I debated for a while, should this be an electronic swap or a flat mail swap?

I decided on flat mail because I love getting letters in the post and I know I'm not alone. Also, maybe, this is a chance to find a penfriend to share a love of writing with, something different to the normal penfriend letters we start with.

I bought a book called What's Behind The Blue Door by WriteGirl. it's a great book. I thought this swap might be a good one to run once a month with a long deadline to give us all a chance to write our stories using the prompts from the book.

I decided to put this up as a once-a-month swap, starting from January 2025. I'm going to post three months in advance so that we can have lots of time to work on our stories.

The Challenge....

Write a short story using the prompt. Add a separate page with the more traditional pen pal intro and about you but make the story a stand-alone part of the swap. The story must be based on the prompt.

I don't want to make too many rules but if you're going to join this then make sure you're happy to write more than a couple of pages. I would say this has to be at least three as a minimum but it could be so much more.

Presentation is sender's choice but sending it on paper/in an envelope that's been decorated and maybe in keeping with the story has got to be worth a heart.

The prompt, taken from the book is...

'What you collect in your backpack, pocket or purse says a lot about you - old receipts, menus, bus tickets, phone numbers and lists are all documentation of where you have been or plan to go. Take out a few items and place them in front of you. Examine them and see what they reveal about your identity, hopes and fears. Identify one or more of the objects and write the first story that comes to mind'

• The prompt doesn't have to be the first line but the story has to be based on the prompt

• At least three pages, preferably more

• Personal, traditional, penpal stuff as a separate letter in the same envelope, the main letter is just about the prompt.

I will Angel if needed but if you have any problems making the deadline let me and your partner know. Any questions drop me a message

I'm going to leave this open to newbies but I will check before assigning partners, no unexplained, recent 1's or 3's and a well-filled-out profile as a minimum requirement.

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