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The Prompt
The First (Unedited) Drafts
After the winners of the Editor Round Raffle soaked in the prompt and translated it into inspired words, they bravely shared their drafts—flaws and all. Huge kudos to our talented authors for having the courage to put themselves and their work out there!
Ready to find out where the prompt led them? Here’s a sneak peek at the authors’ first drafts, completely unedited. Visit the links to read these amazing stories and to learn more about the authors’ creative brainstorming and drafting process. Then check back next week to discover how they evolve their stories through a round of self edits.
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by Monique Ocampo
“You get Katherine out of here. I’ll send up the signal.”
I climbed up to the roof of the building, feeling kind of like a superhero, with the cape part of my top fluttering in the wind. I held onto what I figured was a broken antenna and lit up the signal flare, holding my arm out to make sure it could be seen.
The Imposter We Traded
by Talynn Lynn
There were three of us girls, all turning sweet sixteen. Nothing sweet about today. For the other two girls, anyway. I feel sorry for them really. They are my friends, after all. We cling to the Warriors Wand with one hand and in the other hand, the Torchlight.
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by Tyler Zeoli
Rayne climbed the ladder one rung at a time into the endless blue nothing. She was late. Normally the night crew would still be there, plucking each star out of the sky as the lights in the dome grew brighter and brighter, with no apparent source.
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by Jen Davenport
“Mom.” Azami choked on her tears as she draped her upper body over the lid of the casket. Her aunt’s arms wrapped around her waist and tugged, but Azami refused to let go of the cold metal beneath her hands.
Rainey’s Painting
by PJ Powell
Summer on her parent’s airship wasn’t exactly Rainey’s idea of a fun break from school. And her mom totally didn’t understand.
“I would think a lot of your friends would love to travel the Undersphere for a season. You’ll be able to go back with tales of exotic ports and even more exotic wares. How many will be able to say the same?”
The Drowning Game
by Kristin Record
He was gone. There was no denying it anymore. Days of waiting for him to walk through the door bled into one another until only the truth remained. He was dead.
Homecoming
by C.M. Fick
The radio crackles, speakers buzzing to life for the first time in over seventy-six days. I sit bolt-upright and reach for the dial to hone in on the interference. We’d given up hope. But maybe… Those out on the resupply mission were considered lost to the wreckage of our old society.
The Beacon
by David Neuner
This is not the end for me. It can’t be. No one would fault me for hiding in the shadows and giving into the darkness. Not after everything I’ve seen. Everything I’ve endured.
Everything I’ve lost.
La Capitaine
by Dani Frank
Captian Guy Roberts knows she has a map to the talisman so he sneaks onto her ship but she catches him rifling through her chamber and shows him that she does have the map and then she burns it in front of him and orders him to the brig.
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by Clari
The Giant climbs the mountain one narrow, cut-into-the-slope stair at a time, carrying in her arms a dying spirit of the skies. She pushes against the chilling wind and raindrops swirling before her face, her heart drumming the rhythm, almost there, almost there.
Want to read even more awesome first drafts?
We’re delighted to have so many brave souls join us in this round of Writer In Motion. Our forum post for Week 1 is full of additional gems inspired by the prompt. Go check it out!