Mini Fiction Challenge
With Vocal Writing Prompts
Recently, I invited members of the Facebook support group, Vocal Writing Prompts to participate in a mini fiction challenge (MFC). My goals were to increase membership for VWP and to give the members a reason for using the prompts I am posting for everyone.
My criterion for successful inclusion was that entrants were to write three new works of fiction for the appropriate prompts, and they were to respond to at least one other person's post. Participants were promised a tip. All told, I paid out $12 for the people who completed all of the required parameters. I realize it's not a big payout, but I hope that everyone enjoyed the challenge and the prompts.
MFC # 1 was to write a piece including a wish. What the wish entailed and how they incorporated it was up to each writer. I was impressed with the diversity of writing and enjoyed reading each piece.
Paula Shablo was the first to respond. She ended up writing two entries for MFC # 1, because she forgot it was supposed to be fictional. You can find her cute non-fiction piece here. It is certainly worth the read. Here is her fiction entry, also very worthy of your time:
The second entry is tied for my favorites of all the entries for the MFC, written by Steve Lance. You can read about the other one below. Steve's level of talent is inspiring. Here's the link for his creative, unique work, Redux:
Kyla Arr was the next to include a piece. She didn't complete all of them, but I will share the ones she submitted. This touching one is called, The Last Wish.
Babs Iverson, one of the most supportive people you will find on Vocal, chimed in with her first piece, entitled, Eyes of Love. Here's her entry:
Denise Lindquist pulled from culture and family for her lovely wish piece. With seven children, 25 grandkids, nine great grandchildren, and a career as a culture consultant, she sure has a lot to pull from.
Josephine Mason impressed me with her three pieces. This is her wish one:
MFC # 2 prompt was to include a list. I told participants that the list could be a shopping list, a murder suspect list, or anything else they could conjure. Once again, I find myself in awe of the talent of our Vocal writers.
What do Santa's list and COVID have in common? Find out by reading Paula Shablo's piece for this prompt:
Denise Lindquist wrote a piece about a bucket list:
Steve Lance wrote a cool story about a day in the life of a reaper collecting souls on his list:
Kyla Arr appealed to my occupation (teaching) by writing hers about a spelling list and how kids aren't inherently bad. Here it is.
Josephine Mason wrote her list one about a postal worker. This one shows off her humor and empathy. I hope you enjoy it:
Babs Iverson, over-achiever extraordinaire, purposely submitted a non-fiction piece and a fiction piece for the list prompt. The first is about her time with the waiting wives club during the Vietnam war, found here. The second is my favorite of her entries:
I spent quite a bit of time writing a story for this prompt as well. I hope you enjoy it.
MFC # 3 prompt was time. Participants could write a piece set in a different era, involve time travel, or some other means of incorporating time. Again, I was not disappointed.
Paula Shablo pulled at the heartstrings with her time piece:
Denise Lindquist introduced readers to Reiki with her story:
Steve Lance embedded some humor and a very unusual cuckoo clock into his third story:
Colt Henderson didn't write for all of the challenges, but his time piece, entitled, The Cave, is part of a series.
Josephine Mason's imaginative time entry is the other tied for my favorites. She had me hanging on every word. Enjoy!
Finally, Babs Iverson’s piece got published on her birthday after a long wait. Here it is:
I may do this again, perhaps with poetry next time. It is reassuring to know that Vocal entices such talented authors. I look forward to reading much more in the future.
Please consider joining the fun with Vocal Writing Prompts.
About the Creator
Julie Lacksonen
Julie has been a music teacher at a public school in Arizona since 1987. She enjoys writing, reading, walking, swimming, and spending time with family.
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I Never Chose the Easy Path; I Always Chose Hardship
From the earliest memories I can recall, life presented me with two roads. One was smooth, inviting, and well-trodden—a path that promised comfort, approval, and ease. The other was rough, rocky, and uncertain—a path of struggle, obstacles, and lessons that demanded effort, patience, and resilience. I never chose the smooth road. I never took shortcuts. Not because I was fearless, but because something deep inside refused to let me live a life that wasn’t earned. The easy path whispered promises of fleeting satisfaction, fleeting success, and fleeting recognition. It was tempting. Many around me chose it, and I often wondered if I was foolish for ignoring it. But I learned early that true growth is rarely convenient. The easiest choice often leads to emptiness, to regret, to a quiet knowing that you could have been more than you allowed yourself to be. Hardship became my teacher long before success ever noticed me. The lessons it offered were harsh, uncompromising, and often lonely. There were days when choosing the hard path felt like choosing isolation. While others were celebrated for small accomplishments, supported by friends and family, I walked in silence, with doubt as my companion. Progress was invisible to the world. Failures were frequent and relentless. Many nights, I returned home tired, my heart heavy, my mind questioning why I even bothered. Yet even in that silence, I was being shaped. I was learning the value of persistence, of dedication, and of refusing to give up on myself. The hard path forced honesty. It refused to allow excuses. It stripped away illusions and pretenses. I was left face-to-face with my limits, my fears, and my own humanity. On this path, I discovered strengths I never knew I had: patience I had never cultivated, resilience I had doubted, and self-respect that grew every time I stood up instead of walking away. These were not lessons that could be taught in comfort. They were only learned in struggle, in challenge, and in the quiet persistence of refusing to quit when no one was watching. I remember one time vividly. I had a goal that seemed impossible—one that required me to sacrifice comfort, leisure, and social approval. The easy path was right there: a way to avoid the challenge, to be “okay,” to follow what others had done before me. Many advised me to take it. “It’s safer,” they said. “It’s simpler,” they said. But I could feel, deep inside, that taking the easy way would leave me empty. I chose the hard path. The journey was grueling. Every step felt like pushing against gravity. But with each challenge, I gained more than I ever would have on the easy road. I gained endurance, confidence, and an understanding that real achievement is never handed—it is earned. Strength, I realized, isn’t loud. It doesn’t announce itself. It grows quietly, in the moments no one sees—the early mornings, the long nights, the repeated failures, the times you push forward when giving up would be understandable. Resilience is not simply surviving; it is deliberately choosing to continue, to stand again, to pursue the path that tests you the most. It is knowing that walking away is easier but will never lead to the person you are capable of becoming. I have walked many hard roads in life. Each one was different, yet the lessons were the same: comfort cannot teach endurance, shortcuts cannot teach discipline, and fleeting success cannot teach respect. Every struggle, no matter how small, adds to your character. Every failure is a mirror that shows you who you really are. And every choice to face hardship instead of fleeing builds a foundation that lasts long after temporary victories fade. There were times when I felt truly alone. People around me often misunderstood my choices. Friends, family, colleagues—they all questioned why I refused the easy way, why I worked harder, why I pushed myself beyond what seemed necessary. They didn’t see the growth happening quietly inside me. They didn’t see the small victories, the lessons learned, the resilience being forged. But eventually, the results spoke for themselves—not in a loud announcement, but in the quiet confidence and self-respect that I had built from the inside out. Life, I have learned, rewards those who endure hardship. Not always immediately. Not always visibly. But it rewards those who persist, who face struggle head-on, and who refuse to settle for anything less than becoming their fullest selves. Success that comes without effort is temporary; strength and self-respect are eternal. Hardship tests us, but it also teaches us. It shows us the depth of our own courage, the strength of our will, and the power of refusing to surrender. The lessons of the hard path are subtle, often invisible, and always lasting. I learned that failing is not shameful; failing is a necessary step toward mastery. I learned that enduring pain, even when no one notices, builds a type of strength that comfort never can. I learned that the more difficult the path, the deeper the reward—not measured in wealth or fame, but in character, wisdom, and self-respect. Every choice to embrace struggle instead of avoiding it shaped me. Every sacrifice, every extra hour, every moment of doubt faced instead of ignored, added to the foundation of the person I am today. My life was not easy. It was messy, unpredictable, and often overwhelming. But it was authentic. It was mine. And through hardship, I became resilient. I became someone who can face challenges without fear because I have faced them before. I became someone who respects themselves because I have honored my own effort. I became someone capable of growth because I refused to choose comfort over character. I often reflect on the people around me who chose the easy path. Many of them achieved quick victories, immediate recognition, and temporary peace. But over time, I noticed something important: the victories were shallow, the peace fleeting, and the growth minimal. They lacked the depth of resilience, the quiet power of self-respect, and the profound satisfaction that comes from knowing you endured, you learned, and you became someone stronger. Choosing hardship is not glamorous. It is not celebrated in real-time. It is often lonely, exhausting, and demanding. But it is transformative. It shapes your mind, your heart, and your spirit in ways comfort never can. It teaches discipline, patience, humility, and courage. It makes failure meaningful, effort valuable, and success earned. The hard path is where true people are made—people who understand that life’s challenges are not punishments, but opportunities. Opportunities to become better, stronger, wiser, and more capable. I never chose the easy path. I always chose the harder road, the one that tested me, the one that demanded effort, and the one that required me to face myself honestly. I walked through fear, doubt, exhaustion, and setbacks. I fell, and I got up. I failed, and I tried again. I cried, I questioned, I endured. And through it all, I became someone I could respect, someone who knew the value of persistence, someone who understood that hardship is not the enemy—it is the greatest teacher. Today, I measure success differently. I do not measure it by comfort, convenience, or ease. I measure it by growth, resilience, and the depth of self-respect I have cultivated. I measure it by how I faced challenges I could not ignore, how I embraced struggles that seemed unbearable, and how I refused to take shortcuts at the cost of my own becoming. I never chose the easy path. I chose the one that made me resilient. I chose the one that taught me self-respect. I chose the one that allowed me to become the person I am today. And if I had the choice again, I would choose the hard path every single time. Because the road of struggle is not only a journey—it is the making of a human being.writing...
By Ihtisham Ulhaq4 days ago in Motivation
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