2025 Get Started Right Writing Challenge: Day 10
For the 10th and final day of this 10-day Get Started Right Writing Challenge, let’s get focused for a 30-minute final sprint. And tomorrow, I’ll share some next steps for this challenge (for anyone who wants to share some of their writing with me).
So for today’s task, take 30 minutes to do something that benefits your writing. Of course, that can mean taking 30 minutes to write (which is probably the path I’m personally going to take). But you can also take 30 minutes to research places to submit your writing. Or you can read some articles on writing. Or, well, it’s your time; use it wisely.
Not sure what to write? Then, here are a few prompts to jumpstart your writing:
- 100 Creative Writing Prompts.
- 25 Plot Twist Ideas.
- 30 Poetry Prompts.
- 6 Types of Creative Nonfiction Essays to Try.
So find a good starting place, set your timers, and get writing (or researching or whatever)…and share what you’ve done in the comments. Of course, if you do write, you can always pick up where you left off on Day 8 as well.
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Here’s my 30-minute writing session:
“random Shock City scene,” Robert Lee Brewer
“C’mon, this way.”
Jacob followed, though he wasn’t sure why. What did he even know about this Travis guy anyway? And his friend Jonathan, who was suspiciously quiet?
“Stop,” said Travis, who simultaneously put his arms out to block Jacob and Jonathan.
Just then, a laser beam appeared to shoot across the street, and some guy was running and screaming. Not just any guy, thought Jacob; that’s Carl, the cashier!
“Hey,” Jacob shouted before he could stop himself. Just then, something long and dark slithered past the edge of the building they were standing next to. It was a tail connected to some kind of alien or weird beast that was now facing them.
“Run,” shouted Travis. “Go, go, go!”
Jacob started to turn, but his feet were caught by something. Then, he was lifted by his ankles and yanked backward before being launched through the air until he crashed into something hard. A car. From across the street, he watched the alien-beast thing grab at Travis and further up the street some kind of giant robot shooting lasers in random directions. No, not random. The lasers were aimed at people running in random directions. Panicking, because lasers. Just then, a bright flash in the direction Travis was…and followed by a loud boom. What the heck?
Turning his whole body in that direction, Jacob looked and couldn’t believe what he was seeing (even after everything he’d seen this weekend): That quiet guy Jonathan was now floating in the air, hovering might be a better word and what was left of the alien-beast thing appeared to be engulfed in flames beneath him.
Jonathan bellowed, “Travis! Travis!”
A voice from somewhere called back, “Yeah, yeah; I’m okay.”
“Good,” said Jonathan. Then his hovering turned into a slow movement; he was flying slowly out into the street and turned to face the giant robot. “This ends now!”
The light that followed seemed to blind Jacob, who quickly closed his eyes while covering his ears to shield them against another boom, but this boom seemed magnified a hundredfold. Honestly, thought Jacob, this feels like the end. The end of the world, my life, and that’s OK. I don’t know how much more I can take anyway. Everything seemed to be spinning, like when he was little and would turn in circles until he felt dizzy. Maybe if I stay here long enough I’ll learn to fly too, he thought.
After a moment, Jacob opened his eyes and could see he was still on the car. He could also see that Jonathan was still slowly flying down the street in the direction of the robot that was now only half its size, since the top half appeared to be completely gone and, like the alien-beast thing, in flames.
“Holy crap! Did you see that?” Jacob blinked his eyes and turned his head to see Travis standing next to him. He seemed filled with astonishment and was that pride? “I didn’t even know he could do that!”
I didn’t either, thought Jacob. I didn’t know anyone could do something like that. “What is even happening?”
“Jonathan’s taking back Shock City, that’s what’s happening,” replied Travis. “Go, Jonathan!”
Jonathan did not turn his head or seem to pay any mind to Travis. Instead, he lifted his arms and grabbed another (there’s more of them?) alien-beast thing that launched itself in the air at him. Holding it for a moment, he looked down into its face and then tossed it into a building at a speed that shouldn’t be possible.
But then, thought Jacob, none of this should be possible. Not one single thing since I’ve been in this town.
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(Note: 30 minutes of writing definitely felt different than 15 minutes of writing, but it was kind of fun to have a little extra time to push further into a scene before signing off. Hope you’ve had a good experience kicking off 2025!)
