The Friday Challenge - 12/18/2009

When I was just getting started entering Friday Challenges, we had all sorts of strange and wacky challenges. I remember such fun challenges as the Squirrel Diet, the sequel to The Lord of the Rings (entries for which featured such fascinating ideas as the Dark Segue Riders and an all-midget Kiss tribute band) and the Star Trek death scene you always wanted to see but never would. Lots of fun and laughs were had with all of those challenges. With the current challenge, I hope we'll see more of the wackiness which made the Friday Challenge so addicting that I'm still here two years later. So let's take a look at the entries and see whether my hopes have come true.

torainfor - Secret Santa (drop.io)

Miko - Somewhere Else

Waterboy - The Idea He Couldn't Give Away (make sure to read his two posts below for the complete pitch (and blame me for the title))

Arisia - The Even Shorter Than She Thought Entry

the bandit - Scientists Dreaming of a "Green" Christmas

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.

Silent Night, Story Night...

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I'm sure it hasn't escaped the attention of anyone out there that a major holiday is just seven days away. More than any other holiday, Christmas brings out the storyteller in people. Stories about Christmas abound.

The power of Christmas redeems lost souls and brings joy to cold and joyless hearts.

A right jolly old elf defies the forces of No Fun to bring toys and happiness to children the world over.

Charlie Brown utterly fails to find meaning in our commercialized Christmas. Then, in what must be counted among the most moving two minutes ever shown on television, Linus reminds him of the true meaning of the Christmas.

Rudolph finds out what it's like to be the shiny-nosed geek among reindeer jocks, only to become popular when his nose proves useful. (That's right, kids, you never become popular for who you are. You become popular when you become a jock like the rest of the herd.)

Parents tell stories of their childhood Christmas celebrations to their own children. Grandparents tell the same stories, but with all the embarrassing bits left in.

And, of course, the story is told of the young couple in the manger stable and the birth of the Son of God.

Now it's your turn to join the vast multitudes of writers who have written all of those Christmas stories. The challenge is to write a Christmas story. Any Christmas story. The only requirement for the story is that Christmas must be central to the story. It must be a story that could only occur on or around Christmas. Tell us how your grandmother saved Christmas with just cotton balls and glue. Or tell us how your great aunt Nellie's teeth got wrapped up with your sister's toy. Or just make up a brand new story about family or Jesus or Santa or whoever; as long as Christmas is central to the story.

We here at the Friday Challenge headquarters know that this is a big assignment, particularly in face of two major holidays separated by only seven days. Therefore, the Christmas challenge has an extra long deadline. You will have three weeks to write your story. That's right, you have until midnight, CST, on January 7, 2010, to post an entry.

To further encourage you to enter, this is the second Friday Challenge that will feature a cash prize. That's right, our sponsors at K&B Booksellers are putting up another $50 for the winner of this challenge.

So don't just sit there! Get started writing!