Power Up Prompt #2: 6.21.25
A Setting, a Character, and a Conflict to use However You Like
Welcome, one and all, to our second Power Up Prompt! We had several folks write stories last week for the first prompt in this series, and they turned out fantastic!
While you wait for the next 30-day challenge, Power Up Prompts will be here every Saturday going forward. Read on for a reminder on how they work, and to see this week’s new options!
A Prompt with Three Levels
My vision for Power Up Prompts is to put the power in the hands of my fellow writers. Most prompts give you a single idea to run with, and those are great, but I’m always looking for ways to keep you on your toes.
So, these weekly prompts are going to have three separate parts that can fit together, but they can also work on their own. This will allow you to mix and match to your heart’s content and set the challenge accordingly!
Should you decide to participate, here’s how you can figure out which power level your story or poem falls into:
Level 1 = A story or poem that uses one of the three elements
Level 2 = A story or poem that uses two of the three elements
Level 3 = A story or poem that uses all three elements
For the time being, going for level 3 will also get you a shout-out from me on my weekly writing podcast, Saved as Draft. I’ll feature a quick look at Level 3 stories each week in the show during their own segment.
This week’s prompt is also an open genre but check out the poll at the end to vote on which genre we should do for next week’s Power Up Prompt!
The Word Count Limit for Power Up Prompts is 2.5K words.
Let’s see what we’ve got for this week’s options! Remember you can do a story or a poem!
Element 1: Setting
This week’s setting is The Sinking Swamps. This dangerous location is home to all manner of strange flora and fauna, but more importantly, it’s known for its sudden and unpredictable sinkholes due to earthquakes in the region.
However, a trail was once made for travelers to safely find their way through the dangerous landscape. It has not been tended to in some time, so it’s uncertain whether it is still a safe path.
Beyond being a convenient shortcut for travelers, the Sinking Swamps are also home to an extremely rare species of plant that only blooms once every hundred years. Should you choose to use this setting, your story will begin on the night that this rare plant is meant to bloom once more.
What does this mean? Do its petals offer some sort of medicinal properties? Does something else coincide with the blooming of this strange plant? Does it awaken something in the swamps when it blooms?
That, my friends, is for you to decide…
Element 2: Character
Your character this week is the Fearless Explorer. They are well known for bravely walking into danger without blinking an eye. It is said they have never known fear, but of course, rumors can often be exaggerated.
Is the Fearless Explorer truly without fear? Or is there something they’ve been running from that has led them to this nomadic life of adventure and danger?
The choice is yours.
Element 3: Conflict
Should you choose to incorporate the conflict for this week’s story, your character must make a great sacrifice to accomplish their goal.
This can be interpreted in a number of ways. They could be forced to lose someone close to them. Or they could be forced to lay their life on the line.
Similarly, the sacrifice could come in the form of losing a cherished item or family heirloom.
The choice is yours, but if you wish to use this element in your story, your character must be forced to sacrifice something incredibly important to them to accomplish their goal.
Let Inspiration Strike
You may use all three elements for a level 3 story or poem, or you can take just one or two and run in a different direction entirely. When your story or poem is ready this week, be sure to tag me and share which level it falls into.
As always, I will do my best to read every single piece, and of course, level 3 submissions will be mentioned in next week’s episode of the Saved as Draft podcast.
I can’t wait to see what you come up with! Check the poll below to vote on which genre next week’s prompt will fall into!
Thanks for Reading! Here’s Your Musical Pairing
Here’s a track based on the elements of this week’s prompt to get your creativity going.
Looking forward to this!! It will be my first since finding you!
Ooooooo swamp is a setting I know in real life, but not in fiction. What fun! I love this.