avatarMary Chang Story Writer

Summary

The website content outlines the "Hide & Seek" February photo story challenge hosted by Mary Chang Story Writer, inviting participants to capture and share a photo with a hidden element and a corresponding six-word story.

Abstract

Mary Chang Story Writer has introduced the "Hide & Seek" challenge for February, encouraging readers and writers to engage in a creative exercise that combines photography and brevity in storytelling. Participants are tasked with finding or staging a photo that includes a hidden object, creature, plant, or thing, and then crafting a six-word story to accompany it. The challenge aims to foster attention to detail, playfulness, and a deeper appreciation for the environment, drawing inspiration from concepts like "Finding Waldo" and camouflage. Submissions are open throughout February, with specific guidelines for formatting and a focus on keeping the stories short, engaging, and within a 2-minute read time for the backstory. Additionally, there is an option for "Freestyle" stories that allow for more freedom in topic choice.

Opinions

  • Mary Chang Story Writer values the importance of slowing down, embracing play, and paying attention to environmental details, as reflected in the challenge's theme.
  • The writer believes that the act of capturing a photo can lead to surprising discoveries and encourages participants to explore their surroundings for hidden gems.
  • The challenge is designed to be fun and engaging, with an emphasis on intriguing or fooling the readers in a playful manner.
  • There is an appreciation for the serendipitous nature of photography, where the accidental capture of a subject can sometimes be more spectacular than the intended one.
  • The writer recommends using the "listen" feature for those who prefer auditory storytelling and suggests a specific voice setting for an optimal experience.
  • The challenge is exclusive to a select group of Medium users with access to the audio feature and is not available on mobile devices.
  • The guidelines for the challenge are strict, with an emphasis on originality, adherence to formatting, and brevity in storytelling.
  • The writer expresses a personal connection to the Year of the Tiger and integrates this into the challenge's ethos.
  • Mary Chang Story Writer is presented as an award-winning writer, editor of the Six Word Photo Story Challenge publication, and a proponent of encouraging people to shine through creativity and storytelling.
Photo of author, Mary Chang Story Writer taken by CC.

Photography, Hide & Seek, February Prompt

Hide & Seek: February Prompt

February Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Hide & Seek”

Guess why I love this backpack.

Can you guess why I love this backpack? Type in your guess and identify what you see in the comments. But no peeking at the comments until you’re sure of your answer!

It’s the Year of the Tiger this year for Chinese New Year and three of my resolutions for this year are to slow down, embrace playtime when the opportunity arises, and pay attention to the details in my environment. Sometimes I see those beautiful details, but sometimes I miss them — which leads us to February’s challenge!

PS. Want to listen to this story instead of reading it? I invite you to click on the “listen” feature if it appears at the top of this story. To change the voice of the speaker, click on the “person” in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen. I recommend “Salli.” Note: This feature is currently available to a select group of Medium users (as a trial) and can be accessed only on your computer (not your phone).

February’s Challenge is “Hide & Seek!”

Do you ever look at a photo and do a double-take because you missed seeing something the first few dozen times you saw it? Or try to capture a photo of a moving object only to snap a blur? Or end up accidentally snapping something else that was more spectacular than your original subject? Are you ever lucky enough to take a photo of a creature that’s camouflaged by its environment that your kid spotted before you did? Do you ever see something like a particular shape or shadow in a photograph that others can only see if you point it out and make them guess? Or notice a hidden detail?

This month I invite readers and writers to pay attention to the details in your environment. Think of “Finding Waldo,” “camouflage” or “double-take.” For February’s Challenge, the writing prompt is called “Hide & Seek.” Oh, this is gonna be fun!

Ideally, the photo you capture occurs in nature, or a random moment, or can be staged in some way to intrigue or fool the readers. The concept is to make the reader look for the “hidden object, creature, plant or thing.” The “thing” should not be too obvious. Let’s keep readers guessing!

Can you publish a photo that represents “Hide & Seek” and tell a story about it in six words?

Grab those cameras or dig into your archives and see what you can come up with — you may be surprised what hidden gems you discover.

Let’s Hide & Seek!

Counting aloud to 30…go hide! See what you can hide, explore and see what you can find. Be funny, creative, unusual.

I see bugs, birds, pets, plants, odd shapes, shadows, lights…what do you see?

The photo must be taken by yourself and please include a photo credit. For your subtitle: Please use February Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Hide & Seek” (like the subtitle used in this article.) Please tag your story using this tag: Monthly Challenge.

Only ONE PHOTO should be featured in your story.

IMPORTANT: The “hidden thing” in your story must NOT appear in the title, subtitle, or story. Keep the readers guessing — or give them hints or clues in your 2-minute backstory.

The February “Hide & Seek” challenge is open for submissions from Tues, February 1, and closes Tues, February 28, 2022, at NOON, PACIFIC STANDARD TIME.

Freestyle Stories

You also have the option to write a six-word photo story featuring a photo and topic of your own choosing — as long as the photo and story are connected in some way. The story doesn’t need to be related to the monthly challenge prompt. For your subtitle: Please use your own subtitle followed by the word: Freestyle OR use Six Word Photo Story: Freestyle. Please tag your story using this tag: Freestyle.

Submissions are always open for Freestyle stories.

On writing your Six Word Photo Story

Read and follow the submission guidelines. Your story must be six words only. If your six word story has a backstory, the backstory can be between 1–2 minutes. Anything longer than 2 minutes will not be accepted. The concept of this publication is to keep the stories short.

Format: It should be formatted like this story from the featured photo that appears ABOVE the title down to the 3 dots — which signals the end of the story. Formatting guidelines are unique to this publication — please read them thoroughly. For formatting step-by-step instructions, see Formatting Your Six Word Photo Story.

If your story requires any edits or doesn’t meet guidelines, it will delay publication and may not be accepted.

If you’d like to be added as a writer and submit to Six Word Photo Story Challenge publication, please read and follow the submission guidelines.

About the Writer

Mary Chang is an award-winning short story fiction writer, memoir writer, blogger, and editor of the Six Word Photo Story Challenge publication — inspired by her original 6-Word Photo Story Summer Challenge writing prompt (2021) on Medium.

She’s also a parent, fitness, and photography enthusiast — and loves creating monthly challenges.

Fueled by cartwheels, laughter, and encouraging people to shine. Read her blog at www.marychangstorywriter.com

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