Writing Prompts for the June 2021 Year of the Ox Writing Contest

Okay, here at the prompts for June.  Remember, these prompts are springboards, so no crack your head on the board when you hit um instead of the pool, and no need to use them if you want to write about something else.

This month instead of 250 words or fewer, we’re going for exactly 250 words.  On the nose.  No more, no less.

Then, if you choose to do so, edit down that same piece, turning it into one of exactly 200 words, no more no less.

I you choose to write both the 250 and the 200 words pieces, then post them together, as one entry, with the same title.

Otherwise, simply post your 250 word piece.

Here are this month’s prompts:

1.  “I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.”  — Atticus Finch, To Kill a Mockingbird

2.

Photo of Hōlei Pali with lava pouring into the ocean:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PV8Vn5QTGPA

Hōlei (Traditional)

ʻO Kalapana, kai leo nui,
Ua lono ka uka o Hōlei,
He uwā lā Kalapana, ē,
Kuli wale, kuli wale i ka leo,
He leo no ke kai, ē.

It is Kalapana, the great-voiced sea,
The uplands of Hōlei listened,
Roaring is Kalapana,
Deafened, deafened indeed by the voice,
It is the voice of the sea

3.  There’s lots to hate getting old.  When I think about it long and hard enough, except for retirement, there really isn’t anything good at all about old age. — Suggested by Jim Harstad

4. The real me is far off from what they see, and that’s why I don’t go into the details. —  2024KAMBARAM, from “Details”

By participating in the Bamboo Shoots community, you agree to the following rules:

1. We reserve the right to remove content that promotes hate or gratuitous violence. Be respectful and courteous to others.
2. All contest challenge entries must be submitted by the designated
3. Enter as many times as you like using a trigger/prompt (this page).
4. Contest Challenge entries can be prose (including short stories, nonfiction essays, or whatever you write), poetry, or plays -- or any type of hybrid writing you dream up.
5. Every entry must have a title -- unless you choose to enter a haiku, in which case you can simply enter the word haiku in the title section.
6. All content/entries should be original work. You retain ownership of your entries; however, we may ask to use them elsewhere on the site or on social media to help promote Bamboo Ridge and/or the Bamboo Shoots online writing community.
7. Winners will be announced with all possible speed after the end of each month. Winners receive 10 Bamboo Bucks credit to spend in the BRP online bookstore. Bamboo Bucks have no monetary value outside of the online store.
8. Entries may also be selected for publication in the regular Bamboo Ridge Journal. If your piece is chosen, the editors will contact you via the email address on file.
9. Please note that you need not enter the contest challenge in order to post on Bamboo Shoots. You may post other writing if you choose. We welcome that here:  Click this link to go to Shoot da Breeze.