The Dancing With Distraction Challenge

Anyone who knows me will know that I love acrostics. Since I accidentally became a poet, it has been one of the forms of poetry that appeal to me most.

So, when Vocal announced the Dancing with Distraction Challenge and that they were looking for acrostics using the word Distraction, I was very excited. New sheets on the bed, power washing driveways and deep cleaning rugs, excited! So, just so we're clear - Thank you, Vocal!

Why I Love Acrostics and Why I Loved This Challenge

I guess what I like about acrostics is the thing many people dislike - the restrictive nature. While the first few I published stuck very close to matching the DISTRACTION theme, as time went on, I kept challenging myself to distract away from the fact it was an acrostic. There is something great about acrostics that do not feel like acrostics.

I would love to win, I am not going to lie. The money would be nice, and because it's the form I love, that would be the icing and cherry on a tasty cake of a challenge that it has been.

There have been many great entries from other people I have loved, and I wish all entrants well! So, although there were restrictions, it's been wonderful to see what different people have produced around the same prompt.

I loved the index/pillar posts that L.C. Schäfer (My Reflections on the Microfiction Magic Challenge), Loryne Andawey (Vocal Community Microfiction Series), and Dana Crandell (The Saga of Dale and the Zombies) did in relation to the Microfiction Magic Challenge, as it was a great way to collate and index all work into one place. So figured, as I have entered 22 pieces into the Dancing with Distraction Challenge, that I would collect them together here.

It makes it easier for me to refer to and may encourage a few more reads here and there - a win-win in my book. It also gives me a chance to reflect a little. This has actually been quite a revealing challenge, and some of my entries, I believe, are some of my best work, including one Top Story. I did wonder how best to collect them together, but I figured I'd list them chronologically.

My Entries into the Dancing with Distraction Challenge

As I noted previously, I entered a total of 22 poems into the challenge because I love acrostics, and anytime I felt I had run out of ideas, others would come to me. The last one was a bit of a punt, admittedly, as I had intended on stopping at 2o, but then put 21 up, and because I hate odd numbers, I felt I had to pull another out.

There is something for everyone, as I tried to take the subject from many different angles. Some are humorous, some are serious and discuss subjects like domestic abuse/coercive control, suicide, depression, writer's block, modern disconnection, and being distracted by nostalgia to name a few. I also wrote a few longer-form poems, because I felt that helped distract away from their acrostic form.

It turned into a much deeper delve into my thoughts, feelings and psyche than I ever imagined.

Here are all 22 entries in chronological order:

When There's an Astley, There's a Way

Reality TV - The Ultimate Distraction

The Question on Everyone's Lips?

Great Nothingness - was awarded Top Story (Thank you, Vocal!)

Stultifying Fixations

Double-Dipped Chocolate Glazed Donuts

To the Soup, My Friends! Tonight We Dine in Warmth and Peace

Distracting From the Truth

The Inevitable

Loving Distraction

Is That a Mark on the Computer or the Cursor?

Distraction of Time Ticking Away

Distracting Intrusive Thoughts

Derrin's Nightmare

The Pull of the Forest

Digital Overload

D.U.E.

The Distraction Retraction Association

Disconnected

Distracting Thoughts of Yesterday

Silence is Golden?

Distracted by Hunger

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Thanks for reading!

I hope you enjoyed my thoughts on the Dancing With Distraction Challenge.