#305 Spontaneous Creativity with Story Wars

This week’s contest is hosted by our friends over at Story Wars. The winner of this contest will receive $250 and something special: the chance to compete for $1,000! Read on to find out more...

Hi writers! We are Story Wars — an event-based storytelling organization dedicated to creating community through creative action. We’re based in Cleveland, OH, but we’ve traveled across the U.S. to host our high-energy, creative events for companies and organizations of all sizes!

This week’s prompts are all about spontaneity, because that’s really the fire that fuels us. As writers, we often get stuck in a loop of trying to achieve perfection — If I can just find the right word, the right phrase, the right line — that we forget to enjoy the act of creating. And that’s where we step in! Story Wars isn’t concerned with perfection, but with expression. We want you to get out of your head, stop overthinking, and take us up on a little challenge that we have for you.

If you’d let us be so bold, we’re asking writers to approach this week’s competition quite differently. Instead of picking your favorite prompt, write each of the prompts below on different pieces of paper. Then set a timer for an hour, pull a prompt at random, and start writing. Don’t think, don’t plan, don’t edit — just write.

These prompts are designed to springboard you into creative action by placing you in the middle of a dilemma. Whether you use them as inspiration or take them at face value, let their energy push you to follow your writer’s instinct.

And we’ll leave you with this extra incentive: select writers from this week’s contest will get a chance to compete in a virtual Story Wars on June 18! Participants will battle it out through three 5-minute rounds of impromptu writing for a shot at winning a grand prize of $1,000!

We’re so excited to host this two-part takeover in partnership with Reedsy, and can’t wait to show the Prompts community the power of spontaneity. Happy writing!

Special Update: The Results 🏆

The Story Wars team's top pick for their takeover was "The One That Falls Apart" by Aditi Rastogi. Here's what they had to say about it: "We’ve chosen Aditi Rastogi’s 'The One That Falls Apart' as the winner of our Spontaneous Creativity contest. With a skillful mix of humour and melancholy, Rastogi paints an earnest tale that speaks to the human desire for connection. At the heart of the piece is storytelling in and of itself, with both the narrator and his audience finding comfort in the stories they choose to believe. And we can’t help but think that the narrator would be quite the competitor at one of our spontaneous storytelling events."

Congratulations to contest winner Aditi Rastogi and the six shortlistees! They, along with select longlistees from this contest, will be invited to participate in a virtual Story Wars event, which will be held on June 18, for the chance to compete for $1,000! If you'd like to watch them battle it out — and cast your votes to choose the ultimate winner — sign up here!