The Conviction [an unofficial challenge]

Helloooo Vocal Creators! Here for the June 2024 Unofficial Challenge!

First of all, thank you to everyone who has participated in my first unofficial challenge, "Inside the Animal's Mind"! It has been an absolute blast reading all of your entries, and I never could've anticipated the response I got! With over 20 entries, I'm a busy reader, and it's really made me so excited to continue with the challenges. So, thank you all!

If you are new here – I post unofficial challenges twice a month: once on the 1st, and once on the 15th (though sometimes I jump the gun)! The challenges stay open for a month, and then I take a week to make up the results. You can view my open and closed challenges on my pillar post here!

(So, yes, this one was posted a day early, but what can I say! I'm a little eager!)

Having said that, let's dive into challenge #3!

The Prompt

Write a story that includes, at some point, the sentence, "I did what I had to do."

Some tips for inspiration:

• The sentence does not have to be dialogue. If it is, it doesn't have to be the only sentence in that dialogue.
• It does not need to be said (or thought, or written, etc.) by the main character. It can be any character in the story that says it.
• It can be said/thought by a nonhuman character.
• It can be the first sentence, the last sentence, or anywhere in between.
• You can change the punctuation! It doesn't have to end in a period. It can end in an exclamation mark, or even a question mark, if fitting.
• It can be a story of any genre! Mystery, fantasy, romance, horror, comedy, anything!
• Also, contrary to the title, the character does not need to be convicted or accused of anything. The thing the character "had to do" does not have to be a crime, or anything harmful.
• (These are just to brainstorm! I try to give you as much creative freedom as possible, so whatever your idea is, just go for it!)

The Criteria

Word Count: I would suggest a word count of around 350-650 words, but I am not picky! If you have more to say, I will absolutely read it! I'm more concerned about the minimum count, as a story under 300 words might not have as much umph and might not do as well in the contest.

Link back: (Not a requirement, but a nice touch for me.) At the end of your story, embed a link to this page so that the challenge prompt comes up!

Comment: Come back and comment the link to your entry once it has been published! Without the comment, I will likely miss your entry, and then that's no fun!

NEW: I will be adding all of the entries to the bottom of this post. Please come back to this page a day or two after you comment your submission (or the day after the deadline) to make sure your entry is there! Otherwise, I might have forgotten it!

A note on editing: I won't be reading the stories until after the deadline closes, so you can feel free to edit your story up until the deadline, but PLEASE DO NOT EDIT after the deadline!

FAQ

Can I make more than one submission? Yes! You can. If you have more than one idea, absolutely feel free to submit more than once! Just know that only one entry per creator can be featured in the Top 3.

Can I submit a story I have already written? If you have a story that fits the prompt and meets the criteria, I have no problem with that!

Important Dates

Deadline: This challenge will close on Sunday June 30th at 11:59pm MST.

• I will be sending out reminders one week before the closure date on June 23rd to anyone who has commented interest but has not made an entry yet!

Results: The results for this challenge will be posted on Sunday July 7th, a week after the closure date!

• This post will include the Top 3 entries, in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place, as well as little blurbs rationalizing my choices! There will be links to all submissions included.
• Prizes? I unfortunately am not able to give tips at the moment, SO instead I will read, like, and comment on five of the winner's works that I have not read yet, as well as subscribe if I have not already. This is just for 1st place! This is meant to help build community and boost your page.

I think that's it! Have fun, and don't forget to comment if you're interested! I'm very excited to see what you come up with!

Oh! And please COME BACK to this page on JULY 1ST (the day after the deadline) to make sure your entry(s) is listed below! If it isn't, I might've missed it!

A reminder as well – I have another challenge (#2) that is still open and ongoing called "Text Thoughts" which will close on June 15th! Go check it out if you haven't already!

Thank you everyone! If you have any questions, please comment! I can't wait to see your submissions!

Happy writing!

♡♡♡ Belle ♡♡♡

The Entries

1. Mike Singleton - Mikeydred "I Was In The House When The House Burned Down"
2. Christy Munson "Two Rubies"
3. Shirley Belk "Unchain Us, Please"
4. Jaye Pool "Mrs. Stanton"
5. Katarzyna Popiel "The Right Thing"
6. M. A. Mehan "Chapter ?: Bread and Bad Times"
7. Kendall Defoe "Trinket"
8. Asanga Coorey "The Last Message"
9. Andrea Corwin "Still Using"
10. Andrea Corwin "Pick On Your Own Size"
11. Alexandria Stanwyck "Timothy"
12. Liam Storm "Time to Pay"
13. Mackenzie Davis "Freak"
14. Rachel Deeming "Serena"