Writers logo

Prompted: #3

April Challenge (Unofficial)

By Randy BakerPublished 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago 2 min read

PROMPTED: INTRODUCTION

After a bit of travel out of the country, I'm back to Vocal and ready to dive into another edition of the Prompted Writer's Challenge. I hope you're ready, too. The past two challenges generated a lot of great entries and I look forward to seeing what transpires from Prompted: #3. So, let's get to it!

THE PROMPT

For Prompted: #3, we will be returning to poetry. There are no prompt words or specific topics you must use this month. Instead, the challenge is to write in a set form. The required form for this challenge is the rondel.

The rondel is a traditional French poetry form, consisting of three stanzas. The first two stanzas are quatrains (4 lines each) and the third stanza is a quintet (5 lines).

Two of the distinguishing features of a rondel are the use of a set rhyme scheme and the use of repeated lines. The pattern is as follows:

ABba

abAB

abbaA

"A/a" rhymes with "A/a" and "B/b" rhymes with "B/b". The upper-case letters signify the repeated lines.

[NOTE: If you want to read more about the rondel form and see an example, you can do so HERE.]

THE RULES

The rules are simple.

Follow the instructions above for using the prompt. Post your poem to the Poets Community and provide the link to your poem in the comments below. Only those entries that follow these instructions correctly will be considered for a prize.

Entries will be accepted from the time the challenge is publicly posted until 11:59 PM (US Central Time) on April 20, 2024. Winners of the challenge will be announced on, or before, April 25, 2024. You may enter as many times as you wish, but each entry must be in its own, separate post.

It is not required that you link back to this post for your entry to be valid, but it would be appreciated if you help spread the word by doing so. To reiterate, though, you must post a link to your entry in the comments below.

THE PRIZES

Winners will be chosen by me, at my sole discretion. Prizes will be distributed on Vocal as Tips. The awards will be as follows:

1st Place: $20.00

2nd Place: $15.00

3rd Place: $10.00

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Keep track of this and future prompts by hitting the "subscribe" button on my profile.

Questions or feedback? Let me know in the comments. Good luck!

- Randy

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE ENTRIES

"Automatic Writing" by D.J. Reddall

"All Love Only" by Catherine Nyomenda

"I Am My Own Play" by Lindsay Sfara

"Eclipse or Winks" by Kelli Sheckler-Amsden

"After the Eclipse" by Matthew Fromm

"Your Soul's Beholder" by Lindsay Sfara

ChallengeInspirationPromptsWriting Exercise

About the Creator

Randy Baker

Poet, author, essayist.

My Vocal "Top Stories":

* The Breakers Motel * 7 * Holding On * Til Death Do Us Part * The Fisherman

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments (10)

Sign in to comment
  • Christy Munson2 years ago

    Hi Randy. Welcome back from your travels. I missed the deadline but choose to play anyway, for the fun of it. Here's my first attempt at a rondel. https://shopping-feedback.today/poets/imperfect-hand%3C/span%3E%3C/span%3E%3C/span%3E%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cstyle data-emotion-css="w4qknv-Replies">.css-w4qknv-Replies{display:grid;gap:1.5rem;}

  • Christy Munson2 years ago

    Didn't get here in time but I'm loving the idea and will be reading all the entries. GOOD LUCK to all who entered. Excited to read on!

  • Novel Allen2 years ago

    Who knew there were this many types of poetry. Rondel? oh my. I will try. So much to learn.

  • This is the first time attempting a challenge, and I am not entirely confident. Comments and corrections are highly welcomed. https://shopping-feedback.today/poets/all-love-only%3C/span%3E%3C/span%3E%3C/span%3E%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv class="css-w4qknv-Replies">

  • I love trying new forms of poetry so let's see what Mr Brain says. Also, if you don't mind, it would help if you include a sample poem as well in this piece

  • Paul Stewart2 years ago

    Ohhh. interesting. Nice to have you back, Randy. Hope your travels were good! I've never tried writing a rondel before, so will definitely be having a crack at this! Well done on another interesting challenge!

Find us on social media

Miscellaneous links

  • Explore
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Support

© 2026 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.