Older challenges can no longer be submitted to the challenge category on Fiction Central. They can however be submitted to the regular categories if you wish to have a go at any of them. The latest challenge can be found on the 'home' page.
August 2009 - It Had To Happen Challenge
Your challenge for August is to write a novel or short story or poem with the following first line: "It had to happen."
June 2009 - The Lights Appeared Out Of The Darkness Challenge
The challenge this month is to write a mystery or thriller type story with the following first line: "The lights appeared out of the darkness..."
May 2009 - New Spin Challenge
Your challenge for May is to write a novel, short story, poem or script/play in any genre that puts a new spin on an old legend.
April 2009 - Humour Challenge
In honour of April Fools Day this month, your challenge is to write a humorous story. It can be about anything, provided it is funny!
March 2009 - Freestyle Challenge
Your challenge for March is quite simple; you can write about anything you want, but the very last line of your story must be "decisions, decisions".
February 2009 - Promise Challenge
The challenge for this month is to write a story about someone making a promise. It can be characters promising they are going to change something about themselves, or making a promise to someone else. Whether or not they keep the promise is up to you, as is the promise they make.
January 2009 - Personified Emotions
The challenge for this month is to write a novel, short story, poem etc. in which any emotion (e.g. love) is personified (given human characteristics). Give the emotion a body, a personality, let it walk around and interact with your characters. The sky's the limit on what you can do.
December 2008 - Holiday Challenge
For this challenge you have to write a story around a holiday. It doesn't have to be any holiday in particular, nor is it restricted to any religion or culture. Your task is simply to write a story based on a holiday, whether it is religious or not. Your entry can be a one-shot, have multiple chapters or be a poem. We are also allowing scripts/plays.
November 2008 - Picture This
November's Site Challenge is perhaps better suited to those not taking part in NaNoWriMo, though if you are taking part in NaNoWriMo and want to do the site challenge as well, I'm not going to stop you.
This month we're giving you a picture to work from. Your job is to write whatever the picture inspires you to write. We're giving you three pictures to choose from, though you may pick more than one if you so wish. When you post the story in the challenge area of Fiction Central, please say which picture(s) you've used. Here are your choices: Number 1, Number 2, Number 3.
October 2008 - Horror Story Challenge
In honour of it being All Hallow's Eve this month, your challenge is to write a horror story. It can be a one-shot, poem or multi-chaptered. Script/Play stories are preferred, but you can put your stories into other categories. Good luck, and happy hauntings!
September 2008 - Character Challenge
For this challenge you can have just two characters. They must be talking about a subject of your choice (make it reasonable please), so the best category would be plays/scripts, though you may put it in another category. There is however a catch, your characters are not human. They can be an everyday object of an animal of some sort. The story would (ideally) be humorous, and the last thing that takes place in your story is revealing what the characters are. We are only accepting one-shots for this challenge, though they can be of any rating and genre.
August 2008 - Sport Challenge
In honour of it being the Olympics this month, your challenge is to write a story about sport. It can be a sport of your choice, and it doesn't have to be an Olympic sport.
July 2008 - Disability Challenge
For this challenge your main character must have some form of disability. It doesn't have to be obvious to other characters, but the reader must know what the disability is at some point. They can be mentally handicapped, deaf, in a wheelchair or whatever you choose the disability to be.
June 2008 - Summer Challenge
The theme for stories/poems this month is Summer.
May 2008 - Laugh or Cry Challenge
The challenge is to write a story that will make readers laugh or cry.
Comedy: A dramatic work that is light and often humorous or satirical in tone that usually contains a happy resolution of the thematic conflict.
Tragedy: A drama or literary work in which the main character is brought to ruin or suffers an extreme sorrow, especially as a consequence of a tragic flaw, moral weakness, or inability to cope with unfavourable circumstances.
April 2008 - Quote Challenge
For this month's challenge we're giving you a quote: April comes like an idiot, babbling and strewing flowers - Edna St. Vincent Millay.
Your challenge is to write whatever this quote inspires you to write. It can be a one-shot, a short story, a novel, a poem and any genre.
February 2008 - Valentine's Challenge
In the spirit of Saint Valentine's we're looking for the BEST tales of romance out there. It can be true love, forbidden love, rejected love or forsaken love, it just has to be a love story. Are you the next great romance author?