Image source: Pixabay
Dear community,
Welcome to Prompt #11 in our creative nonfiction initiative. Thank you to everyone who contributed a nonfiction story last week! In case you missed the announcement about The Ink Well opening up to nonfiction stories, you can see it here.
Here's a quick overview of how it works:
Each week, we will provide a creative nonfiction prompt. You are also welcome to post other creative nonfiction pieces that are not based on the prompt. See the guidelines below.
To be curated, your content should follow our guidelines, be at least 350 words, be written in English (or another language as well as the English translation) and — as much as possible — free of errors.
What Is Creative Nonfiction?
There are many guides and resources online for getting to know this wonderful genre. It is truly about storytelling. The simple difference between creative nonfiction and fictional stories is that the story is not made up.
We like this definition from an article on creativenonfiction.org:
Simply put: Creative nonfiction is true stories, well told.
With creative nonfiction, you are using the literary and storytelling tools of a fiction writer to craft stories from real life experiences. Set the scene. Give the details. Profile the characters. Give us the dialog, as best you can remember it.
Ideas and inspiration:
Creative nonfiction stories can be snippets from your life autobiography — moments in time you want to capture in words, whether they were frightening, enlightening, bittersweet, or life-altering. They can be observations about life, about a time you connected at a profound level with a perfect stranger, or something you have learned along the way that made you a better person.
Do you love podcasts? One of the greatest sources of creative nonfiction is The Moth Radio Hour. Listen to a few of the stories from The Moth, and we guarantee you will be inspired.
Here are some additional resources for learning more about the creative nonfiction genre:
-- Reedsy blog: What is Creative Nonfiction? The Unputdownable Truth
-- Writers.com: Understanding Creating Nonfiction: What It Is and How to Write ItCheck out this list of creative nonfiction stories. For example, one of the stories is about a funeral for a lizard named Rango.
We hope you are inspired!
Guidelines for Creative Nonfiction Articles in The Ink Well
- Write creative nonfiction stories about real life, memories, or experiences.
- As with our fiction guidelines, we ask that articles be at least 350 words in length. Optimal length is 750-1500 words.
- Please read and edit your content before posting. It makes a big difference in how we reward work published in The Ink Well. (And we have some great guidelines for improving your grammar and fixing errors before you post in this article.)
- Please post directly in The Ink Well community, and post your link in a comment on this post.
- Please use the tag #creativenonfiction on these posts.
Here are some examples of what we are looking for:
- Explore an idea that interests you, such as how childhood experiences shape us as adults.
- Write about the study of dreams and what they mean, along with your own experience.
- Tell about an experience from your life that profoundly changed you.
- Write about a teacher who inspired you.
In other words, tell a story from real life. And illustrate the ideas you share with real world experiences, memories and observations.
Here’s what we are NOT looking for:
- A picture of a flower or other posts focused on photography
- A few paragraphs about what you ate for lunch
- Recipes and how-to articles
- Life lessons or advice
- Essays about religion or politics
- Poetry
What will be muted:
- Spam posts or plagiarism
- Graphic violence
- Lectures or proselytizing about religion, politics or morality
Last Week's Creative Nonfiction Winners
Thank you to all who participated in last week's prompt: Peace!
Honorable Mentions of the Week
Our honorable mentions for last week's prompt are:
Third Place: Wins 1,000 Ecency points
Our third place winner is 
As I turned into my house, I overheard the same muffled noise I had heard from behind my neighbors' houses and as I opened the door, I was greeted by a gang of grandchildren jumping on me and giggling happily, the adults crowded in groups of twos and threes, reminiscing and laughing out loud. That's when my peace returned as a smile escaped my lips. The joy, happiness and camaraderie of family is my peace.
Second Place: Wins 3 Hive
Our second place winner is 
I have been a friend of Oirasor's for more than thirty years. She had her first daughter, Rosario, who was born with a spina bifida problem. Her religious beliefs led her to take refuge in an image of a saint called Divino Niño Jesus. She invited me to Puerto La Cruz-Venezuela to visit the temple of that saint, and so I did.
First Place: Wins 5 Hive
Our first place winner is 
The day of the party arrived and we pulled up at the venue in the middle of nowhere. It had beautifully manicured lawns and an enclosed pool area. We arrived ahead of most of the guests since we wanted to check in, get our overnight bags stashed away in our room, and be in a position to relax outside with a few of the other early arrivals. The late afternoon sunshine felt warm and inviting on my shoulders as we made our way towards the front door, and I knew my choice of the little black sleeveless dress had been the right one for the occasion.
The Ink Well Creative Nonfiction Writing Prompt #11: New Year
This is a very special time of year, when we release the old year into "the past" where it becomes a collection of memories, moments and headlines, and we hurl ourselves into the new year with the expectation that it will be better. Our behaviors and choices will be better. We might reflect on good habits that lapsed or bad habits that we couldn't shake, and vow to improve. What's your story?
Here are some ideas for what to do with this prompt:
- Describe one or more of your New Year's resolutions. Why did you choose them? What do you hope to achieve in the coming year?
- Write about a life-altering experience in the past few years and how that experience affects your outlook and your hopes for the new year.
- Describe your New Year's Eve traditions. Describe a particular memory at one of these events, and how it impacted your approach to the holiday.
We look forward to reading your stories. Have fun!
Please use the tags #creativenonfiction and #inkwellprompt on these posts. And please remember to add your post link to a comment on this post!
NOTE: Please refrain from providing advice, guidance, or suggestions to others about their life choices in your post. Creative nonfiction is about storytelling.
Prizes!
- The top creative nonfiction story of the week will receive 5 Hive
- The second place story will receive 3 Hive
- Third place will receive 1,000 Ecency points
Deadline
You have a week, until the next prompt is posted, to post your creative nonfiction story in The Ink Well community.
See you in The Ink Well!
Interested in joining our community? Start by joining Hive!
We invite lovers of creative writing to visit The Ink Well, a Hive community started by 
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