avatarShaheena Chowdhury

Summary

Genius in a Bottle (GiaB) invites writers to participate in the "Dear Genie" writing challenge on the theme of forgiveness, with submissions due by March 20, 2021.

Abstract

The "Dear Genie" writing challenge, promoted by Genius in a Bottle (GiaB), calls upon writers to explore the concept of forgiveness through poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Participants are encouraged to share their thoughts and experiences related to forgiveness, with the incentive of extra social media promotion and newsletter features for the winning entries. Submissions must be made by midnight GMT on March 20, 2021, and adhere to specific formatting and content guidelines, including a 30-line limit for poetry and a 750-word limit for fiction/non-fiction. The challenge emphasizes the importance of forgiveness and its complexities, questioning societal norms and the strength required to forgive oneself and others.

Opinions

  • The author suggests that it may be easier to forgive an enemy than a friend, as friends have the power to hurt more deeply.
  • There is a perspective that forgiveness is often associated with the strong, yet it may be the weak who forgive more readily, as not forgiving can be misconstrued as seeking revenge.
  • The inability to forgive oneself is linked to the rise in depression and suicide, indicating that the concept of forgiveness might undervalue the importance of self.
  • The challenge invites a broader discussion on the nature of forgiveness, implying that true forgiveness is a rare and underappreciated virtue.
  • The rules of the challenge emphasize the need for proper image attribution and encourage participants to tag other writers, fostering a sense of community and collaboration among GiaB contributors.

Dear Genie

I Beg Your Pardon

GiaB ‘Dear Genie’ prompt #2: forgiveness

Image by Merry Christmas from Pixabay

It is easier to forgive an enemy than a friend. ~ Madame Dorothee Deluzy

My outspokenness has invited more opponents than supporters — quite understandably. In a desperate bid to disprove my arguments, these opponents have tried to harm my reputation on various occasions. Was it easier to forgive them because they weren’t my friends?

The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Often, it is the weak who forgive more easily. Choosing not to forgive — misunderstood as a desire for revenge — requires a different kind of willpower and discretion, examples of which are few and far between.

Forgive many things in others; nothing in yourself. ~ Ausonius

Could the inability to forgive oneself be responsible for the rising incidence of depression and suicide? Perhaps, the concept of forgiveness denies the importance of self. Should it though?

The Challenge

We invite you to write about your thoughts and/or experiences on the theme of forgiveness. You are welcome to send as many works of poetry, fiction and nonfiction as you wish on this theme.

The Deadline

Participants have until midnight (UK GMT) on Saturday, 20th March 2021 to submit their entries for Dear Genie’s 2nd prompted writing challenge. Any late submissions will be considered for publication, but will not be eligible for the prompt challenge. They will, however, be eligible for GiaB’s ongoing Genius of the Month Awards.

The Reward

Three entries — one from each category of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction — will be selected as winners of the prompt challenge. The winning entries will benefit from extra promotion on social media (Facebook and Twitter) and the publication’s newsletter (Bottled GiaB).

The Rules

  • Submit your story (draft only) to Genius in a Bottle.
  • Your story subtitle must be: Giab ‘Dear Genie” prompt #2: forgiveness. Please note: Subtitles should be formatted as subtitles — you can do this by highlighting the text and clicking the small T from the pop-up menu that appears. Similarly, titles should be formatted as titles by selecting the large T from the pop-up menu, ensuring all major words start with a capital letter.
  • If you’re not already a writer for GiaB, click here to request to be added as a writer.
  • Poetry must not exceed 30 lines.
  • Fiction/Non-fiction must not exceed 750 words.
  • Please include an appropriately accredited image after the subtitle. This means that the name of the artist and the permissions for usage are clearly declared. Stock photo libraries like Unsplash contain royalty-free images so permissions are implied if the image is from these types of databases. If you are unsure about how to attribute images, please use Unsplash to be on the safe side.
  • At the end of your story, please tag up to ten other writers who you think might like to take part, inviting them to submit. In order to tag a person, simply type the ‘@’ symbol and start typing the name; you will be asked to choose the name from a drop-down list.
  • One of your story tags must be GiaB Dg and another tag must be either Poetry, Fiction or Nonfiction depending on which genre your story fits in.

We eagerly await your submissions.

On behalf of the GiaB team, Shaheena Chowdhury

Giab Dg
Prompt
Forgiveness
Genius In A Bottle
Relationships
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