Three-minute writing challenge: Paradox
A quick-fire writing challenge. I'll supply the prompt, you supply the words: one sentence or paragraph. It's like a creative pot luck. Wherever this sends you is the direction you need.
Are you ready to see where three minutes of writing takes you?
Oh boyyyy oh boy, I am! If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times: good writing can come from a snatched minute. You don’t need to block out chunks of time. You know why. Yep, the pressure. If we were in a room together and I asked you to raise your hand if you had ever crashed and burned in what should have been a tidy, scheduled in a writing afternoon, I’m sure I would see a wave of twitching fingers in the air.
Not here! We keep the stakes low, we have a go. You might spend two minutes thinking, one minute scribbling. You might ignore the timer going off and write for another hour. You might squeeze out a haiku. Whatever it is, all you need to do is honour the time. Three minutes. Trust me, you’ll be amazed at what comes out.
A note: I started Not A Write Off with a very clear intention. Showing up to write, or to accept your best efforts, is Good Enough. It was my way of figuring out what my writing life looked like with a baby time vampire in tow. With that said, I am going to be posting the three-minute writing challenge once a month, with the library shelf of challenge winners one week afterwards. This will allow me time to write my own posts on life and craft, as well as work on some paid subscriber perks which are coming in the new year. Thanks for understanding, you good egg, you.
If you want to see what writers came up with last time, have a look at the Top Shelf entries from the last prompt, which was all about Liminal spaces
New here? Here’s what to expect:
From January, each writing prompt will be posted monthly
Launched on a Wednesday (for that mid-week reset)
Submit one sentence up to one paragraph
Favourite entries will be pooled and published on Not A Write Off one week after the challenge is launched
Whether it’s for fun, for a laugh, for a reset, or to kick-start something new, I’ve got you.
If you stopped scrolling through Notes or your Instagram feed to read this, stay, just for a minute or so. Consider this a reset.
How to tackle the challenge:
Interpret the challenge however you like. There is no right or wrong. The prompt is there as a jumping off point, but go wild.
Entries can range from one sentence to one paragraph (not like… a Dickens paragraph)
To kick-start the challenge, set a three minute timer and stop when the bell goes off
I encourage you to write in the moment, without pulling from any previous work
Post your writing in Notes by restacking this post and tag so that I don’t miss it
Tag anyone whose words you would like to see. Non-fiction writers, I’m looking at you! Here, fiction is your friend.
Now, onto this week’s prompt word:
This week’s prompt: Paradox
A paradox can be serious, absurd, or hand-wringing. A paradox can force choices, they can halt us in our tracks, and they can make us question everything we thought to be true. Essentially, a paradox is something contradictory, which is why I’ve chosen it for this prompt. A silly location can contradict an emotional conversation. A decision that speaks to our head might not be the one that speaks to our heart. It’s rational vs irrational, fact vs fiction.
However you choose to interpret the prompt is true and correct for you. Don’t overthink it, just write.
“In this world there are only two tragedies. One is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it.” (Mr. Dumby, Act III)
Oscar Wild, Lady Windemere’s Fan
What next?
Subscription: You don’t need to be a subscriber to participate
Deadline: Tuesday 19th December
Sharing: I’ll amplify and re-post as many entries as I can, culminating in a monthly Library Shelf of Challenge Winners
Community: Writing doesn’t need to be lonely. Collaborating is fun. Share widely, comment on each other’s entries, and connect with other writers.
If you’d like to be notified when these challenges go live, subscribe to Not a Write Off
About the author:
Abigail Mann is an author, book coach, and writing mentor. She is currently writing her fourth novel for HarperCollins and has a thing for sharp contemporary literature with a comic edge. Abigail coaches with the London Writer’s Salon and privately mentors writers who need to cloud bust their plots, clean up their submissions, or reach a fiction milestone. Her other internet home is here.