Prompted: #6

INTRODUCTION

As we set our sights on a new month, it's time to set our sights on a new Writer's Challenge, as well.

Welcome to Prompted: #6!

If you've been participating in, or simply following these challenges, you've probably noticed a pattern. So far, each month has alternated between poetry and prose. Maybe it's time to break that routine, but...not yet.

For July, we will be returning to prose. Prose, but not fiction. That's the twist. Prompted: #6 will require entrants to write an analysis/explication of someone else's written work. If you have no idea what that entails, don't worry. We'll get into that momentarily.

Before we move on, I would like to thank everyone who has made these challenges a success and if you would like to show your support, please hit the "like" button and leave a comment. As much as I appreciate the participants, it's encouraging to know that others are reading and enjoying their work, as well.

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THE PROMPT

For Prompted: #6, I'm not expecting an academic thesis, but I am looking for a well-thought, structured analysis of another writer's work. This will require you to put on your "serious writer" hat if you wish to win a prize.

For this challenge, you may write about a poem or a short story, or you may compare and contrast two such works. Whatever you choose, the work must be available online and you must include a footnote linking to the work (or works) being discussed.

You can discuss the work of a Vocal Creator, or from any other writer, well-known, or not. Just make sure you can link to the subject matter. Other reference links are optional, but the more robust your analytical work, the more impressive it's likely to be when the judging takes place.

Keep in mind that there is a distinct difference between citing a work and copying and pasting large blocks of the subject text. That is poor workmanship at best and plagiarism, at worst. In either case, it will disqualify you from the challenge. That being said, I will be checking for plagiarism and AI-generated content as part of the judging process.

I do not wish to be too rigid in the requirements for how you conduct your analysis/explication, but I am including some examples from my work that would fit the criteria. Feel free to use your creativity (within the parameters) in deciding how you tackle this challenge.

Here are some examples that might inspire you:

Hopefully, you get the gist of what Prompted: #6 is shooting for, but to be clear, it is not looking for a simple book review. If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments.

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THE RULES

The rules are simple.

Follow the instructions above for using the prompt, consulting the examples, if necessary. Your story may be posted to whatever Vocal Community makes the most sense to you. You must provide the link to your story in the comments below. Only those entries that follow these instructions correctly will be considered for a prize.

NOTE: You must have Tips enabled to win a prize. Going forward, I will not consider entries that do not have Tips enabled. [Not to sound snarky, but if I'm awarding a prize, I don't feel like jumping through hoops to give away my money. Simple as that.]

Entries will be accepted from the time the challenge is publicly posted until 11:59 PM (US Central Time) on July 20, 2024. Winners of the challenge will be announced on, or before, July 25, 2024. Only one entry per person will be accepted for this challenge.

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, you must post a link to your entry in the comments below.

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THE PRIZES

Winners will be chosen by me, at my sole discretion. Prizes will be distributed on Vocal as Tips. Winners are determined by content and quality, but you MUST have tipping enabled to receive payment. The awards will be as follows:

1st Place: $50.00

2nd Place: $20.00

3rd Place: $10.00

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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

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THE ENTRIES

"British Dystopia" by Matthew Fromm

"When Contradicting Images Reveal More than Logic" by Mackenzie Davis