Creative Nonfiction in The Ink Well Prompt #34
SourceWelcome 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 Reflection
Last week's participants
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Honorable Mentions of the Week
 | Dogs Teach Us the Art of Self Reflection
With his wagging tail and soulful eyes, my furry neighbor sees the problems that preoccupy my thoughts. He doesn't care about my appearance, my achievements, or the pressures I face. Or my money. Instead, he focuses on the essence of my being, the kindness in my heart, the love I offer, and the simple joys we can live and experience together. |
 | Melodic Reflections
Heaving a sigh of relief, I finally reached my room, keyed the door and kicked it open to reveal my peaceful sanctuary. I dragged myself in, making sure to shut the door behind me. Without thinking, I kicked off my shoes and let them tumble haphazardly to the floor, I threw down my backpack, letting it fall unceremoniously onto the floor. At that moment I didn't not care about order. I just wanted to be left alone with my thoughts. I walked over to my reading desk, where my beloved music box sat. It was a small, intricately designed red box that played a delicate melody when wound up. |
 | Ascending Beyond
There were seven of us, and none of us knew the way, but we weren't going to go blindly, as everyone thought. I had a map of the route to Pico Naiguatá, and we also watched videos on YouTube to memorize the way. Finally, to know how to get to the entrance of that part of the park, we went there one day before to inspect the area. The day arrived, and the two of us were playing our role as guides. |
 | The Girl In The Mirror
And though I concede that those outside looking in don’t sometimes understand a situation so their assessment is most of the time wrong, sometimes I feel like they are the ones that see clearly. That they see and understand better the things that you don’t notice since you’re mostly immersed in that bubble. That their emotions are true because you are blind and oblivious to what’s right in front of you. |
 | What A Life I've Had
I turned up the volume of the speaker, enough to fill my head with more images of the past as I reflected on it but not disturb my neighbors. It was a walk through the past. I remember how I got all the love and care I needed from my friends and family when I was in the hospital, I could not wish for better friends. |
Third Place: Wins 2 Hive
Our third place winner is
Adequate Reflection
Currently in our country, the economic situation has improved, I have recovered my bone mass, since I have increased my weight, reaching the one I had. The expression lines on my skin continue, as they are expressions of my years and I wear them with pride.
Second Place: Wins 3 Hive
Our second place winner is 
We Make Our Own Circles
It was on a train to Bath that I realised completely that I was okay on my own, and that I did not need a relationship to complete me at all. I remember my forehead pressed to the glass, watching the streaks of leafless trees form black brushstrokes across the landscape as the train sped south and the muddy fields beyond, and closer, my distorted reflection and half smile of happiness. It was better than that. Being on my own was blissful. I could see myself moving through time and space as an intelligent, adventurous and creative young woman, a mother, a daughter, a friend - but not a lover, or a wife. That was, for the first time in my life, more than a reasonable proposition. It left me feeling open to possiblity, and weightless. I realised that I was my own circle, and that I needed no one to draw the other half. I wasn't even a half. I was a whole, complete, beautiful being, desiring for no one.
First Place: Wins 5 Hive
Our first place winner is
Mirrored
For the first time, I let her see my pain. As the tears flowed down, I knew I couldn't do it anymore. I had to pick up the shattered pieces and somehow find a way to piece them together. She looked at me, sharing in my pain as the tears also flowed down her cheeks.
This Week's Prompt #34:
Connection
On many levels, life is all about connections—how we connect to others and to the elements in our environment.
This week we ask you to write a creative personal story that reads like fiction using words related to connection or disconnection
For this topic there are several possible approaches. For example:
- Tell us how social media has influenced the way you connect with your family or friends.
- Perhaps you met a total stranger and quickly found common ground because of shared interests. An instant connection.
- Maybe you realized that you’d allowed a relationship to flounder due to your inconsistent effort to connect.
- Mobile phones are so much a part of our lives. Tell us how using your phone creates an opportunity to connect or disconnect with your family or friends.
Tell us about it!
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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