2009 Descriptive Writing Contest
This contest for writers exercises creative imagination by asking you to write descriptions for each of the photos or paintings below.
This contest is the creation of Linda Jo Martin of Perspectives on Writing and is not affiliated with Squidoo in any way other than to be hosted on this site in Linda Jo Martin's account.
The Rules
Who is eligible to enter: Everyone!
One contest entry per person.
How to enter: Look at each of the ten pictures below, then click on "Add a Caption" to add a short passage describing the picture in a creative way. All descriptions entered must be your own creative writing work.
When you're done adding your descriptions to the caption lists, send an email to Linda listing all of your ten descriptions. Also send your name, and website or blog URL(s), if you have them. (No adult sites please.)
Note: You'll have to refresh the page to see your entries in the lists.
How winners will be chosen:Each person who adds a description for every one of the ten pictures, and who sends a contest entry email, will have their name entered in the contest.
There will be one winner. The winner will be chosen by random drawing.
I thought about choosing my favorite description, but then decided not to because this contest is more about writing practice than writing perfection. If you have the gumption to try writing ten descriptive passages, you deserve just as much a chance as anyone else doing this!
There will also be ten runners-up who will be chosen by anyone who comes here to vote for their favorite descriptions. As you will see you can vote for your favorite captions. Just click on the little triangle next to the number of any descriptive passage you think is especially good. Vote for as many as you like. The more votes, the better.
The winner and runners-up will be announced on Perspectives on Writing in January 2010.
Prizes: (1) The winner will receive a $25.00 gift certificate to Amazon.Com. The winner's name, descriptions, and website links will be published on Linda's blog, Perspectives on Writing. (2) Runners up will have their names, descriptions, and website links published on Linda's blog but there's no gift certificate prize.
Permissions: Adding your descriptions to this lens constitutes permission to reprint on Perspectives on Writing if you are the winner or a runner up.
Oh, and one more thing . . . IF by any streak of fantastic luck I'm able to sell one of my novel manuscripts before the end of the year, I'll choose FOUR winners, instead of just one, giving them each a $25.00 Amazon gift certificate.
Wish me luck with the novel, okay?
Finestra Sul Golfo by Del Missier
Buy at AllPosters.com
Not a member of Squidoo yet?
You're welcome to join.
1. Describe this man and/or what he's thinking...
The Old Guitarist, c. 1903 - by Pablo Picasso
1
The days turned into months and months into years. His callus worn fingers were as numb as his mind. He played her song. He played it as if she were singing. He played it as if the beckoning of her song would lead her home.
3 points
2
Exhausted from a day of weeding in the parsnip field, he clutched his guitar to his breast and sighed, finding comfort in the smooth, polished wood and the harsh, metal strings.
1 point
3
Reminisce and no other thoughts are needed and any negativity is numbed. I used to sip at my liquid life support and eye the frantic formations dancing on the outskirts of the stage. The stage was simply a clearing in the crowd, the worn cobbled streets a
1 point
4
In the chill of his loneliness, his only warmth came from the music that wrapped him in memories.
1 point
5
The world had beaten him into stubborn right angles, burnished his skin to pewter. Yet when he sat hunched around the aged guitar, frets seemed to vanish, and his fingers danced.
1 point
6
There is no ecstasy like the silent strumming of an old man asleep at the fretboard.
0 points
7
Oh, how blue I am.
0 points
8
Life's lorn is burden enough for the mind, yet music is the escape for the soul.
0 points
9
He strummed, and strummed, hoping beyond hope, that perhaps something would give him the will to live again. Kepp him away from slipping into death's embrace. He sighed, and contineud playing his song. The only possesion he still owned.
0 points
10
He had lost everything. The only time he could find meaning in...was when he stroked the guitars strings.
0 points
11
Life's hard. Music makes it bearable.
0 points
2. Describe this person and what he's looking at (or doing)...
Sikh Man Meditating in Front of the Golden Temple - by Anthony Plummer
1
Sent to meditate near the river by Swami Ji, Amir fought the impulse to dip his toes in the cool, placid waters before him.
1 point
2
As another day came and passed, the serenity of hymns poured over the spring fed pool. Kamal fixed his eyes on the window near the Clock Tower that took her life. Although the view would be endlessly scared, a flawless peace would wrap him with hope of
1 point
3
The journey had been long, his troubles great. But his faith was strong and had led him to this place of serenity.
1 point
4
Hari Mandir, House of God, rests on that blue stillness in tranquility, no longer vexed by pious war. Its gilded box draws not my eye. I scan the lake's enclosing colonnade. Long ago, trees grew here. Their ghosts are hewn marble. Water holds their bones.
1 point
5
The only thing he could concentrate on was the gold on the temple across the bay.
0 points
6
Please, carpet whisk me away.
0 points
7
Reflections of institutions do not mirror my heart.
0 points
8
The wind whistled through the air, passing by the maginifecent buildings and breathtaking lake. He just wished he could see it.
0 points
9
He's wondering what the people in the palace are eating.
0 points
10
Why am I sitting here wrapped in a blanket when I could be swimming in that cool clear water?
0 points
11
All the gold in India cannot compare with the affection I feel for you, dear Lord.
0 points
3. Describe what's going on here
Nighthawks, c.1942 - by Edward Hopper
1
The cop with the good-time girl, nestled together love's young dream. Yeah, sure he'd wish 'em luck. They'd need it.
2 points
2
The only place still open this time of night, with light too bright and the scent of stale pie too obvious.
1 point
3
In the quiet of the night, my heart soars and this night is too glorious to end!
1 point
4
Everything changed in that moment. This would be the last time together, the last midnight meeting and the last caress. "I'm leaving for Paris tomorrow."
1 point
5
Loneliness usually lives in shadow, but the corner pub bares it all at 3 a.m. Harsh overhead lights cast an acrid daytime glare on late-night drinkers and bored-looking girls pretending it isn't a business proposition when a man offers a walk home.
1 point
6
Three more customers, the waiter thought, as he finished making a hot fudge sundae for the loud, brassy woman in the red dress. He suppressed a yawn and thought warmly of closing time.
0 points
7
Empty street and empty lives.
0 points
8
John looked away as he saw his life crumble before his eyes. His love betraying him. His soul tearing.
0 points
9
As he looked into his pie, he discovered the meaning of life. He smiled victoriously, as he took his first bite.
0 points
10
Seargent Friday looked at the two goons sitting at the end of the counter, oblivious that he'd been trailing them for two days already.
0 points
4. Describe this scene
The Bab-El-Gharbi Road, Laghouat, 1859 - by Eugene Fromentin
1
While the soldiers seek refuge from the sun, Ali seeks refuge from the soldiers.
1 point
2
Exhausted from their journey through the Sahara, the men dropped at the first sight of shade. Father's weak, yet gruff whisper echoed through his son's mind, "Quick my boy, seek water. I will not endure much longer."
1 point
3
Algeria was a land of blue-metal skies and stucco the color of bleached calfskin. Never mind the sullen Arabs huddled in shady alleys, glaring out at passing colonials. In this exotic land, a man might do or be anyone, provided he was French.
1 point
4
Men poured out of the shelter and lounged on the shady side of the parched, humid alley.
0 points
5
Ali ran to get away from the crazy men in the street before they woke up.
0 points
6
It's too hot to work.
0 points
7
The soldiers came months ago taking all their supplies, only leaving them alcohol. Slowly the men detoriated into just bodies without guidence.
0 points
8
The high sun burned down, pitiless on their weary flesh. An enemy too fierce to fight.
0 points
5. What did this man see when he opened his door?
Beggars on the Doorstep of a House, 1648 - by Rembrandt van Rijn
1
"Good day, my lord." Dirty sweat poured from their faces, "Your prized watch, Sir. We found it in the courtyard under a wagon."
1 point
2
He looked into wizened leather faces already old from sleeping in hedgerows. There was a story here: a sturdy Gipsy and his young wife, two little mouths to feed%u2014 best not dwell on it, just pass the coin and God's blessing and shut the door.
1 point
3
An ominous sight waited outside his door. His landlady demanded payment of rent which he willingly gave, knowing that if he didn't she'd want to come in to visit and bring her squalling infant with her.
0 points
4
She smiled sweetly. He lowered his eyes meekly. They could not be refused.
0 points
5
The man opened the door to see poor gypsy travelers.
0 points
6
The stench from the travelers immediately burned his eyes as he opened the door. A hand, sun-burnt and leathery, gouged from hard work in the fields, reached for his token to aid their escape from a life of slavery.
0 points
7
The travelers eyed the man, taking his donation, wondering the reason for his generosity.
0 points
8
Knarled limbs and life-etched faces greeted him. "A few coins, for the sake of the children?" they pleaded.
0 points
6. Describe the scene in the cave while this was being painted...
Rock Painting of a Horse, circa 17000 BC
1
Firelight barely illuminated the cold, soggy cave, but the artist continued to paint knowing that if he didn't those men standing behind him would gladly end his life.
1 point
2
Safe from the deathly spears, a clan gathers in a hidden cave. With the memory of wailing resonating, silence falls as the matriarch blends the paint, handing it to the patriarch who honors his lost gallant partner, Bold Spirit.
1 point
3
By a flickering flame, in their smoke-filled shelter, the children looked on with hungry eyes and empty bellies. Such a beast, such a meal!
1 point
4
Grandmother raised a torch. Out of the darkness swirled life on writhing stone: a plump red horse dancing on slender black legs, feathered arrows jumping at him as he galloped past. Trembling, the boy raised his ochre-stick to paint one more arrow.
1 point
5
He patiently scratched at the cave wall with wet rocks, showing the wide-eyed children exactly where to put the spear into the wild beast.
0 points
6
The men crouched beside their work luminated by the light of flaming torches.
0 points
7
Imprisioned in the cave by the raging storms, the restless few behind her taunted and jeered each other while she found solace in the tedious work of documenting her day.
0 points
8
As his beast died, he couldn't help feeling sorry for it. He had been through much with it. He drew a crude impression of it into the rock, hoping that its legacy would not be lost.
0 points
7. Describe this place
Container Ships, Melbourne Docks, Melbourne, Australia - by Peter Hendrie
1
The endless silence and monotony of the sea has finally been stripped away by the bustle and glorious chaos of the harbor.
1 point
2
The dry air stood still, yearning for the first drop of sunrise, when it would once more resound with the echoes of labor.
1 point
3
Bright lights make for dark shadows, beyond the looming hulks of the ships. And in dark shadows, darker deeds are hatched.
1 point
4
Container ships moved in and disgorged their cargo with the squeal of cranes and the boom of clamps and deck-plates. A reek of petrol hung in the damp air.
1 point
5
The silence of the night harbor concealed the fact that these ships were laden heavily with armaments, ready for chaotic war.
0 points
6
Smugglers eyed the blood red boat, planning a midnight infiltration.
0 points
7
The wares of the world are moved by the booms of massive robotic arms in the dead of night.
0 points
8
One of earth's last hopes gets crushed as its most prized possesion gets ruined.
0 points
8. Describe their emotions and what's happening here...
Lovers Embracing in a Doorway - by Rudolph Ernst
1
She wanted to go back inside but he jumped from his horse and forced an unwanted kiss on her cheek.
1 point
2
The horse wondered why his owner grabbed the woman and why the rose scent burned his eyes.
1 point
3
Never wanting to let go, he kissed her flawless skin. Knowing that he may never see his firstborn child, she wept crying, "Be safe. Be wise. Be home soon."
1 point
4
"My beloved, if you will not run with me, know this: the fine cloth he drapes about you will not comfort you in the long dark days ahead."
1 point
5
He kissed her, whispering promises under the rose-vine he had planted during their courtship. The war would end within the year. He'd bring back rubies as baubles for their newborn son. In her mind's eye, blood splashed the white coat of his stallion.
1 point
6
To the woman's dismay the man promises to return soon.
0 points
7
"My honor keeps me here as your brother's enslaved wife while my heart travels with you into a world of freedom and true love."
0 points
8
The woman pleaded the thief not to take her last memoir of her old life. The thief whispered in her ear, and she bbroke down cyring.
0 points
9. Describe what the lady in red senses...
Women Taking Tea - by Albert Lynch
1
Through the thick morning air, her sister answered her daughter's query without restraint. It was at that moment she knew she lost every ounce of reverence in her daughter's eyes. Forgiveness would not come soon.
1 point
2
She watched as all her friends believed Regima's story. However, she saw those flowers before. She decided not to tell Illina for fear of how she would be heartbroken.
1 point
3
The girl was too impetuous, with her dishevelled hair and that wild look about her. She knew just the finishing school to tame such ways.
1 point
4
She looked up to see Jolie rush in from the foggy meadow, clutching a bright bouquet in the crook of her arm. The red flush touching the girl's cheeks was not all from running, but Harriet smiled and held her tongue in front of gossipy cousins.
1 point
5
She leaned forward, waiting to see what impulsive, disturbing thing Matilda would say this time.
0 points
6
Fresh air brought Maisy to her senses as a young girl burst through the door, fragrant roses in her hand.
0 points
7
Where has that implusive girl been?
0 points
8
lady Regina ignores the gust of wind past her a sting of the sweet bouquet her daughter brings as an offering and apology while she tried to quiet the buzz in her head from fear the child's mute voice and simple-mindedness will finally be exposed.
0 points
10. What does this newborn god see?
Birth of a God - by Salvador Dali
1
When the last tree fell, rotten and lifeless, the dawn of a new era awoke. Desolation looked into the future and saw a new beginning. She would rule for only a moment in time until the birth of yet another dawn; Forgiveness.
1 point
2
Hail Caesar. Four hundred years of imperial dust scatter on the winds that howl from Cleopatra's tomb. Jackals bay at the desiccated husk that once was Roma, reduced now to one soldier's tent pitched in a foreign land sucked dry.
1 point
3
She looked deeply into the consciousness of the planet and realized it was far more deeply warped than she'd expected during her placid, comforting gestation.
0 points
4
"Life. What a concept." She noted the planet was empty, frigid, frozen, and so her first wavering breath was a sigh of relief.
0 points
5
The world was so amazing I felt a lump in my throat.
0 points
6
The gods before me were mistaken to rid this world of life. I will build on this simple beauty and fill it with all the treasures of my will.
0 points
7
Aha! A challenge lies ahead ... this I can clearly see.
0 points
8
Whereas the other gods saw a spot of death in the new world, Isus saw a remnant. A spot of life in the old world.
0 points
9
What a glorious challange, to gently guide new life into being and marvel at its first shaky steps.
0 points
Don't forget . . .
. . . send a contest entry email when you're done.
If you've entered descriptions for all ten pictures, copy and paste them into an email addressed to me. Here's the email link: Linda Jo Martin.
The email is important because it is the only way I'll know that you entered the contest!
Word Painting
. . . great book!
Word Painting: A Guide to Write More Descriptively
Amazon Price: $10.19 (as of 12/19/2009)
More books about descriptive writing
Elements of Writing Fiction - Description (Elements of Fiction Writing)
Amazon Price: $10.39 (as of 12/20/2009)
Description & Setting: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting a Believable World of People, Places, and Events (Write Great Fiction)
Amazon Price: $11.55 (as of 12/20/2009)
Elements of Writing Fiction - Characters & Viewpoint (Elements of Fiction Writing)
Amazon Price: $10.19 (as of 12/20/2009)
Why descriptive writing?
. . . why I started this contest.
I started this descriptive writing contest because description has been a special problem for me during my writing career. Though some say they like my descriptions, others say there's not enough.
I've found there's no better way to learn than to practice making descriptive writing more natural and free. Therefore this contest is an opportunity for all of us to practice creating something beautiful with words.
I'm always amazed and in awe of novels with outstanding descriptive writing. I love it when an author can make me feel like I'm there, seeing things exactly as the characters see them.
Your comments are welcome
. . . what do you think of the contest?
I look forward to getting your feedback.
-
Reply
- Greekgeek Greekgeek Nov 16, 2009 @ 8:54 pm
- Great idea for a lens! 255 character limit is a good challenge for me. I write well, but briefly? Never!
Good luck with the novel! I will follow your progress with interest, since I have one on the back burner, waiting for me to conquer the dissertation.
Oh goodness. Another "Purple" security word. It KNOWS!
-
Reply
- WordCustard WordCustard Oct 24, 2009 @ 5:19 am
- I really enjoyed this contest. What a good idea to use Squidoo in this way.
-
Reply
- WhitePineLane WhitePineLane Jul 25, 2009 @ 9:07 pm
- This is a GREAT lens! I love the idea! If I weren't so busy working on my Rocket Moms lenses, I'd be writing descriptive passages here!
-
Reply
- aj2008 aj2008 Jul 22, 2009 @ 12:37 pm
- Lovely idea Linda. SquidAngel Blessings for you!
-
Reply
- Val_Bonney Val_Bonney Jul 20, 2009 @ 1:59 pm
- I'll be back ... ;)
- Load More
Inspirations
This contest lens was inspired by two special groups I belong to:
I originally thought up the idea for this contest while
brainstorming lens ideas for the Senior Squids Art Challenge.
2. Rocket Moms
This also fulfills the requirements for the Rocket Moms Advanced Lens Challenge #1 - which required the use of the Caption Contest Module. At the time the challenge was issued I was still debating whether to use the Caption Contest Module or the Guestbook Module for descriptions. I'm excited about using the new Caption Contest Module. It looks like lots of fun - especially since contestants will be able to vote for the descriptions they like most.
About me...
Lensmaster LindaJM has been a member since June 11 2007, has rated 1,574 lenses, favorited 675, and has created 111 lenses from scratch. This member's top-ranked page is "To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee". See all my lenses
My Bio
I live in the Klamath River Valley of Northern California. I'm a writer with several novels under development, and a few being submitted to agents. None published yet, but hopefully that will soon change.
You can learn more about me by reading my lensography or this page about my novels.
I have two other Squidoo accounts:
1. Politics - AmericanCitizen
2. Spirituality - Geniyyah
Are you a Squidoo lensmaster over age fifty?
Come join the Senior Squids!
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