#WEP/IWSG June Challenge for 2020 - Urban Nightmare

Hello everyone! Renée here!

If you've been watching the opening up of the world after the worst of the pandemic, you're probably keeping your fingers crossed that folks will do the right thing. In many countries they are, but in the US things aren't going as smoothly. Folks prefer to pull out their guns instead of wearing a mask. Empathy is lacking in the highest echelons of society, and most of us see a bleak chance for a change with voter suppression being the fresh game in town. 

Oops, didn't mean to get on a soapbox...

Photo by Mattia Agustoni on Unsplash

So before this becomes a political post, why don't we get to the challenge, 

and use our angst to fuel our writing!!!

Welcome to the June Challenge

Urban Nightmare!

Before we get into it...


...we introduce a new concept - 
WEP-Lite.


What is WEP-Lite? It is WEP stripped of everything but the absolute essentials. 

The WEP team are going through their own Urban Nightmare, assailed by physical and emotional ailments from every direction. So in June, the workload can't be shared so much. 

Rather than shutting down temporarily, we have voted to go with WEP-Lite (and this may continue into August).

How is WEP-Lite different?

There will be no...

• Comment counting. This month we rely on your goodwill to read as many entries as you can, remembering how it sucks if only 2 people read yours. Don't let this happen!
• Blurbs. We'll hold off on them this month. Even though we had a volunteer (Sanhita) to do blurbs, we would still need to edit, link, post...so better to leave it this month. 
• Constant post monitoring. We'll still try to check as much as possible, but if you have a very urgent query, email Denise at den.covey@gmail.com.

There will be...

• Shortlist and judging
• Winners' post announcement
• Winner's Guest post
• Mail Chimp emails

So, let's get to it...

This is the put-your-thinking-cap-on post ONLY. Sign up post goes live June 17, EST, and will remain open for 3 days. Be ready to pounce! 3 days of reading and commenting. What better way to spend our time during the shutdown or whatever they call it where you live.

We at the WEP know how tough these times are. Use that in your writing for this prompt. Get that stress out of your system and put it in your writing! We don't care how deep you delve. Actually, the deeper and darker the better.

HAPPY CREATING!

How does this Urban Nightmare prompt inspire you?

A city where the trees are pulling up their roots, bunching them over their branches like old fashioned women's skirts and trudging away to greener pastures.

A city under the haze of volcanic ash where no birds, no airplanes can land, no living creature can breathe.

The underground city within a city where fatbergs and noxious fumes create a deathly trap for your characters.

A concrete jungle where the walls close in and collapse every morning and everyone must wait for the night to be alive again. 

Tell us, what is your urban nightmare?

PRIZE FOR JUNE

This month we have a CRITIQUE prize for the WINNER. Author Rohini Sundaram is offering the winner a 5,000-word critique plus synopsis.

Thank you, Rohini!

 Your admin for the June WEP are Yolanda, Denise, and Sue (Elephant's Child).  

FYI: Here's a list of FREE or low-cost sites for a blog.

·         Blogger.

·         Medium.

·         Penzu.

·         Squarespace.

·         Svbtle.

·         Tumblr.

·         Webs.

·         Weebly.

·         Wix.

·         Wordpress.

                                 

We applaud those brave souls who use their WEP stories as a series. And there are those of you who like to write ahead of time. So...the next challenge is: 

We'd love if you'd Tweet Tweet Tweet some/all of these:

WEP Summer 2020 writing prompt Urban Nightmare @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @LGKeltner, @OlgaGodim https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2020/06/wepiwsg-june-challenge-for-2020-urban.html Sign up June 17! #amwriting #flashfiction #WEPFF #poetry #nonfiction

Get-your-thinking-caps-on for Urban Nightmare @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @LGKeltner, @OlgaGodim https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2020/06/wepiwsg-june-challenge-for-2020-urban.html Sign up June 17! #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction #poetry #nonfiction

Join WEP @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @LGKeltner, @OlgaGodim  for the third challenge of the year Urban Nightmare Sign up Jue 17! https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2020/06/wepiwsg-june-challenge-for-2020 urban.html  #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction #poetry #nonfiction

Begin Summer by joining @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @LGKeltner, @OlgaGodim  for the latest challenge Urban Nightmare Sign up June 17! https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2020/06/wepiwsg-june-challenge-for-2020-urban.html
 #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction #poetry #nonfiction

Renée,

FOR THE WEP TEAM!

#WEP/IWSG April Challenge for 2020 - ANTIQUE VASE "Never lose Hope."

"Hope is being able to see that there is light despite the darkness." Desmond Tutu

   Hello all! Yolanda here, your host for the month of April!

The coronavirus has touched all our lives, and we understand and appreciate the seriousness of this threat. Our first thoughts are for you and your families, and our HOPE is that you and yours are safe.

   But here at the WEP, we want to throw a monkey wrench into this new 'world order.'

   Many writers are already taking advantage of the order to shelter in place and are tackling new writing projects or are putting more time in on their WIP.

Except, of course, those on the front lines - our heroes. Our doctors, nurses, lab, and other health care workers - all first responders. We give a shout out to them and offer our prayers for their continued good health as we pray for our own.

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy." –Proverbs 31:8-9

   Most of us need a distraction from reality right now. I know that for myself, anxiety is high. I've been using meditation, and yes, my writing to distract myself.

   So here we are again, with a new challenge. One a little light-hearted - well, if that's how you wish to interpret it - Antique Vase.

But before we get to the challenge for this month. We want to celebrate 2 more writers who've been with us these past 10 years.

Amazing! 

I for one still can't believe it's been 10 YEARS! Congratulations!

Sally and Donna!

Hi everyone, Sally here:

What an honour to be included in WEP’s 10^th anniversary blog post.  Where has the time gone?  I started tentatively submitting stories as RFW, there was a prompt, usually a photo as a stimulus and a chosen viewpoint of a character with a few helpful ideas for settings.

From there it evolved over the years from two co-hosts to the wonderful team we have now, along with our founder, the wonderful Denise Covey (thank you for all your encouragement Denise). 

During my life I’ve had so many thoughts and ideas wondering around in my brain, they flitted in and out, life, work, family etc meant it wasn’t until later in life that I was able to indulge my writing. 

Many of my family thought I was ‘strange.’  Sally is a bit weird, she ‘writes poetry’ – they told me that they didn’t like/read poetry.  My response to that is always, what do you think the lyrics of a song are if not a form of poetry? 

My parents would say ‘that’s nice, Sally.’ 

Then there came a day when I asked mum if there was anything she would like for her birthday and she asked for a copy of all my poetry.  That’s when I felt a success.

WEP has enabled me to grow in confidence as a writer, has given me encouragement and allowed me to have unbiased opinions from strangers, people from all walks of life who have taken the time to say something, which is so appreciated by myself.  I’ve also been able to partake in various other blog hops but to be honest WEP is and will always be my favourite. xxx

The encouragement, help and valuable comments are what make this community of writers so very special.

Below is one of the earliest poems I wrote (not for WEP) which explains my feelings.  By the way, I am ten years older now than the poem suggests.

SCHOOL DAYS

When you were at school

Did you sometimes feel a fool?

Physics and maths weren’t my thing

Nor the choir ‘cos I can't sing.

Now history was interesting

But not kings and queens and their bling

The ordinary folk such as you and I

Who toiled the land and watched the sky

Gave me more to think about and learn

Not good times to be born.

Give me a book and I would lose time

Transported to other worlds, romance or crime

Thrillers and sci-fi and then the classic writers

People who are long dead with words that survive

With a heritage to revere and characters that come alive.

So, head out of the clouds and prepare for a career

Typing and shorthand were part of my future

To stand me in good stead for the next of life’s adventure

Loving the English language opened new frontiers.

So now I’m in my fifties and am able to indulge

This passion of mine that started at a young age

Some praise from family although they are biased

But I’ll take it and try not to be pious.

An opportunity has opened which I will embrace

Hoping I won’t get egg on my face.

My brain is in gear

Stamping down on my fear.

With encouragement and love

I’m going forward, onwards and above

To get it all out before it’s too late

Before all my brain cells dissipate.

http://sallys-scribbles.blogspot.co.uk

Thanks, Sally! Please accept this badge made especially for you by our master badge-maker, Olga Godim.

Now here we hear from Donna Hole, (Dolorah) the first WEP co-host.

Thanks for hosting me Denise and the WEP crew.

WEP, and RFW before that, has been one of the best experiences of my writing life. If you know me, you know I can be verbose. Writing to a word limit has taught me – mostly – to be concise. Telling a complete story in flash is not easy, as I am sure you know.

Not only has WEP taught me to write concisely, it also taught me to pay close attention to story line, concept development, and more importantly, to check and double check my work before hitting that ‘publish’ button. Nothing ruins the perfect story faster than a bunch of typos, poor word choices, or mis-placed punctuation. This has been an awesome environment to experiment.

I have loved writing to prompts, and getting the encouragement to take chances outside my writing comfort zone. WEP has helped me develop as a strong character driven story teller, and I credit my short story publication successes to the lessons I learned with RFW and WEP.

Good luck to all WEP participants and Admin in your continuing writing adventures.

Thanks, Donna! Please accept this badge made especially for you by our master badge-maker, Olga Godim.

So without further discussion - here's the challenge for April. This is the put-your-thinking-cap-on post ONLY. Sign up post goes live April 15, EST and will remain open for 3 days. Be ready to pounce! Be ready for 3 days of reading/commenting.

We at the WEP know how important the A to Z Challenge is to many of our participants and we hope you will be able to create a post that will coincide with your theme! In years past we've seen some amazing creativity that wowed all of us.

HAPPY CREATING!

I was so inspired by this challenge I wrote 2 stories. Each very different from the other, but such a great writing exercise! 

What does this Antique Vase inspire in you?

Will Aunt Martha's antique vase be found in the attic and change her family's lives forever?

Or will your Sammy topple a priceless one and shatter it only to expose the family secret hidden for generations?

Maybe the one Neil finds at a flea market will turn out to be a portal to another universe?

What will your antique vase hold - flowers, coins, memories, fantasies, or just a bunch of withered old leaves? Because an antique vase can contain a lot of things, sweet-smelling and not-so-sweet!

Don't forget. You can always access ideas for each challenge from the CHALLENGES 2020 page.

THE PRIZE FOR APRIL

This month we have a CRITIQUE prize for the WINNER. Author Christine Rains, is offering the winner a 10,000 word (about a 3-chapter) critique.

 Thank you, Christine!

 Christine's latest release is Of Gods and Sorrow

Christine Rains is a writer, blogger, and geek mom. When she’s not reading or writing, she’s playing games with friends or going on an adventure in the woods. She’s a proud member of S.C.I.F.I. and Untethered Realms. She has four novels and several novellas and short stories published.

Links:

Blog/site: http://christinerains-writer.blogspot.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CRainsWriter

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorchristinerains/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Christine-Rains/e/B00AZYIAT4/

For those of you who like to write ahead of time, the next challenge is: 

We'd love if you'd Tweet Tweet Tweet some/all of these:

WEP Spring 2020 writing prompt Antique Vase @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @LGKeltner, @OlgaGodim https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2020/04/wepiwsg-april-challenge-for-2020.html Sign up April 15! #amwriting #flashfiction #WEPFF #poetry #nonfiction

Get-your-thinking-caps-on for Antique Vase @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @LGKeltner, @OlgaGodim https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2020/04/wepiwsg-april-challenge-for-2020.html Sign up April 15! #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction #poetry #nonfiction

Join WEP @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @LGKeltner, @OlgaGodim  for the first challenge of the year Antique Vase Sign up April 15! https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2020/04/wepiwsg-april-challenge-for-2020.html #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction #poetry #nonfiction

Begin Spring by joining @DeniseCCovey @YolandaRenee @LGKeltner, @OlgaGodim  for the latest challenge Antique Vase Sign up April 15! https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2020/04/wepiwsg-april-challenge-for-2020.html #WEPFF #amwriting #flashfiction #poetry #nonfiction

Renée,

FOR THE WEP TEAM!

#WEPwinner #guestpost - #Anstice Brown - Wellbeing for Writers During Challenging Times

Hello there! 

How are you doing in times of Coronavirus? Hope you're all safe and well and protecting yourself by social distancing. Thankfully, online pursuits can go ahead. 

We're running late this month. But we have a treat for you today as this month's winner of Cafe Terrace, Anstice Brown, has prepared a wonderful guest post, reaching out to writers at this challenging time. 

Thank you Anstice!

Wellbeing for Writers During Challenging Times

With all the fear and uncertainty surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic, I wanted to contribute something positive for my fellow writers, so here are my tips for staying creative in these difficult times.

Start Small

With everything that’s going on, you could forgive your muse for forgetting to turn up to duty. Your strict writing schedule may need to be abandoned in favour of a more flexible approach. Try setting a timer for short intervals and writing without allowing yourself to edit. Online writing sprints can help with motivation, as can having a writing buddy to cheer you on and hold you accountable.

Make Contingency Plans

Planning can make you feel more in control of your situation. It’s not helpful to dwell on worst-case scenarios, but if you have looming deadlines, you should discuss your options with your editor or publisher. It might be possible to extend deadlines or postpone things in the event of illness or ongoing social distancing. Planning for it now will reduce your anxiety about what might go wrong in the future.

Improvise. Adapt. Overcome

If your day job is currently suspended, you are probably juggling working-from-home, housework and home-schooling your kids. You might need to think outside the box when it comes to finding the time to write. Meetings with your writing crew will have to be via video call from now on (Microsoft Teams is a brilliant tool for this).

However, this unique situation does offer some interesting opportunities for book marketing as the majority of people will be at home and needing entertainment. Here are some ideas:

●      Run an offer or giveaway for your books.

●      Hold an online launch party or author event. You could invent your own hashtag for the occasion, make custom graphics, run giveaways and fan art competitions and post fun excerpts on your blog.

●      Video yourself reading from your book or host a writing webinar and share across social media to generate a buzz.

●      Put together a free pack of bookish resources for school students.

●      Look into writing for Chatables (https://www.chatables.com/), Amazon Alexa’s new conversational storytelling feature. 

Be Kind to Yourself

Writers are often self-critical but it’s now more important than ever to prioritise our mental and physical wellbeing. Writing should be a welcome escape, so if it’s adding to your stress, I’d suggest you take a break. Soak up some sunshine in your garden, stretch your body, get creative with your kids or lose yourself in a good book. 

Reach Out

Now is the perfect time to connect with an online writing group like the WEP, IWSG (https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/)  or the #WritingCommunity on Twitter. Join in with online events such as Camp NanoWrimo (https://campnanowrimo.org/) in April/July or The Blogging from A-Z Challenge (http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/) in April to give you a boost of motivation.

We all have to stick together through these challenging times. If you feel yourself struggling, please reach out to someone for support. Stay safe and write on everyone.

Author Bio

Anstice Brown has a BA in Literature and Philosophy and adores her role as a Literacy Learning Assistant. She lives in England with her wonderful husband, daughter and their mischievous cat, Magical Mr. Mistoffelees. Her short story “Sea of Sorrows” appears in the IWSG anthology Masquerade: Oddly Suited (https://books2read.com/masqueradeoddlysuited).

Blog: https://curiousdaydreams.com/

Website: https://ansticebrown.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authoransticebrown/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnsticeBrown

 Thanks Anstice!

• Please everyone, feel free to share how you're feeling. It is a trying time! WEP is a safe place. We welcome your input! Do you have any well-being hints?

See you all at our next challenge - April - Antique Vase. Eyes out for the April 1 post which will explain all, and feature two more writers who've been with WEP for 10 years!

Please tweet!

@AnsticeBrown #Covid-19 #WellbeingforWriters #WEPwinner #guestpost https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2020/03/hello-there-how-are-you-doing-in-times.html @DeniseCCovey, @YolandaRenee, #@LGKeltner, @OlgaGodim #amwriting #writingchallenge