Thread: The WF Challenges Tea Room

That's right, we already have a coffee shop, so now come to the tea room.
(We have scones.)

A place to talk all things Challenges, including:

The WF Challenges

Writing Challenges
(We're sure there's a difference...)

and LM Poetry

We have a fun challenge up right now - http://www.writingforums.com/showthr...tion-Challenge In Writing Challenges.

Thanks to Kelhanion.


Now I'm kicking it to you guys, what sort of challenges would you like to see around here?
Both for the casual Writing Challenges, and the more formal WF Challenges.
And anyone with some bright ideas for the LM Poetry Challenges - I'm sure Olly would appreciate the encouragement (Come on poets. I see you.)


Edit - Is the word Challenges starting to look weird to anyone else?

Only if I think in terms of rabbit talk, then it's Chawwenges and that's just plain wrong. But Nipit is watching me type this and she has a cawwot.

Vewy cute Mod.

A clean limerick challenge.
A write like Geisel competition
A Spoonerism challenge
Even more bad writing
Still more bad writing
son of son of son of bad writing
A make me spew stuff out of my nose onto the monitor contest
make me believe the biggest lie you can contest

I gots more

Anyone else? Come on, people. I can't be the only one here with bad ideas....

Sure I had an email from a friend. I decided to spice things up a bit. Not saying its good- just a POC - but something like:

Title-Death Spiral
I woke up at 1:36 A.M. to see the futures market down another 62 points. The Dow Jones closed at 10,002 2-4-2010. OMG the global economy is cascading again. The dreaded shake of doom is pre-curser to an over priced vauation. I hear the bleak news as I watch t CNN reporters discussing wih there ghoulish eyes of how the technical supports have been broken..and were headed lower. The uneasiness of my imaginary former friends shakes me with drudged anticipation in refilling there minds with temporary market data that they will once again choose to ignore the overall synopsis. Oh goodie I am back again o remind them over and over again! Rofl


Title-Death Spiral
I woke up at 1:36 A.M. to see the blood market down another 62 liters. The elevator closed on my foot. ( I think I see my toes at the bottom of the shaft.) OMG the glob...al feeding crisis is cascading again. The dreaded shake of my door is a pre-cursor to an onslaught of feeders. I hear the bleak news as I watch CNN reporters discussing with there ghoulish eyes of how the global famine has broken the back of many nations.. (cut to video) severed heads lowered in the fist of feeders. The uneasiness of my imaginary former friends shakes me with drugged anticipation in refilling these jars with new friend's blood. I choose to ignore the screams in my basement. Oh goodie I am back again. Time to remind me over and over again of my first kill!

The concept is we take a para. Something out of the news and jazz it up.

I like that.

I've got another one that has worked well on another site as a more serious writing excercise. "Describe something to a kid."

Below would be the initial post. What do you think?

Basically you have to try and get into the mind of a four and five year old and try and describe a word or phrase. Once you’ve described it, or tried, you then leave a word or phrase for some else to describe. You can take it as a serious exercise or have fun with it. Just keep it PG. Try to keep it short. Make it 10 short lines or a paragraph. (I’ve gone a bit long on mine.)

I’ll go first: What’s a helicopter?
Boy - What’s a helicopter?
Dad – Well it has a blade on top that spins.
Boy – A blade? Like a knife?
Dad – No. You remember the beanie hats with that little spinning thing on top?
Boy – Yes.
Dad – Well imagine that on an airplane.
Boy- One of those little spinny things on a big plane?
Dad-Well the helicopter is much smaller.
Boy-How small? Holding his hands a foot apart.
Dad-Like about the size of your playset.
Boy-Why would you put a beanie on a playset?

Describe a Vacuum in Space

The idea is to use dialogue between an older person, usually a mother or father, and a child to show an attempt to describe

Hmm.

Child-What's a vacuum?
Parent-An absence of anything else. A bit of nothing.
Child-Why is there vacuum in space? Does it need to be cleaned often?
Parent, doubled over laughing-Not that kind of vacuum. Between the stars there aren't any bits of things, just empty space. Vacuum is another word for emptiness.
Child-But there are comets and planets and stuff like that. Is there vacuum in between them?
Parent-Yes there is.
Child-But you say that space doesn't need to be cleaned, it doesn't need that kind of a vacuum. Right?
Parent-Yes. I said that.
Child-Then can you explain black holes?

Describe the internal combustion engine

Son- What's an intermal com bust jin?

Dad- A what?

Son- Don't make me say it again daddy.

Dad- Maybe you meant an internal combustion engine?

Son- Shrugs. I forgot already.

Dad- How bout I tell you what an engine is.

Son- Ok.

Dad- You know that little dog that used to walk and bark nonstop until daddy kicked it across the room and now it doesn't bark so much?

Son- Yeah. Why did you kick my doggy?

Dad- Well . . . anyway, imagine there's a little man inside there that makes the doggy move and talk.

Son- Did you hurt the man when you kicked the dog?

Dad- I think so. I think I heard mommy. Maybe breakfast is ready.

Son- Runs off. Mommy, I'm hungry.

Describe death

Parent-I put you on this Earth, I take you off again...
Child-Then what happens?
Parent-You don't eat entire chocolate cakes any more.
Child-That doesn't sound very nice.
Parent-It's said to be peaceful. Except for the harpists and choirs.
Child-What are those?
Parent-Angels singing and playing. Like opera, I guess, but actually pleasant to listen to.
Child-Can I have more cake?
Parent-You only live once.

why is the sky blue?

Daughter- Why is the sky blue?

Mom- I'm glad you asked me that. Do you remember when I showed you the prism and when the sunlight hit the prism the light would diffract and you saw all the colors of the rainbow. Well in the sky the atmosphere that surrounds the earth is made up many different gases--

Daughter- Mommy, you're doing that thing again.

Mom- What?

Daughter- Where you talk too much.

Mom- Oh. I'm sorry. Well imagine that you're inside a bubble. And then you shine a flashlight through the bubble but there's stuff that's between you and the bubble and some of the light bounces of that stuff and some of it doesn't, so what you end up seeing--

Daughter- It's too many words!

Mom- Hmmm. Well, there's a big man with a paintbrush and he brushes the sky blue during the day and black at night.

Daughter- Really? Does he paint the stars too?

Mom- Uh huh. Now it's off to bed with you kiddo.

Describe Love

Parent-I love you.
Child-What is love anyway?
Parent-Love is when you mean so much to me that I put your needs before mine.
Child-Is that it?
Parent-It's also when you are glad that someone else simply is.
Child-I must love you then. I need a hug.
Parent-Glad to oblige.
Child-While you're being obliging, I need some money.

Explain modern art

Should I add a thread for this?