A short while back, h2g2 researcher langsandy sent a postcard to the Alternative Writing Workshop. Not an ordinary postcard with a picture on the front and a 'wish you were here' on the back though - this kind of postcard is 'a convenient literary device wherein budding writers can practise their skills'.

Since we here at the UnderGuide are very interested in budding writers, literary devices, and practising skills (and cake) we thought we'd weigh in and advertise the challenge a bit more widely.

What's the Challenge?

Write something in less than 250 words... and that's basically it! It can be anything you like: something dramatic, something interesting, something bizarre - but you can't use more than 250 words. With that limitation in place, the challenge is to convey something whole, a story, an image, a piece of dialogue, anything at all.

If you're in need of something more solid in order to get the idea, the challenge has had some responses in the AWW, so have a look at these to see how a few writers have already responded to the restrictions of the form:

• A21137168
• A21223603
• A21211336

So What Do I Do?

Once you've written your postcard, simply submit it to the AWW with 'Postcard Challenge' and the title (if it has a title - something to make it distinguishable from other postcards anyway) in the subject line.

Maybe you'll get appreciation, maybe you'll raise a laugh, but you'll also get reviews and comment from other postcarders. In short, whether you're a first-timer or an experienced writer, this is the challenge for you: why not give it a go?

Anything Else?

The original postcard did also mention that prizes are offered for winning postcards in writing competitions. Well, we're not too sure about prizes (it's our cake and it's not that big anyway), but if there are enough postcards submitted to work out something like a roll of honour, something inventive and exciting may well happen to winner and runners-up. Watch this space...

But do send a postcard to the AWW first!