Creative Nonfiction in The Ink Well Prompt #145

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Welcome to The Ink Well's weekly creative nonfiction prompt!

In this post, we'll provide the prompt for the coming week.

Before You Write Your Creative Nonfiction Post...

We ask that you read our Creative Nonfiction Tips post to learn about the creative nonfiction genre and review our guidelines.

Important notes:

Creative nonfiction stories are based on your real-life experiences.
We are looking for real short stories! Not advice columns, reports on crime or corruption in your city, observations on nature, recipes, religion, politics, or any other nonfiction content. Just real-life short stories.
Ideal story length is between 750 and 1500 words, but your story must be at least 350 words, at a minimum to be curated.
Please focus on quality content. Read and edit for errors! Use a grammar checker before you post your story.
We expect everyone who posts in The Ink Well to read and comment on at least two other stories for each one published.
Do not post stories featuring physical abuse, graphic violence, erotica or NSFW content.

Last Week's entrants

Thank you to all who participated in last week's prompt : Waste not, want not.

Last week's participants

@ima99	@daeze-winnie	@marriot5464
@venom2951	@ubdan313	@almadepoeta
@jazclassic	@nachomolina2	@theinkwell
@zerah	@rare-gem	@emreal
@abuzayd	@delightedpen	@oyebolu
@rammargarita	@edith-4angelseu	@abdul-qudus
@treasuree	@rukkie	@shine001
@mathewdaddywah	@popurri	@offia66
@young-tari	@zain-ab001	@glorydee
@perfect20

Featured

@marriot5465 with the story : Chronicles Of A Charger

Curator : This story is relatable, because most people want a bargain. In his well-written story he illustrates the idiom 'Penny wise pound foolish'. He buys a new charger at a steep discount. It burns out in the wall socket. He returns to the same vendor and buys another discount charger. This time there is a fire in his wall that destroys not only his phone but also his television. The charger purchase turned out to be a very expensive bargain. Great story. Really good writing.

@zain-ab001 with the story : The Snack Attack

Curator : @zain-ab001 writes a thoroughly entertaining CNF about admiring American snack food and the disastrous experience he and his siblings had when they overindulged. Funny, engaging and well structured piece that rings true.

@zerah with the story Kambili's Last Chapter

Curator : @zerha's story takes us into a dusty bookshop that is full of memories. The passage of time is well suggested as she finds one book that represented her passage from youth to maturity. The bookstore is closing. By holding onto that one book she holds onto an important part of her life. The author's writing is sensitive and effective.

@edith-4angelseu with the story : The Taste Of Wisdom!

Curator : edith-4angelseu writes a masterful CNF that could be the "poster child" for both creative nonfiction and beautiful storytelling. She weaves a rich tapestry of village life, and the caring soul of her grandmother, "a widow, a businesswoman, a farmer, a legend" who provides for all of her children and grandchildren with her excellent food preparation, and no child ever goes hungry. The conflict in the story is that young Kamsi does not care for the rice with bonga fish, and tosses it out in the bushes where she thinks no one will see it. But Edith does. And she tells Kamsi the story of their grandmother and how important it is to honor the food and never waste.

This is such a beautifully written story, from the opening paragraph to the end. Every storyteller in our community should read it as a wonderful example of how to "show, don't tell!"

@rukkie with the story : Lekan's Cooking

Curator : Reading opens the world to us, parts of the world we may never physically visit. That's what happens in rukkie's latest CNF story. It is a simple theme:saving matchsticks and having enough to light the fire for cooking. As the author takes us through the different personalities in her household, and their approach toward matchsticks and lighting fire, she gives us a tour of her culture. She is aware of that. She refers to her 'culture', so that those outside of it might appreciate her perspective. One doesn't think ordinarily about the value of a simple matchstick, but try lighting a fire without one. Rukkie gives us that experience and when the story ends we appreciate not only the value of matchsticks but also the value of coal and of thrift. A great story.

@glorydee with the story : Mama's Secret Ingredient

Curator : @glorydee writes another beautiful story for the no waste prompt. It describes in detail the mastery of a Nigerian mother in economizing kitchen resources, creating homemade condiments that preserve, in addition to the economy, the memory of local and family flavors. It is a pleasure to see how the author applies the prompt to such a special matter.

@popurri with the story : Helping their families

History told by historians is interesting, but rarely riveting. A history told by the person who lived it can be gripping, and that is the case with popurri's story. She tells of a sister who always wanted extra food in the house, in case of emergency. That emergency came with civil unrest. The family was in Caracas. The stored food was in a distant city, with popurri. It was her responsibility to carry the food to Caracas, in a heavy sack, through crowds, with limited transportation. Would she be robbed? Would there be a bus? Could she carry so much food? She did. This is a fascinating story. It is history, real, personal history.

@lailawrites with the story : A Tale of Old Notebooks

Curator : @lailawrites a nostalgic piece about reacquainting himself with his younger version through old, dusty study notes. It’s amazing that this subject matter can be interesting and (hehe!) noteworthy, but it is due to this author's writing skill.

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This Week's Prompt 145

Throw caution to the wind.

Meaning : to act without worrying about the risks or consequences. Taking a bold or reckless action when one should be more hesitant or careful. Essentially, it's about disregarding prudence and embracing risk.

Perhaps you "threw caution to the wind" by quitting your job to pursue a dream, even though it was a financially risky move.
Maybe someone close to you "threw caution to the wind" to try a new, challenging activity despite the possibility of injury or your dire warnings.

Tell us about it! And remember to integrate storytelling elements like characters, scene setting, dialogue and action to bring your story to life!

Have fun and good luck! We look forward to reading your stories.

Rules

You have 6 days to write your story from the date of this prompt post. Be sure to check the deadline countdown.
Write a real-life story with the creative elements of fiction, like characters, dialogue, scene setting and a story conflict.
Post your story in The Ink Well Community.
Please use the tags #creativenonfiction and #inkwellprompt on these posts. Other possible tags: #writing #inkwellprompt #nonfiction
Stories must be written in English. If you've translated the post, it's best to add the original version below the translation. Do not write mixed language paragraphs.
Read and comment on at least two stories in the community. Add a link to your story as a comment on this post.

And be sure to remember to join The Ink Well community!

Prize

A prize of 20 Hive will be awarded to one submission every four weeks.

Procedure

Two or three stories will be featured every week. One of the featured stories will win the grand prize every four weeks.

The winner will be featured in a special announcement post.

Interested in joining our community? Start by joining Hive!

Join here at Hive Onboard.

Already a Hive member? Click Subscribe at the top of The Ink Well community home page.

Questions? Ask The Ink Well on Discord .

We invite lovers of creative writing to visit The Ink Well, a Hive community started by @raj808 and @stormlight24 and run by @jayna, @yaziris, @samsmith1971, @gracielaacevedo and @itsostylish.

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A big thank you to all of our delegators:

@jayna, @felt.buzz, @carn, @itsostylish, @agmoore, @ricardo993, @marriot5464, @marcybetancourt, @marlyncabrera, @stormcharmer, @iamraincrystal, @preparedwombat, @gracielaacevedo, @timix648, @samsmith1971, @jackdeathblack, @josemalavem, @generikat, @mineopoly, @hazmat, @kingsleyy, @popurri, @nancybriti1, @marynn, @rinconpoetico7, @nathy33, @iyimoga, @captainman, @kachy2022, @morey-lezama, @evagavilan2, @mrenglish, @funshee, @amiegeoffrey, @balikis95, @rukkie, @raymondpeter, @tomiajax, @stuartcturnbull, @monster-hunter, @gertu, @mosin-nagant, @beauty197, @beckyroyal, @perfect20, @zaeema, @estilodereba, @rare-gem, @jjmusa2004, @ricurohemi28, @benwesterham, @artofkylin, and @shakavon.

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