they have. Even simpler, a pendant or embedded magic item that keeps its host alive so long as it is never removed.
This is also where we can play with what “immortality” really is, as it can mean different things to different people. It can be someone stuck in a coma and on life support, their family waiting for a day that may or may not ever come. Perhaps the method of immortality is an old photograph, and to keep it alive, it is passed through many generations and handled with great care. Maybe this is a chance to explore how a ghost would view the world, stuck in place with no one to talk to, save maybe other ghosts like itself. Maybe the immortality of one individual is carried on through their descendants, those who would continue to branch and grow the family tree. Perhaps we can even explore how the Reaper themselves feel about this as they are cheated out of soul after soul as more people discover and acquire immortality.
There’s so much more to immortality than we first realize. There’s many definitions, methods, and requirements to obtaining it. The big question then looms overhead; is it really worth it?
Even our stories here can be a form of immortality, as they are carried through time on this page that is open for anyone to see.
So go forth now, and leave your mark on the world for all to see until the end of time.
—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 Saturday 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).
- Use two paragraph breaks between each paragraph so that they have a proper space between them (press “enter” or “return” twice).
- 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.
- Be constructive and uplifting. These submissions are not for a professional market, and shouldn’t be treated as such. We do this, first and foremost, for the joy of the craft. Help other writers to feel like their work is valuable, and be considerate and gentle with critique when you offer it. Authors who leave particularly abrasive or disheartening remarks on this post will be disqualified from selection for readings.
- 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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