Last week, Allison of OkieWineGirl won Monthly Wine Writing Challenge #30 (#MWWC30) and just like all previous winners of the Challenge, her “reward” was to choose the theme for the following Challenge (in this case #MWWC31).

A few of us started the Monthly Wine Writing Challenge a couple of years ago with the desire to promote more creative wine writing. The thought was that we get caught up in tasting notes, winery visits, and the occasional food porn and we soon forget that part of the reason we put in all the hours that we do on these silly blogs is that we love to write!

I am sitting here in a hotel room in New York, avoiding going to the gym (for the time being) by watching the morning news shows, which has caused me to come to a bit of an epiphany: there are too many of them. What ever happened to journalism? They all are filled with sensationalism and fluff, unlike the writing in the Monthly Wine Writing Challenges. (Yes, that was a rather weak self-promoting link, but that’s all I have this morning).

This month, Allison submitted her new theme perhaps faster than any previous winner, which might count for something, I am just not too sure what. In that spirit, though, and realizing that I need to get this done, turn of the T.V. and get to the gym, I will bloviate no further. Here is this month’s theme:

I want to stress that the goal of this Challenge (at least for me) is to, well, challenge myself to get out of the norm and produce something I would otherwise not write, be it fiction, non-fiction, whatever. Recently, I have been falling into the trap of making the theme fit into my writing instead of having the theme inspire me to write.

A quick recap of the rules:

The rules

1. The Challenge is open to anybody and everybody. It helps if you have a blog, but that is certainly not a requirement (contact me if this is the case).
2. Write a post based on this month’s theme: “FAITH”.
3. The post should be at least tangentially related to wine (after all, it is the name of the challenge).
4. The post should be more or less around 1000 words (I routinely violate this rule, so it is just there as a “guide”).
5. Include the Monthly Wine Writing Challenge badge (above) that was designed by the very first winner, The Armchair Sommelier.
6. Remember to vote!
7. Once you post on your blog, please do at least two of the following and I will be sure to include a link  on all subsequent posts about this month’s challenge:
   1. Include a link back to this post in your entry.
      
   2. Use the hashtag #MWWC31 somewhere in your post.
   3. Tweet, using the #MWWC31 hashtag and include a link back to your post.
   4. Send me an email: jeff(at)thedrunkencyclist(dot)com

The all important dates:

Deadline for submission:  Monday, March 6th, 2017

Voting Begins: Tuesday, March 7th, 2017

Voting Ends:  Monday, March 13th, 2017

Winner Announced:  Tuesday, March 14th, 2017

Previous winners:

If you’re looking for some inspiration here are the links to the previous winning posts:

MWWC1 – Transportation

The Armchair Sommelier

MWWC2 – Trouble

My Custard Pie

MWWC3 – Possession

The Wine Kat

MWWC4 – Oops

Confessions of a Wine Geek

MWWC5 – Feast

The drunken cyclist

MWWC6 – Mystery

The SAHMmelier

MWWC7 – Devotion

The Sweet Sommelier

MWWC8 – Luck

The drunken cyclist

MWWC9 – Fear

The Sybarite

MWWC10 – Value

Dracaena Wines

MWWC11 – Friend

Armchair Sommelier

MWWC12 – Local

Talk-a-Vino

MWWC13 – Serendipity

Duff’s Wines

MWWC14 – Tradition

Cheap Wine Curious

MWWC15 – Success

JVB Uncorked

MWWC16 – Finish

The Wine Raconteur

MWWC17 – Epiphany

Wayward Wine

MWWC18 – Crisis

Traveling Wine Chick

MWWC19 – Choice

Frankly Wine

MWWC20 – Variety

JVB Uncorked

MWWC21 –Pairing

L’Occasion

MWWC22 – Second Chance

(Un)Common Grape

MWWC23 – New

The Drunken Cyclist

MWWC24 – Pleasure

Cheap Wine Curious

MWWC25 – Travel

Traveling Wine Chick

MWWC26 – Solitude

JVB Uncorked

MWWC27 – Bubbles

Traveling Wine Chick

MWWC28 – Smile

Pairs With: Life

MWWC29 – WineStory

The Epicurious Texan

MWWC30 – Obscure

OkieWineGirl

Please contact me if you have any questions: jeff (at) thedrunkencyclist (dot) com