The Friday Challenge - 11/6/2009

After the fifteen entries we had last week, it's not surprising that there is a much lower turn out this week. Still, we have a quite respectable six entries. My story is not an entry. I put it up in hopes of getting some feedback.

Now, on to this week's entries!

torainfor - Nasosi's Story

miko - Where Is My Home?

Tom - Hannah Cat Ham & Book (drop.io - both illustrated!)

passinthrough - The House That Dad Built & Deer Hunting

Henry - Will's Dragon (drop.io)

As always, even if you haven't submitted an entry this week—even if you never submit an entry in any week—you're invited to read, comment on, and vote for your favorite. Don't be shy about leaving feedback on the authors' sites, either. Writers thrive on knowing that someone out there is actually reading their words. The winner will be announced on Sunday.

As children's stories cover a very wide range of possibilities, I ask that everyone judge each story based on the intended age of the reader. That doesn't mean to go "easier" on stories for very young children, just don't grade down a story for being simple if simple is appropriate for the audience.

And now for this week's challenge.

"Aliens Have Invaded Pleasantville!"

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With the remake of V having just debuted, the release of the movies The Fourth Kind and Planet 51 (kids' movie where a human lands on an alien planet) coming up, it seems like aliens are on all the screens -- both small and silver -- right now. All of these examples revolve around first contact with aliens; pretend-peaceful in V, abductions in The Fourth Kind and humorous-peaceful in Planet 51. Guess what the challenge will be for this week?

If you guess "the role of the Federal Reserve in the the current recession," you're off by just a tad. Yes, this week's challenge is to write a story about first contact with aliens.

If advanced aliens find us first, what will happen? Are they here to eat us? To take all of our precious resources? To enslave us or convert us to their religion? Or even to have slimy, tentacled alien sex with our women (or men, depending on your point of view)?

If it's advanced humans who find the aliens first, well, I guess the same list above applies to humans, too, except for the bit about tentacles. It's also possible the humans are just looking for a new market for fast food franchises.

Whether your story is action-packed, horrifying, funny or dramatic is entirely up to you. As usual, we're playing for what's behind Door #3.

You've got your assignment; ready, set, go!