Creative Nonfiction in The Ink Well Prompt #42
Welcome to The Ink Well's weekly creative nonfiction contest!
In this post, we'll announce the winners from last week's contest and provide the prompt for the coming week.
Before You Write Your Creative Nonfiction Post...
We ask that you read our Creative Nonfiction Tips post to learn about the creative nonfiction genre and review our guidelines.
Important notes:
- Creative nonfiction stories are based on your real-life experiences.
- We are looking for real short stories! Not advice columns, reports on crime or corruption in your city, observations on nature, recipes, religion, politics, or any other nonfiction content. Just real-life short stories.
- Ideal story length is between 750 and 1500 words, but your story must be at least 350 words, at a minimum to be curated.
- Please focus on quality content. Read and edit for errors! Use a grammar checker before you post your story.
- We expect everyone who posts in The Ink Well to read and comment on at least two other stories for each one published.
- Do not post stories featuring physical abuse, graphic violence, erotica or NSFW content.
Last Week's Creative Nonfiction Winners
Thank you to all who participated in last week's prompt Intuition
Last week's participants
Honorable Mentions of the Week
![]() | Landlord Palaver
The facilities are seldom maintained, rents constantly hiked without prior notice and eviction notices served without a grace window as stipulated by law. In their houses, landlords take the position of demigods where everything starts and ends with them and their tenants have no input or choice whatsoever. |
![]() | In defiance of my intuition
One of them raised up his hoodie and what I saw underneath was a pistol. Immediately I saw the weapon, I complied with all their demands. |
![]() | The Whispers of my Soul
The look on my face was like that of a prodigal son who rebelled against his father; I felt broken because I rebelled against my intuition, I managed to collect my phone, but when I double-tapped the screen, a part of the screen was even broken, I guess they stepped on it mistakenly, and lastly, the battery even reduced to 10%. "I should have listened to you", I soliloquized, but all I heard was "It's too late now!" |
| Saved By The Sixth
I woke up one morning, a week later and knew something was amiss. That churning and queasiness in my stomach that spelt impending doom was at full blast. I barely donned my bathrobe as I raced out of my room and dashed outside like a woman possessed. I saw him handing the papers to Dad with a pen. And my world stilled. Slowing down to a painful halt as my mind worked in double time. I saw the law enforcement. I saw the house being seized. All manner of destruction before my mind's eye like a movie. |
Third Place: Wins 2 Hive
Our third place winner is , with the story:
Promise kept

I entered with my daughter to the first room full of huge stained glass windows that covered the walls and ceilings, the colorful painted light illuminated the room. The atmosphere was humid and even though there were people sitting on the benches and walking in the different rooms, it felt quiet. We went up some granite stairs to the place where the image of the virgin was, a holy card that according to the story was found in the hand of the Indian Coromoto when he died.
Second Place: Wins 3 Hive
Our second place winner is , with the story:
Silent Whispers In My Heart
When I reached my apartment, an eerie silence greeted me. It was so unlike my Emmanuel to be so quiet, especially when there was power. Either he filled the space with music or loud noise from the TV from watching his favorite Nollywood show, but that day, it was as though time had stopped in his absence.
First Place: Wins 5 Hive
Our first place winner is , with the story:
One night in front of a broken house

To tell him that it was an assumption, that my instinct as a woman was giving me signals, would have been to accept the madness he was accusing me of. So I simply looked him in the face and perhaps in order not to argue at that moment, I gave him my silence. Still, silence also speaks loudly, I thought, trying to ward off the dark presage of a breakup.
This Week's Prompt #42:
Object
There are so many interpretations for this word that it should produce some really interesting creative stories. Someone could be the object of your interest, or you might be inexplicably drawn to a particular object. Let your imagination roam over the stories that make up your life to find something wonderful to share.
This week we ask you to write a creative personal story that reads like fiction using words related to 'object'.
For this topic, there are several possible approaches. For example:
- Reflect on a situation where someone became the object of your unwanted affection. Pursue the feelings of rejection or acceptance that you ultimately experienced.
- Perhaps a well-worn, special object became a talisman that you felt brought you luck.
- Maybe you objected strongly to an otherwise socially acceptable strategy that your friends’ or family members’ had already decided to embark upon.
- Discuss your sense of loss when a favorite object was carelessly destroyed.
Tell us about it! And remember to integrate storytelling elements like characters, scene setting, dialogue and action to bring your story to life!
Have fun and good luck! We look forward to reading your stories.
Contest Rules
- You have 6 days to write your story from the date of this prompt post. Be sure to check the deadline countdown.
- Write a real-life story with the creative elements of fiction, like characters, dialogue, scene setting and a story conflict.
- Post your story in The Ink Well Community.
- Please use the tags #creativenonfiction and #inkwellprompt on these posts. Other possible tags: #writing #inkwellprompt #nonfiction
- Stories must be written in English. If you've translated the post, it's best to add the original version below the translation. Do not write mixed language paragraphs.
- Read and comment on at least two stories in the community. Add a link to your story as a comment on this post.
And be sure to remember to join The Ink Well community!
Prizes
Prizes are only for stories written for this week's prompt
- First place : 5 Hive
- Second place : 3 Hive.
- Third place : 2 Hive.
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