Centina Pentina Writing Prompt: Elbow Grease

Summary

The Centina Pentina Writing Prompt for this week invites writers to explore the concept of "elbow grease" in a creative story.

Abstract

The current writing prompt from Centina Pentina challenges authors to delve into the enigmatic idea of "elbow grease." This term, often used to encourage putting more effort into a task, is the focus for stories that can span various genres, including science fiction, romance, and fantasy. Writers are encouraged to ponder the origins and nature of elbow grease, and the prompt allows for a wide range of creative interpretations. Submissions can be microfiction of up to 250 words and must be tagged appropriately based on length, with categories for six-word stories, 50-word stories (Pentina), 100-word stories (Centina), one-sentence stories, and postcard fiction for stories up to 250 words.

Opinions

The author reflects on the childhood advice of using "elbow grease" to improve task performance, indicating a personal connection to the prompt.
There is a sense of ongoing curiosity about the concept of elbow grease, with questions raised about its source, appearance, and applications.
The prompt implies that elbow grease could be interpreted as a metaphorical substance, possibly magical or ancient, rather than a literal product one might purchase.
By encouraging a broad spectrum of story genres and settings, the prompt values creative diversity and inclusivity in storytelling.

Write a story about elbow grease

When I was kid and didn’t do something as well as I should have, my father would say, “Put some elbow grease into it.”

I don’t remember him ever explaining what elbow grease was, but I got the message: Do it better, work harder, don’t get distracted.

Years later, I’m still mystified about exactly what elbow grease is.

Where does it come from? What does it look like? What are elbow greases’ uses? Are there different grades of elbow grease? Is elbow grease magical and ancient, or is it something you buy at the hardware store?

This week’s Centina Pentina prompt is to write a story about elbow grease. Perhaps your story will solve the mysteries of elbow grease.

Your story can be science fiction, romance, thriller, fantasy, literary fiction, a crime story, adventure, humor, horror, or anything you want. Your story can take place anywhere in the world, or on any world.

Centina Pentina publishes microfiction of up to 250 words.

Please include one of the following tags with your story:

6wordstory for stories that are exactly six words long Pentina for stories that are exactly 50 words long Centina for stories that are exactly 100 words long OneSentenceStory for stories that are told entirely in one sentence PostcardFiction for all the rest, stories that are 250 words or fewer