Photography, Pets, March Prompt
Pet People: March Prompt
March Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Pet People”
Play time for the leopard gecko.
If you couldn’t identify what was hiding in my last story in February’s Conclusion of the “Hide & Seek” challenge, here’s the answer featured in the photo.
Our son asked for a pet for his birthday. At first, he wanted a bearded dragon lizard (they scare me), then he wanted a frog (until he realized “frogs are so boring, Mom” — after we babysat one), or a kitten (family allergies), but what he really wanted was a puppy (sorry son — we can’t commit to this responsibility).
But my husband and I surprised him and got our son the next best thing with four legs and a tail — a leopard gecko! This gorgeous lizard is a big part of our family and we’ve fallen in love.
As I contemplated about the March challenge, my gut says it’ll be an awesome popular challenge because I’ve received many submissions that happen to feature people’s pets or creatures in both the “Monthly Challenge” and “Freestyle” sections in the past. It seems,
People love pets!
March’s Challenge is “Pet People!”
Do you have a pet, fondness for animals, or work or volunteer with an animal shelter? Did one of your pets “disappear,” run away or pass away and are you yearning to share a photo, quick story, or memory about the experience?
Or maybe you just love taking photos of your cat and can’t get enough of her because she’s cuddly and makes you feel safe when you’re sad. Or do you have a dog who is constantly up to tricks and eats everything in sight?
March is your chance to spread “Pet People” love! “Pet People” are people who love and care for animals and either have pets, work or protect animals or creatures, and have developed a special emotional connection with them when they’re together.
This month I invite readers and writers to pay attention to their pets! It’s not easy snapping photos of those animals because they never want to pose.
Ideally, the photo you capture occurs in nature, or a random, playful, quiet, or adventurous moment.
Can you publish a photo that represents “Pet People” and tell a story about it in six words?
It’s showtime!
Grab those cameras or dig into your archives and see what you can come up with — you may be surprised what your pets have been up to! See what you can capture — sneak up on your pets or creatures to see what they’ve been exploring. Be funny, creative, unusual. I see dogs, cats, reptiles, fish, horses, farm animals, tarantulas — what do you see?
Don’t have a pet?
No pet, no problem— it’s all about social and emotional connections to living creatures other than human beings! Maybe you have established a connection with the animals and creatures that you’ve come across in your life during your nature walks or travel adventures? Has that crow that’s been following you recognize your face? Or does the neighbourhood dog run towards you for a belly rub? Do you feel at peace whenever you are birdwatching or see a seal at the beach or eagle flying overhead?
March “Pet People” Challenge Rules: Please read thoroughly!
- The photo must be taken by yourself and please include a photo credit.
- Title: Choose your own title.
- Subtitle: Please use March Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Pet People” (like the subtitle used in this article.)
- Please tag your story using this tag: Monthly Challenge.
- Only ONE PHOTO can be featured in your story and it must be placed ABOVE the title and subtitle.
- The photo must feature the pet or creature that you’re emotionally connected to or have a relationship with. If you want to be included in the photo with your pet, the only person that can be featured in the photo is YOURSELF. Photos of people other than yourself are NOT ALLOWED. See this article for legal reasons why.
- The story must only be six words. Insert the 3 dots BELOW your six word story — see above six word story in this story for example.
- OPTIONAL: If you include a backstory, it must be no longer than 2 minutes! It must immediately follow the six word story. Then insert the 3 dots BELOW your backstory — see above backstory in this story for example.
For formatting step-by-step instructions, see Formatting Your Six Word Photo Story.
The “Pet People” challenge is open for submissions from Tues, March 1, and closes Thurs, March 31, 2022, at NOON, PACIFIC STANDARD TIME.
NOTE: Stories not formatted correctly, don’t follow rules, or that require edits will delay publication or may not be accepted. Formatting guidelines are unique to this publication — please read them thoroughly.
Wait, I have a special announcement: Introducing Guest Co-Editor, Ellie Jacobson!
Since the launching of this publication in September, which was inspired by the crazy popular Six Word Photo Story Summer Challenge writing prompt, your sole editor has been super busy working with submissions! For this month, I decided to ask for assistance— I’m happy to introduce a guest co-editor for the month of March — Ellie Jacobson! You may be familiar with Ellie’s writing and her cat, Mr. Percy.
Ellie is the editor of Flint & Steel and co-editor of Thank You Notes. She started writing regularly here at Medium in June of last year, after deciding to take the leap and apply for MFA program in creative writing. She is writing a suspense novel as a part of her thesis and will graduate a year from now. When not writing, Ellie enjoys reading books, baking, and playing board games with her husband and two teenage sons (oh and Mr. Percy!).
Ellie is a regular contributor to Six Word Photo Story Challenge, a good writer (two of her SWPSC stories in January’s “Self” challenge got me teary-eyed), a great cheerleader, and often engages with the readers and writers of this publication. She also supports and promotes other small to medium-sized publications (such as SWPSC), and their monthly challenges and prompts by publishing their links in her publication, Flint & Steel.
I’m grateful for the encouragement that Ellie provides and I’m excited to be working with her this month! Please say hello to Ellie Jacobson, read her stories, follow her and her publications, Flint & Steel and Thank You Notes.
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 the 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 writer, parent, and fitness enthusiast who takes a good photo sometimes — and loves creating monthly challenges.
Fueled by cartwheels, laughter, and encouraging people to shine. Read her blog at www.marychangstorywriter.com