4th Writers’ Platform-Building Campaign: 2nd Campaigner Challenge

This is the second challenge. When I reviewed what is involved I thought, “Oh my, this is too difficult.” However as I wrote I realised that I could do it. If you had told me two years ago that I would be participating in such events I would have said, “No way.” What a difference two years makes. 😀

We were given a range of different activities and we could decide which to do.

I am using

 Prompt 1:

Two people are sitting together under the remains of a concrete bridge. Their backs are against a rusted bridge support. One person’s leg is cut. The other person has wet hair.

And prompt 2

And

1.Write a pitch/logline for a book based on the prompts (less than 100 words)

2. Write a short story/flash fiction piece of less than 200 words based on the prompts

For added difficulty/challenge

• Write in a genre that is not your own  (I ended up writing YA)
• Ask Challenge entrants to critique your writing (since I’ve never written a story line for YA please advise if I came anywhere close)

 

The Rescue

 

The little boy ran down the boardwalk, not realizing the end of the pier had collapsed. He fell into the water, his ball bobbing one way, while, he, in his over sized red coat, was buried by the ocean’s waves.

 

Two teens explored the rusted out, crumbling structure, carefully placing their feet on what solid footing they could find, managing to avoid being dragged into the current.

 

The taller of the two looked up. “What’s that red thing sinking? Geeze it’s a kid!” Both teens were good swimmers, and together jumped into the freezing water. They hooked onto the young boy, gripping the heavy cloth of his coat and hauled him to dry land. One of the young men leaned over coughing up the sludge and slime, grimacing at the sour taste, of the filthy liquid while his buddy did CPR on the child When his lungs were somewhat clear he called 911. The child lay on the ground resting while the two friends leaned against one of the bridge supports catching their breath, and waited for the ambulance. “You’ve got a cut on your leg and how did you keep your hair dry? Mine is soaked.”

*****

I had a problem with the Pitch – so I am showing my original which may be too long though within the 100 word criterion, and a shorter version.

 

A young child, the son of the most influential man in their town, is rescued from drowning by two teens.

 

The friends are high school drop outs. They’ve both been in trouble with the law and have internalized what teachers, parents and the police say – that they will never amount to anything.

 

When the news hits the media, including a video filmed by an eye witness, the teens are thrust into the limelight and hailed as heroes.

 

Attitudes change among the townspeople and the boys’ lives take off into a direction they never imagined.

***

Two teen aged boys rescue the son of the must influencial man in town from drowning.

They’ve been told they’ll never amount to anything but now they’re hailed as heroes and their lives take off into a direction they never imagined.