Desert Island Writing Challenge


Imagine that you have been shipwrecked.  You decide to write a story to pass the time in between surviving and creating an S.O.S. in Times New Rocks Extra Large on the beach.  But what horror is this?

You discover that your only writing supplies are a single sheet of paper and one pen.  Undeterred though, you decide to press on with the task, since it is the only thing keeping you focused.  But you cannot make notes, or an outline, or a synopsis, because your paper is precious.

Rules:

  • Your story must fit on two sides of an A4 page.
  • It must be somewhat legible, but under the circumstances, mistakes and strikeouts are acceptable.
  • You cannot delete any words once you have committed them to paper, not even your mistakes.  Think before you write!
  • You may doodle crude pictures or single words in the sand, but of course, since the wind will eventually blow them away, so they’re only good for a day or so.
  • Your story must be self-contained and have an ending.  It is the only story you will ever write on this island, so it had better be good!
  • You will be rescued in seven days, whether you have finished your story or not.