This week, nearly four hundred writers submitted their stories to the Spring Writing Contest.
I’ve so enjoyed seeing how these stories have developed. Our contest Facebook group was full of lively conversations, writers collaborating to help each other find the best ideas and tell unique, creative stories. They’ve workshopped their stories and given each other great feedback in Becoming Writer.
These writers worked hard to craft their very best stories, and this week, they took that final, scary step: submitting their writing to the judges.
The Judges Are Reading . . . And So Can You
Right now, our panel of judges is reading through each story, looking for the ones that will make it to the winners’ circle. And this contest, I have an invitation for you, too.
I’m inviting you to step over to the judges’ side of the submission table. I’m inviting you to try reading like an editor and decide which story you would choose as the winner of the Winter Writing Contest.
And then, I’m inviting you to vote on your favorite. That’s right: this contest, we’re offering a Readers’ Choice Award.
Our entrants have put their all into writing stories they love, and we want to help them get their writing into the hands of excited readers.
Not only that, but as you read through the entries and pick your favorite, you’ll get a taste of the editor’s life. Judging this contest yourself will give you perspective on the mindsets of the people who will read your work.
Plus, I think you’ll find more than a few stories you love in this bunch.
How Does It Work?
Here’s how you can step into the judges’ shoes and help select the winner of the Readers’ Choice Award:
All the published stories from the contest can be found here at Short Fiction Break. You don’t have to read all of them; just pick three or five. (You can always read more if you want!)
When you decide on your favorite, let us know using the poll at the bottom of the page.
Then, support your chosen story by sharing it on social media. Let your friends and family know you’ve found a story you think they’d enjoy, and ask them to vote for it, too.
You can even leave a comment on your favorite story to let the author know you enjoyed it. Our entrants are nervously awaiting to hear the results of all their hard work, and I know they’d appreciate your encouragement.
Pick Your Favorite
I’m so proud of everyone who joined us in this contest. All our writers invested time and care into crafting something great, and I’m excited to share their stories with you now.
Come check out their stories, vote for your favorite, and help some amazing writers get the celebration they deserve!
What will you look for in a winning story? Let us know in the comments.
PRACTICE
Today, I’m challenging you to think like an editor.
- Read three or more stories from the contest.
- Vote for your favorite by filling out the poll.
- Share your favorite on social media and invite your friends to vote, too.
- Comment on your favorite to let the author know you enjoyed it!
I hope you find some stories you love!
This is interesting Joe; I didn’t even know you guys had a Spring Writing Contest.
I guess it’s been a year now that I have been receiving your Write Practice emails and are very helpful to improve my writing skills.
I think it was last fall that I got an email notifying me of a writers contest the day after the deadline.
Before that, I was notified two days prior to a contest deadline. I emailed back, “Kind of short notice don’t you think?” Of course, I received no reply.
I have been writing steady for eight years now but short stories only and had many of them published. To this day I have never entered a writing contest.
I don’t face, twit, or do discus, so it’s difficult to reply or comment.
I am glad that there are writing contests for writers to show their talents. But, I could not judge with so much talent out there.
I’m with Terribly Terrific, its so hard to judge them. And my favorite contest was the scavenger hunt.where we used the books on our shelves whats on our floor in the fridge what we had for breakfast… Cant wait for that one to come around again. I wrote a few really cute short shorts.
Though I have been published on line, I am yet to get published on a print journal or magazine or a literary journal.Naturally, I cannot be an online
judge and so I keep off.
I usually choose stories by their titles and these are the three titles that caught my attention: A Pakistani Girls’s Dream by Mehreen Naveed Chawla, Desdemona’s Handkerchief by Antony Norman Ricks and Rum Before You Can Walk by H.A. Nickerson.
I found the story of A Pakistani Girls’s Dream well written and easy flowing. I also liked the story idea and its universal experience. The cultural aspect of the story lends interest with the usage of words inherent to the language. I would have liked to know the translation of those words weaved into the body of the story or dialogue. Along those lines, the dialogue was believable with proper dialogue tags.
My only suggestion would be to cut out the adverbs that don’t lend anything to the story and turning your passive verbs into active ones. Overall, I found it to be a great story with relatable characters.
I found Desdemona’s Handkerchief poignant and heart-rending. I loved the titled and the literary references within the story itself. I liked the sensibilities attributed to the characters and Arnold’s roommate’s redemption towards the end of the story.
The return of the handkerchief was nicely weaved into the story. I thought the story could use a little more organization. It seems to be lacking a flow from the beginning. I saw that the story contained many adverbs that could be eliminated. I saw good use of active verbs. In general, it’s a good story with a beautiful plot.
I was immediately taken in by the title Rum Before You Can Walk. I loved the play on words and the imagery evoked by the beginning sentence, as well as the ending sentence of the story.
I like the modernity in the story as it interweaves elements of social media, so you know the protagonist is a young person going through a crisis. As the reader, I wanted to find out the root of her dilemma.
I found the format of the sentences interspersed with dialogue, toward the middle of the story, very interesting. My only suggestion is to get rid of the numerous adverbs plaguing this story. It just slows down the flow. It’s a good story, and I liked the universal theme of the actions people seek when they’re reeling from a breakup.