Pass the Pen
Help us write a story this summer! We've given you the beginning. Now it's your turn to fill in what comes next. Watch the story grow below!
Each week, you'll have the chance to submit 100 words or less of what happens with Piper, our protagonist. We'll pick our favorite (or maybe let the Spark Squad help choose) and post the next paragraphs on our social media and on this page.
July 20 - Next installment announced, and submissions reopen.
We'll continue this pattern throughout July and August, posting new additions every Wednesday and Saturday and accepting new submissions after each installment.
Pass the Pen will continue through August...or until the story hits a great conclusion!
Follow along on social media
Our Story (so far)
The Space Between Waves
The ocean breeze flipped the page of Piper’s novel. With a grumble, she smoothed the page back and found her place. She skimmed another paragraph then shut the book with a sigh. Why was she even here? She should be at camp in Montana, but instead—
A scream came from the guys bodyboarding a few yards down the beach. Piper had noticed them earlier. Three guys, all tanned and . . . wait. She tossed the book on her towel and stood, a hand shading her eyes. One of the bodyboarders had vanished.
His board still bobbed in the water, the wave carrying it forward. The others were paddling frantically toward shore, but instead of looking back or into the water, they kept glancing at the sky. What in the world? Piper followed the direction of their gazes, squinting at the brilliant blue sky.
A few clouds dotted the endless expanse, but there was nothing remarkable . . .
Piper’s jaw dropped as the lowest hanging cloud moved.
Not horizontally.
Vertically.
It continued lowering toward the water, creeping after the remaining bodyboarders. Piper ran toward them, gaze darting for someone who could help.
Mothers picked up children and ran, frantic with raw fear.
Piper felt the sand shift underneath her feet as she sprinted closer to the bodyboarders. Her fingers clutched her phone, but her mind couldn’t seem to work. Who could she call?
Just then, a man with a graying beard came up behind her and grabbed her arm. Gasping, Piper whirled around.
“Run,” the man hissed, eyes wide. “It’s coming for us. For all of us.”
Picking up her feet, she raced away from the water, heart pounding. Piper would give anything to be in that camp in Montana right now.
Racing toward the hotel where her family was staying, Piper reached the fence. She hurried toward the gate, and hopefully, safety. She struggled with the latch and as it released she was shoved to the side by frantic people. She fell into the landscaping, and was scratched and stabbed on her way through the bushes.
Laying there, trying to regain her breath, Piper saw the low cloud gliding over the beach. It hovered over a girl wearing headphones. Piper watched, feeling every molecule of air moving in and out of her lungs. Piper blinked and the girl was no longer there, just headphones on a towel.
Piper felt so helpless, nothing seemed to make sense. Moving clouds?
Involuntarily she got up, her cuts stinging as the sand seeped into them. But she ignored it. The sea of people ran from the beach and Piper followed numbly.
Gradually, the crowd turned to see the cloud turning dark grey and moving up to its home in the sky, like it was giving up. The cloud got bigger, covering the crystal expanse, and finally enlarged into a storm cloud.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
It started raining until it poured, and everyone still stood there, unmoving.
What happens next? Submit your best idea below!
July 4 winner - Suzie Anne, Indiana, @suzieannewrites
July 8 winner - Callie Gimenez, 16, Florida
July 11 winner - Crystan Reed, @crystanreed
July 14 winner - Ivy Fawcett, 14, New Brunswick, Canada
Giveaways
Plus, we're celebrating our writers with TWO giveaways!
📚 Everyone who submits 100 words or less will be entered into a drawing to win a copy of Ashley Willingham's newest release, Ink and Ivy, (Chronicles of Narnia meets Pride and Prejudice in a cozy Christian fantasy romance...hello!)
🏆 Think your chapter has what it takes? At the end of the summer, readers will vote for their favorite story addition, and the winning author will receive a signed copy of Sky of Seven Colors by Rachelle Nelson, a YA novel loved by Kimberly Cornelius, our Summer 2026 featured author.
**Paperback books only available to win in the U.S. Any international winners will be given an e-book.
