The 1111 Writing Contest - What magic can you create with only 1111 characters?! - Week 1 - 'The Lake' [TOP PRIZE 3 STEEM + Runner up Prizes!!]

Welcome to the most 1337 writing contest on Steemit!

Hey all!!

So, as many of you know I’m new here at Steemit. Some of you may have started to ‘get to know me a little’… which is great… that’s exactly what I’m here for 😀

I love Steemit. I’ve only been here a month but, that whole time I’ve been so excited by it’s potential, and so inspired by the people I’ve found here and the content they are creating.

I’m always asking the question - ‘How can I contribute more?’…

And just a minute ago I got struck with an idea for a writing contest.

The Inspiration.

I’m very much into numerology and feel like the Universe often chooses the time and numbers to talk to me in life, and 11:11 is one I often see.

Then it struck me.

One of my favorite parts about Steemit is all the amazing contests that people run… and so I thought...

Why not contribute to that part of the platform myself??!?

SO WELCOME!!!

To the 1111 Writing Contest.

Each contest will introduce a new prompt. Your task, should you choose to accept it, is to take that prompt and do something with it, the only limitation being the character count - which of course - is 1111 characters in total (and this includes spaces!). Please use Word for your character counting - but if you do not have word, you may use this free online tool below ->

--> Online Character Counter <--

There are no rules apart from this - you must not go over 1111 characters and you can be under by a maximum of 11, making 1100 characters the minimum acceptable for an entry.

Apart from that, it’s totally open. You do not have to reference the prompt but it must be clear that your writing was inspired by it. It doesn’t have to rhyme or have rhythm, or be a poem, or a song, or a story… absolutely any creation based on this prompt will be counted for entry. Be creative!

However - there are things to consider.

We’re all winners here - But if you REALLY wanna win then...

I will be the judge of this contest as it begins and there will be certain things that might make me more likely to choose you as a winner.

These include -

1. Degree of wisdom / positivity / useful knowledge / inspiration for others in the post.
2. Any posts that are exactly 1111 characters with spaces (and include other numbers i.e. 333 words)
3. Creativeness of approach.
4. Level of interaction with other submissions and participants of the contest (i.e. commenting and good feedback given to others will be noticed).
5. Feeling generated inside when I read it and relevance of any extra content that is added into the entry itself.
6. Sense of how ‘free-flowy’ the piece was - If it feels like the writing was written with a
   free-write mentality this will gain extra points in my eyes - I like stuff that is spontaneous and you can feel that within the writing!

   Do the things ya gotta do…

   In order to participate -

   1. Please post your submissions in the comments of this post.
   2. Please upvote and resteem this post - the more people that get involved the higher the prizes will become. (Not necessary for entry but highly appreciated)
   3. Please follow me and stay in touch with future 1111 contests (planned to be weekly).
   4. Please tag any friends who you know like to write and would enjoy this!
   5. If you would like to put your submission into your own post that contains a link to THIS post and you win the contest - you will win 1 BONUS STEEM. There are no requirements for hash tags. [If you do this please also still post your submission into the comments here.]
   6. DEADLINE for submissions will be on Sundays, at 11:11 PM GMT. So for this first contest, please ensure your submission is with me by 11:11 PM GMT on Sunday 11th March (ooooh look at that! 11’s everywhere!)

   The Concept of the Contest.

   So when I got struck with the idea for this I instantly knew it was gonna produce gold. I feel that when people get focused on that number, 1111, that they are going to get inspired to come out with some beautiful pieces of writing - short, sharp but infinitely powerful.

   I also wanted to create a contest that people could enter quickly. I encourage a ‘free-writing’ style and not to think about what your writing in the moment too much - Try as much as possible to just let it flow. Editing and tweaking can always be done after to polish it!

   I believe in good wages - so if you win this contest and only spent let's say 11 minutes writing your 1111 characters, and you win 4 STEEM with the bonus, that equates to a wage of around £60 per hour… Not bad for having fun with a bit of writing ay! 😉

   Apart from the one prompt which is just there for inspiration and a little direction, I wanted this contest to be as open as possible - so please feel free to take this on any tangents you wish. There are really no other rules to the writing aspect apart from using the prompt as some sort of inspiration or guide for your piece.

   Time to take the loot!

   So what's up for grabs then booty seekers?! Well, we have the following -
   
   
   TOP PRIZE - 3 STEEM
   3 Runner Up Prizes - 0.33 STEEM
   1 Bonus Steem on offer - For anyone that POSTS their writing on their blog with a link to THIS CONTEST POST and then wins the competition that week.

   TOTAL PRIZE POOL - 5 STEEM!

   Prizes may be tweaked over the weeks as we see how this contest goes. When I can afford it, I will increase the prize amount and the number of winners to make this more exciting for people.

   1111 WRITING CONTEST - WEEK 1 Prompt - ‘The Lake’

   So the prompt for Week 1 is - ‘The Lake’

   Please use that in any way you feel to inspire or spark your writing of 1111 characters (including spaces) and let’s see what happens here!

   Each week I will write for the contest too - Here is my writing for this weeks prompt 'The Lake'-
   
   

   Calming, still, tranquil waters that reflect like a mirror. Except this mirror shines infinitely and reflects way deeper than just the surface level – it allows you to see way beyond the physical.
   You see the lake is a window to the soul. It eats you up, opens you up then spits you out… leaving you just a little bit more whole.
   Sunshine reflects across its silky smooth surface. Days can be rough but they always die down. Wind goes fast as energy flows at last.
   I came here because the lake called to me. I found myself here and knew it was meant to be.
   Because this lake had many messages for me. It is a great teacher. It brought many healers to me.
   I gave me the chance to work on myself. The sort out the rubbish that was bad for my health. To soar and to fly high, above all of my own denials.
   It’s a trial.
   This life can’t be a struggle when you forget the truth. The truth that in the end, everything will work okay… you will get to where you’re supposed to be going…
   One day.
   No matter what happens.
   I have a lot to thank to the waters of the lake.
   They helped to save me when there was so much at stake.

   ^^ This piece was exactly 1111 characters with spaces, and I wrote it within 5 minutes... You got nothing to lose so I hope you will enter and give us your best shot!

   ---

   So... I THINK I have covered everything. Please help me to support this contest by upvoting, resteeming and passing the good news around… I’m sure this will be a really quick, fun, accessible and inspiring contest for many to enter and test their writing skills…. So help me in getting more people involved and even more tightly knitting this beautiful writing community together.

   Sending Love Always…
   In All Ways.
   Hart Floe Poet
   <3