Amanda Laughtland’s One-Sentence Story Challenge

A Flight to Write

Another 200-word one-sentence prose poem

If you’re contemplating writing a convoluted, long-haul sentence that appropriates a flighty reader’s attention, then you’ll need the skills of a dare-devilish, stunt-performing prosateur to outmanoeuvre the fickle, grammar joystick in every, and then some more, directions while all the while — and by that I mean, simultaneously — navigating the undulations, pauses, and precipices of prosodic punctuation in such a way it guarantees your reader-passenger is strapped in, hooked up — as in, they have nowhere else to go — on a ride with a literary trajectory like none they’ve ever been on before that will leave them breathless, panting, wanting more and more; and so, if you know you’re now ready for the seismic, single-sentence challenge, then you’ve come to the right place — lucky you! — because this is where it happens and we’re taking off real soon — or when you’re ready, take your pick — since it doesn’t really matter as the timing is entirely up to you, and the prevailing weather conditions which are said to change at the whim of the allegedly, supposedly, maniacal barometric-mooderator who, I should by rights inform you, happens to be the sole occupier of the one and only ejector seat!

© Carolyn Hastings 2022

Oh, my goodness, I really must stop this crazy lady writing Amanda Laughtland has me on!

Maniacal barometric-mooderator — what the bleep?! 😆

To be honest, that’s what I love about poetry. It lets me twist, distort and do acrobatic somersaults with words — and get away with it! 😜

To a point.

Mucking around with words is one thing, however, I still need to demonstrate control of grammar and punctuation — they’re instrumental in directing the flight path of the craft and making sure we all land safely in one piece. 🚁

Amanda didn’t put me up to this. It’s all my own doing. All Amanda did was challenge us to write a one-sentence story in poetry or prose.

I ran off with her idea and turned it into my own quest to vomit-deposit an un(full)stoppable stream of 200 words. Why? To see if I could!

And I did! Here —

I thought I was done but then Denise Darby tagged me into the challenge a second time. I tried to resist the temptation to perform a double act — as you see, I failed!

Here’s Denise’s way more dignified response to the prompt —

Then along came Caroline de Braganza who upped the ante with a 217 word-splurge, Amazing How Many Words You Can Squeeze Into One Sentence —

Now, I’m not suggesting for a moment that the challenge should become a ‘pip ‘im at the post’ case of one-upmanship, but don’t you think it would be fun to see what other writers can conjure up for us in one sentence?

How about it — Shereen Bingham | Steve Fendt | Raine Lore | Margie Willis | Susannah MacKinnie | Will Hull | | Maria Rattray | Jaylee Reign 🙏 ✨

You’ll find the details and more for Amanda’s prompt here —

Special thanks to Denise Larkin for hosting both of my 200:1 stories in her publication, The Lark. Thank you all for reading. 🙏 💕

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