I debated for a while, should this be an electronic swap or a flat mail swap?

I decided on flat mail because I love getting letters in the post, and I know I'm not alone. Also, maybe this is a chance to find a penfriend who you can share a love of writing with, something different from the normal penfriend letters we start with.

I bought a book called What's Behind The Blue Door by WriteGirl. It's a great book. I thought this swap might be a good one to run once a month with a long deadline, giving us all a chance to write our stories using the prompts from the book.

I decided to set this up as a once-a-month swap starting in January 2025. I'll post three months in advance so that we have plenty of time to work on our stories. Sorry, I missed April, life got in the way, but let's get those writing vibes going for May, June and July

The Challenge....

Write a short story using the prompt. Add a separate page with the more traditional pen pal intro and about you, but make the story a stand-alone part of the swap. The story must be based on the prompt.

I don't want to make too many rules, but if you're going to join this, make sure you're happy to write more than a couple of pages. I would say this has to be at least three pages, but it could be so much more.

The presentation is the sender's choice, but sending it on paper or in an envelope that's been decorated and maybe in keeping with the story has got to be worth a heart.

The prompt, taken from the book is...

'A crowd is cheering you on and urging you to speak. You get to the microphone. What do you say?'

• The prompt doesn't have to be the first line, but the story has to be based on the prompt

• At least three pages, preferably more

• Personal, traditional, penpal stuff as a separate letter in the same envelope, the main letter is just about the prompt.

I will Angel if needed, but if you have any problems making the deadline, let me and your partner know. Any questions, drop me a message

I'm going to leave this open to newbies, but I will check before assigning partners. As a minimum requirement, there must be no unexplained, recent 1s or 3s and a well-filled-out profile.

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