Bitmob Writing Challenge December 2011: Secret Santa

It's December, and that means the annual holiday exchange of presents is coming up. While material goods are easy to present to people in real life, it's a touch harder with Internet friends. And that's not taking into account the fact that Bitmob's great community is made up of writers. What do you even get for a writer? Well, I've got a gift for all of you that will not only help you find something for your Bitmob buddies, but it will also allow you to flex your own writing muscles. Ladies and gentlemen, we're having a Secret Santa, and it's this month's writing challenge.

The Prompt

[aditude-amp id="flyingcarpet" targeting='{"env":"staging","page_type":"article","post_id":690262,"post_type":"story","post_chan":"none","tags":null,"ai":false,"category":"none","all_categories":"games,","session":"C"}']

When you write for an outlet, you'll usually pitch ideas to editors, but sometimes you'll be assigned topics that the editors need articles for. Because of this, it pays to be a well-rounded writer and, at the very least, know a wealth of topics in the field you're writing about. And don't forget about the Internet as a resource for researching subject matter you aren't as familiar with. You can truly expand your horizons as a writer by working on topics you're assigned, so that's what we're going to do here.

The prompt is simple: Pick a topic for someone to write about, and then tackle a topic someone else has assigned you. Since it's the season of giving, we're doing this Secret Santa style. You'll send me topics that you want people to write about, and I'll divide them among the participants (anonymously, of course). Not only will you be able to flex your writing muscles with unfamiliar topics, but you'll also get some practice in coming up with interesting things to cover.

1. Come up with a topic you want someone to write about. Make sure it's something that any given Bitmobber could realistically write about. Don't pick something too obscure, and don't pick something that requires resources potentially difficult for our writers to access.

2. Send the topic to jeremy.signor@gmail.com by December 15. Don't forget to tell me who you are when you send it. I reserve the right to veto whatever you choose.

3. Wait until I send you your topic, and then write an article that consists of no more than 2000 words.

4. Post your article to the Mobfeed with the tag "Bitmob Writing Challenge" by December 31.

As always, I'll be collecting the pieces at the end of the month. Also, these challenges increase your chances of getting noticed, whether it's through the roundup or by having your piece promoted to the front page. Now let the gift giving begin!