Phoebe Dupree Is Coming To Tea! – Susanna Leonard Hill

Can you believe it?

We’ve arrived at Week #7!

The last week of the 2021 Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Writing Challenge!

Mix ‘n’ Match Mini is a 7 week writing challenge for anyone who needs a little boost, a little inspiration, or a little encouragement to get writing. . . or maybe just a little fun!

You get to write your own story, enjoy and be entertained by everyone else’s stories, and get yourself in the running for some awesome prizes (please see the end of the blog post for a list of all the prize goodies which continues to grow!)

To be eligible for the prize drawing you must enter all 7 weeks.

For a full description of the challenge, to read the Week #1 entries, or to add your Week #1 entry, please go HERE (Week #1)

To read the Week #2 entries or add your Week #2 entry, please go HERE (Week #2)

To read the Week #3 entries or add your Week #3 entry, please go HERE (Week #3)

To read the Week #4 entries or add your Week #4 entry, please go HERE (Week #4)

To read the Week #5 entries or add your Week #5 entry, please go HERE (Week #5)

To read the Week #6 entries of add your Week #6 entry, please go HERE (Week #6)

Before we get to today’s challenge, one little housekeeping detail:

If you want to qualify for the prize drawing, you must have completed an entry for each of the 7 weeks and posted them on the appropriate week’s post by Saturday June 26th at midnight Eastern time in order to qualify, so that I can post the winners on Monday June 28th! So take note of that deadline – all 7 completed and posted by Saturday June 26th at midnight!

Mix ‘n’ Match Mini Writing Prompt #7 for Week of June 21:

So far we’ve played with character needs/goals, writing a cumulative story, a picture prompt with random words and a secret, turning songs into stories with themes, concept stories in particular settings, and relationships and emotions between characters! 😊 This week, since it’s the last week, it seems fitting that we do something with endings.

But not just anything. . . 😊

Endings do not exist in a vacuum. In order for endings to feel satisfying – make readers, laugh, cry, gasp with amazed delight, or sigh with satisfaction – the ending must feel connected to the beginning.

So. This week, choose a beginning from Column A and an ending from Column B and write a 100 word story for kids that fits between them using a tidbit of onomatopoeia from Column C if you want to (just for fun 😊).

Column A – Beginnings	Column B – Endings	Column C – Onomatopoeia (optional)
Once upon a time…	And that is why she/he tucked it very carefully into her/his pocket.	splish, splash, sploosh
When [Character Name] woke up, a thunderstorm was brewing. “OH, NO!” (or, “HURRAY!”)	Then he/she snuggled close and whispered with a smile, “I love you more than marshmallows.”	kackata-kack-krack-POP!
It all began when the mermaid’s tail got caught on the handle of [Character Name]’s umbrella.	Never let an alligator get in the way of your plans!	plink-plank-plunk
She/he wasn’t always a bad piggy.	So he/she/they rushed back out of the woods shout-singing Ain’t No Bugs On Us until he/she/they was/were really, truly, sure it was true!	slurrrp
There was a sloth who lived all alone.	[Character Name] knew summer was here at last!	buzzz bzzz-bzzz
[Character Name] was all ready for the beach!	Aunt Ruby was right. It had been a better day!	splop
We’re finally on our way! We’re having the best time ever! Until…	Inch by inch, step by step, they made it all the way to the tippy top.	chirp
Holly, Molly, Ollie, Wally, and Little Boo packed a picnic and set out in search of adventure.	And so he/she/they did.	bee-beep
On the Fourth of July, Max went into hiding.	And they lived happily ever after.	murmur
[Character Name] had a problem with watermelon.	Shushshush, the waves whispered. Shushshush.	hissss

Stories can rhyme or not – totally up to you.

You can go under or over 100 words if you want to – also totally up to you! – 100 is just a guideline.

If you’re deeply inspired by a beginning or ending or some onomatopoeia that isn’t here, go for it! – the purpose here is inspiration and to get you writing! Please just tell us what you’re using at the top of your entry.

For simplicity’s sake (and to aid skimming readers who might be interested in a particular thing) please say which column items you’re using at the top of your entry along with your name, title, and word count.

I have been so enjoying reading all your amazing stories every week – so many different, creative, delightful, entertaining stories! – that I’m sad this is the last hurrah for this year!

So come join the fun! Get some writing done! Encourage your kids (or students) to give it a try! Or just have a good time together reading what other folks have written!

Ready, set, WRITE! 😊

(And remember, for full details on the 7 week challenge you can check HERE)

Check Out The Week #7 Stories:

Beach Baby – Bru Benson

The Worm’s Halloween Adventure – Marty Findley

Perfect Piggy – Robin Currie

Watermelon Woes – Rose Cappelli

Beach Bound – Sue Lancaster

The Unexpected Ride – Dawn Young

Sloth Finds A Friend – Jen Subra

The Fairy And The Thunderstorm – Erin Cleary

Will Summer Begin? – Erika Romero

Max And The Fireworks – Sara Kruger

Melodia’s “Mis” Adventure – Susan E. Schipper

Untitled – Lauren Scott

Max And The Alligator – Marta Cutler

Duck’s Creek – Bevin Rolfs Spencer

Sam’s Trouble With Watermelon – Lyn Jekowsky

Game, Game, Go Away! – Hannah Roy LaGrone

Watermelon Delight – Jeannette Suhr

The Fear Of Fireworks – Amy Leskowski

Merchant Pips – Elenore Byrne

The Very Slow Sloth – Isabel Cruz Rodriguez

Sloth And The sUAS (Small Unmanned Aircraft System) – Laura Bower

Why Piggies Have Curly Tails – Jill Lambert

Dorothy’s Umbrella – Brenna Jeanneret

Beach Adventure – Ashley Sierra

Sloth And Bee – Linda Schueler

Maddy Wants More, More, More – Sarah Meade

Climbing Up – Marty Findley

This Little Piggy – Marty Bellis

Sloth And The Bees In The Tree – Barbara Renner

Munch Goes The Pirate – Aly Kenna

Marianna And The Mermaid – Sally Yorke-Viney

Undersea Soiree – Nicole Loos Miller

Ella’s Wild Ride – Michelle S. Kennedy

A S’more By The Fire – Allison Strick

The Ant Raid – Deb Sullivan

A Wagonful Of Trouble – Susan Summers

A Nap And A Watermelon Field – Jana Mattern

Rules For A Pig-Perfect Life – Joyce Uglow

Wanted: ESPR – Colleen Own Murphy

Not So Bad After All – Elizabeth Meyer zu Heringdorf

Watermelon Problem – Mia Geiger

A. Sloth Or Not A. Sloth – Katie Schwartz

Saltwater Kisses – JC Kelly

Where There’s A Skate There’s A Way – Sarah Hawklyn

The Prince And His Alligator – Deb Buschman

The Lonely Sloth – Ashley B. Pedigo

Untitled – Lauri Meyers

Tilly’s Mermaid – Dianne Irving

Untitled – Padgy Soltis

PRIZES & PRIZES OF ALL SHAPES AND SIZES!

When it comes time for prizes, names of all those who complete the challenge will be drawn randomly and matched with prizes drawn randomly until we run out! 😊

Please join me in thanking these very generous authors and other writing professionals for contributing their books and writing expertise as prizes by visiting their websites and blogs, considering their books and services for gift purchases, rating and/or reviewing their books on GoodReads, Amazone, B&N, or anywhere else if you like them, suggesting them for school visits, and supporting them in any other way you can dream up! 😊

⭐️ Picture Book Critique from Penny Parker Klostermann, the lovely and talented author of THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT (Random House 2015) and A COOKED-UP FAIRY TALE (Random House 2017)

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⭐️ 30 Minute Q&A with Penny Klostermann

⭐️ Picture Book MS Critique OR Query Letter Critique (Winner’s Choice) from Jennifer Buchet, debut author of LITTLE MEDUSA’S HAIR DO-LEMMA (Clear Fork/Spork May 11, 2021)

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⭐️ Picture Book MS Critique from Jen Raudenbush, agented writer of picture books, middle grade, and poetry. (Represented by Natascha Morris of The Tobias Literary Agency)

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is jen-raudenbush.jpeg — Jen Raudenbush

⭐️ Picture Book MS Critique OR Query Letter Critique (Winner’s Choice) from the lovely and talented Sara Kruger!

⭐️ 30 minute Zoom chat about anything industry related (manuscript, query letter, best practices for querying) with Becky Scharnhorst, amazing author of MY SCHOOL STINKS (Philomel Books, July 6, 2021)

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⭐️Picture Book Manuscript Critique with Audio Recording by author and poet Sarah Meade Sarah will do a written critique of your manuscript and include an audio recording of her first read-through of the manuscript. The audio recording is to help the author hear how the story flows and/or where a new reader may stumble when reading aloud.