Photography, Six Word Photo Story Challenge | One Year Anniversary!

Six Words & a Photo: One Year Bliss!

SWPSC: From a sizzling summer prompt to one of the hottest little publications on the platform — the top highlights of the year

Standing still — clouds under my toes.

Coming full circle with my headstand addiction. My first headstand in this publication was posted in my Submission Guidelines, and this headstand celebrates the blissful completion of our first year. I asked a friend to hold the lensball with his fingertips, and his daughter took the photo. The lensball turns images “upside down,” so it looks like I’m floating — rather than doing a headstand.

Posing for headstand photos in different scenic places is one of the ways I practice how to shine and invite bliss into my life.

One Year Anniversary Gratitude

The initial and original 6-Word Photo Story Summer Challenge writing prompt ran from July 1st and ended on August 31, 2021. This prompt sparked like wildfire and was a favorite among many participating writers. I had no intent or desire to start my own publication last summer. Still, after some mindful contemplation, I decided this photo story genre needed to evolve into a publication.

I launched the Six Word Photo Story Challenge publication on September 1, 2021, and today marks the one-year anniversary! A year ago, I invited participating writers of the original prompt to be writers for my pub. Those writers were here from the start, and many continue to be a part of the thriving brilliant community we’ve built through this visual creative writing style — thank you all for sticking with me and believing in this pub!

I’ve added several new writers who have strengthened the growth and popularity of the pub — grateful for your voices.

Readers — this pub wouldn’t exist without you — thank you for your support through your claps, comments, and reads and for empowering us to continue sharing photography, six-word stories, and more.

Our Editorial Team

I ran SWPSC on my own for the first six months. During the spring of 2022, I invited Ellie Jacobson (USA-update, Ellie stepped down as editor in December 2022), Sandi Parsons (Australia), and Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles (India), to join me “in Canada” as ongoing editors of the publication. I’m grateful for these great writers — three strong, vibrant women who each shine in individual ways — check out their editor bios on the main page. We’ve had conversations and giggles via FaceTime, and I consider them my friends in the writing realm. I’m truly blessed that each of them is with me on this journey.

Can you express your gratitude?

I’d like to reach out to our writers and readers and invite you to tip the editors at Six Word Photo Story Challenge — if you’ve been inspired by this publication and would like to express gratitude and celebrate our first year anniversary! We’re all busy mothers with day jobs, and while we appreciate the beauty of the publication, publishing your stories, and encouraging you to shine — the time, effort, and work we do here to keep the publication running are voluntary — we don’t get paid.

Please feel free to tip a particular editor or each of us — whatever resonates and works for you! You may tip (“buy a coffee”) through our Kofi accounts. And if you can’t afford to tip, or if you don’t feel inclined for whatever reason — totally no worries— this is optional.

Here are our Kofi account links for reference: Mary Chang, Sandi Parsons, and Vidya Sury. A coffee tip is $3. Payment can be made through Paypal, debit, or credit card. Your tip and message on Kofi to the editor(s) you decide to “buy a coffee” for can be public or private.

Gratitude for considering tipping through our Kofi accounts to celebrate our first year of the Six Word Photo Story Challenge publication — and now back to the anniversary highlights!

Stats for Six Word Photo Story Challenge

As of writing this today, we have 555 followers, an average of 15,000–20,000 views per 30 days, and 300–500 unique visitors daily.

We’re still a “little pub in the big pub world,” but we continue to be a consistent, reliable, and enjoyable short-form publication with a loyal following.

Readers and writers have fallen in love with the imaginative concept and get hooked or obsessed with this type of storytelling. From what I've been told. via comments and private notes, the encouragement, support, and reciprocity between the writers and readers of SWPSC are sincere, thoughtful, and awesome — it’s a great little pub to become a part of.

The story that went viral

A wonderful person wrote the one story that went viral — Hollie Petit, Ph.D. She has a beautiful, encouraging writer’s heart, and I was lucky to have connected with her via phone conversation this summer while walking along the seawall. Hollie is an excellent storyteller, and she’s one of the first writers I established a sincere, engaging, fun connection with on the platform. She runs the Everything Fun publication.

As I watched Hollie’s story stats grow from 1k to 20k to over 60k, I reached out to Hollie to ask how she promoted her articles, and she asked me what magic I did to get those high views — but neither of us knew how it happened! I’d like to say the universe picked up on our emotional connection — and rewarded Hollie’s story and my publication with those views and reads. It was meant to be — and oh — it’s the sweetest photo of her cat and comes with a heartfelt back story.

Hollie’s viral story received 65k views, 36k reads, and 81 fans (and counting)! Here it is.

Noteworthy stories with high views

Two stories that received a view and read count into the thousands that also captured high-quality photos and interesting backstories were:

Randy Runtsch’s “Prince Returns” article. Not only Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles is a huge fan of Prince! I fantasized about riding on the back of Prince’s motorcycle after seeing Purple Rain at the theatre in 1984. Randy is a pleasure to connect with on the platform, and as a fellow fitness enthusiast, I’m constantly awed by his cycling feats.

And Ian Hanson, “Street Cats” article. This stunning photo is haunting and sad. Ian’s got a great eye, and I enjoy his unusual photography perspectives.

Above and beyond six words

Shout out to Penny Grubb, a regular, encouraging (and often informative) SWPSC writer from the start, who devoted her time, energy, and research to compile and self-publish her insight on graffiti and street art with a list of stories inspired by April’s Graffiti & Street Art Challenge. She’s also an award-winning crime novelist. Thank you, Penny!

Editors’ Top 30 One-Year Anniversary Picks

These stories were awesome, but it’s not all about high stats or going above and beyond! I asked the editors to highlight their favorite stories published over the first year — that either stuck out in our memories, resonated with us, or were vibrant, unusual, or made an impact. I selected twelve stories, and Ellie, Sandi, and Vidya chose six stories each. Selections were a combination of monthly challenges and freestyle submissions.

You can find ALL stories here for the Monthly Challenge. You can find ALL stories here for Freestyle.

Mary’s 12 picks

I scrolled through the Monthly Challenges over the year, and there were many memorable, vibrant photos and unusual stories — it was difficult to select only twelve. While your story may not be listed in the Top 30 editor picks, I want you to know that I personally read every single story in this publication (to date), enjoyed your photography and creativity, and I’m grateful to see that writers chose to share and publish their wonderful submissions here.

There are also certain writers I engage with on the platform that I feel I’ve made an honest, satisfying connection with, and we enjoy the regular friendly banter through our comments on each other's stories — I hope you know who you are! Now back to my 12 picks…

Camera geek, frnkflwrs aka Bradley Flora, set up this magnificent shot with skill and precision to photograph a “Partial Eclipse of the Sun.”

Daniel J Klein is an excellent photographer — his haunting photo makes you shiver and wonder about superstitions.

K. Barrett's vibrant photo offers three leaves of protection. Special nod to K for publishing my Tree Talk story and round-up in her AWEsome publication, For Awe, before I started this pub. She’s a great photographer and a supportive editor and writer. Check out her pub!

A. Grace makes your mind run wild at the edge of a mysterious cliff.

Dennett knows how to tell a story with her hands! A nod of gratitude to Dennett and her editorial team for publishing The Lake and the first round-up for July (Summer Challenge, 2021) in the beautiful photo publication SNAPSHOTS, before I started this pub. Love their publication — it played a role in inspiring me to create my own pub — check it out!

pockett dessert bares it all with a surprise. Always a joy to see her positive energy and amazing photography.

Kathryn A. LeRoy nailed it with the Hide & Seek challenge — this was a tough one to find!

Anne Bonfert learns from the best — a “beach dog teacher.” Always great to learn about Anne’s Awesome Adventures Around Africa.

Will Hull dares to walk the train track. Special nod to Will and Carlos Garbiras for publishing July’s Hottest Stories (Summer Challenge 2021) in their cool publication, Counter Arts, before I started this pub. They were super supportive as editors, and I’m grateful for the good wishes they sent me when I launched the SWPSC pub. Check out the pub!

Osan Fernando builds a bridge with a few sticks. Love the simplicity and creativity behind this nature art.

Love the web of wonder newbie Medium writer Stephanie Hilborn created with this photo story. Welcome to Medium, Stephanie!

Judy Walker a spontaneous photo that caught a dancing plant in action!

Ellie’s 6 picks

Dunelair delighted us with this beautiful photo of acanthus leaves.

LM positioned this photo just right with the sun streaming through the gate. Great shot!

Ronald C. Flores-Gunkle got this unusual, yet gorgeous, sunset shot through the ruins of a Greek fort, connecting the past to the now.

Erika Burkhalter captured a few moments of eternal awe.

Denise Darby found kitty play time and captured a cool photo.

Lady Dr. Gabriella Korosi got us asking, “Bee, bee, where may you be?”

Sandi’s 6 picks

Going through the archives was such fun and incredibly hard to narrow it down to six (fortunately, Mary, Ellie, and Vidya picked some of my other favorites — which made the job a little easier😃).

In the battle for the “Best Pet” between dogs and cats, I’m firmly on the dog side. But Karen Schwartz’s “Flushing Out the Truth” gave me a case of the giggles.

I’ve always wanted to grow a bonsai, but I don't have a green thumb. So I love the idea of Lisa McAully’s golden Christmas decoration.

Sara Wade Gray captured an eerie photo in “Things That Go Bump in the Dark.”

This is probably the most environmentally friendly ‘vase’ of flowers I’ve seen. Shereen Bingham made me wish I had a tree with a hollow just like this!

I missed this stunning photo by Franzi Kinzel the first time around, but I’m so glad I found it when looking for my top picks!

And, of course, I had to round out my terrible indiscretion of including a cat photo by balancing it with this lovely snap of Maebelline by keith Kennedy. I, too, have some “barkseat” drivers!

Vidya’s 6 picks

First, let me confess that my six picks are ALL laced with envy, of the good kind, and I would happily frame these photos for my wall. ❤

L Burton — whose writing I love, wow-ed me (and also made me a bit jealous) with a photo of her bookshelf and story.

I LOVED James Jordan’s mesmerizing photo of Day Lilies— for some reason I can’t quite pinpoint, they reminded me of my mom and a shopping trip we went on. James kindly emailed me high-res photos when I mentioned I’d like to frame the pic.

Jillian Amatt - Artistic Voyages writes fascinating tales of travel — something I am passionate about — and I had a tough time picking one. Here’s a photo story that enchanted me.

Susan Alison’s art is par excellence, and her writing is no less. She has some superb photos starring PupperJack as the hero. But somehow, this photo stuck in my head. Reminded me of a photo from my childhood of a child behind a fence — that I would stare at and cry for hours.

Vishal Mehta’s photo of a million wads of gum makes me laugh every time I think of it. (Where are you Vishal? Come back with your fab photos!). Definitely visiting this wall when I am in California!

Another writer I love is Linda Acaster — great photos, great stories. I remembered this sweet one — Ouch! — the clothesline stayed in my memory. When I recall the photo, I feel like I can smell the fresh laundry!

Thank you to ALL writers for your submissions to our pub. I’ve lost track of how many stories we’ve received this past year, but it must be at least 1,600+. Please continue to use this pub as a platform for your imagination —get out and there and take brilliant photos and create thoughtful six-word stories — we love reviewing them.

Year Review: Ten different challenges over 12 months!

We launched September with “Clouds,” got “Scary” in October, brought on “The Power of 3” in November, introduced “Snow & White” in December, and showed off with “Self” at the start of the new year in January.

We snuck in “Hide & Seek” in February, followed by “Pet People” in March, “Graffiti & Street Art” for April, leaped into “Nature Art” for Spring — May & June, and finally, embraced “Shine!” for Summer in July & August.

To view the complete list of Monthly Challenges and Conclusions, go here.

NOTE: Starting September 2022, the editors will take turns hosting each monthly challenge, starting with Ellie Jacobson — stay tuned for her next article which will be posted on September 5, 2022.

Writers: What was YOUR favorite challenge?

Which challenge resonated with you, and how did it inspire you to pick up your camera or dig through your archives? What do you enjoy about the publication? What’s one of your favorite stories that resonated with you and why? Do you have a suggestion for a future challenge? Would you like to provide feedback about the publication? Let me know in the comments!

Again, we send our gratitude for considering tipping the editors here through our Kofi accounts to celebrate our first year of the Six Word Photo Story Challenge publication!

Please feel free to tip a particular editor or each of us — whatever resonates and works for you! You may tip (“buy a coffee”) through our Kofi accounts. And if you can’t afford to tip, or if you don’t feel inclined for whatever reason — totally no worries — this is optional.

Here are our Kofi account links for reference: Mary Chang, Ellie Jacobson, Sandi Parsons, and Vidya Sury. A coffee tip is $3. Payment can be made through Paypal, debit, or credit card. Your tip and message on Kofi to the editor(s) you decide to “buy a coffee” for can be public or private.

— Village hugs and thanks again to everyone for your ongoing support of this “little pub in a big pub world!” Mary Chang Story Writer — Creator & Editor of SWPSC, and the editorial team, Ellie Jacobson, Sandi Parsons, and Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles. Please follow us to stay connected!

If you’d like to be added as a writer and submit to Six Word Photo Story Challenge, please read and follow the submission guidelines. Note: Formatting guidelines are unique to this publication — please read the formatting guidelines thoroughly.

About the Writer

Mary Chang is the creator, owner, 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 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