WRITING CONTESTS

I submitted my Flash Fiction Piece, Canary, to this contest as the theme for March was Sinister Sanctuaries and an Echo. I revised and expanded the 1,000 words to 1,400 words to add just a tad more to the story, which I originally took out for the 2023 Winter Writing Battle. 

Results will be released in April. 

I am currently writing a piece for this month's contest, which has the theme Ghostly Gardens and a Watch. 

Stay tuned. I will continue to update as I go. 

Well, my part is done. It’s over. Now, all I can do is cross my fingers and wait. I’ve written and submitted my short story, Snowball, to the 10th Writer’s Playground and received confirmation that they have it. Yikes!

Based on the number of participants (716), they estimate it’ll take roughly 12 weeks to get my results and feedback—by the end of April. This wasn’t my first time writing for a professionally judged contest, but like the others, I overestimated many things—my abilities, approach, story concept, and basically everything else. So, if I do horribly, it’s my goddamn fault.

I approached Snowball similar to peer-judged contests like Writing Battle or Twisted Tournament. I spent little time reviewing the rules, past winning stories or understanding my audience—the judges. A good strategy would have been to consider these things, but I couldn’t care less. I just wanted to write.

Mainly because this year, I vowed to write what I wanted and refused to focus on pleasing the judges. My attitude was: if I win, I win. As long as I’m writing what I want, that’s all that matters.

But then my writing friend, RP Mickler from Black Anvil Books, brought up some valuable points while beta-reading my story. He helped me realize that, even though I don’t care about the judges, I should care about form and craft regardless. And don’t get me wrong—I do.

In retrospect, I think my focus has been slacking in recent months. I realize now I’ve been cutting myself short—not by refusing to pander to judges, but by letting the momentum with my career and craft stall. Let’s be honest—the craft of writing may never be mastered. So, slacking off is a real problem in a world where I want to be taken seriously.

RP did a phenomenal job beta-reading my story. He also gave sound advice on how to approach the contest, vet the judges, and improve my grammar (which I desperately needed help with). After speaking with him, I walked away inspired to try harder—to be more serious about the writing craft, take a critical look at my writing career, and prioritize the basics: grammar, story structure, and form. Not just style.

For those who don’t know, RP offers an "On Writing" page on his website, which I believe is ever-growing. He knows his shit. I encourage everyone to check it out, soak up his knowledge, and learn something new, or freshen up on something old to stay sharp! Since I wrote Snowball, I’ve read nearly all of his lessons, but there are a few I still plan to read before spring. If you’re looking to follow his work, you can find him on Facebook or Instagram @blackanvilbooks.

Thanks, RP!

For the short story contests, I’m mostly a pantser, relying on only a briefly imagined outline. I often write in a stream-of-consciousness or flow state. I don’t plan too much, which—if you know me outside of writing—is astonishing because I plan everything!

But that doesn’t mean I can’t write with intention in every word. This year, I plan to write more deliberately and deepen my understanding of the craft. After all, I chose this path—why not walk tall while doing it.

Out of the ten days to write for Writer’s Playground, I probably wrote seriously on four of them—mostly because I couldn’t connect with any of the story ideas I came up with, and secondly, because of work. Luckily (if you call it luck), I had scheduled Saturday off in advance since my car was stuck in the shop. I wouldn’t recommend spending $1,600 on car repairs just for the sake of a writing competition—that’s not a great business strategy—but it worked out for me because I did a lot of writing that day. Trust me, I needed it. Without it, I probably wouldn’t have finished.

My first draft was 4,265 words, but after seven rounds of revisions, I cut it down to 3,075 words—just under WP’s grace limit of 3,100.

If you’ve read Ashtray, this story may feel slightly familiar, as the prompts I chose allowed me to explore that world and its characters again. The requirements were to select one of five characters and one of five settings, and I had to include “a well” in my story. Genre, theme, and other elements were entirely up to me.

PROMPTS:

Characters:

1. A hunter

2. Someone who feels like the black sheep of their family

3. A journalist

4. A taxidermist

5. Someone who used to be rich and lost their wealth

Settings:

1. A snow day (can take place anywhere as long as a character’s work or school is canceled/closed because of snow)

2. Argentina

3. A renaissance festival

4. A cemetery

5. A tavern that also rents out a few rooms.

The Thing (Must Be Included):

1. A well

The Prompt I picked: I thought it may be an interesting strategy to overlap or layer the prompts so that it guarantees the judges see the prompt's inclusion, but also to make the story and the characters more dynamic. I hope it catches the eyes of a few judges.

Genre: Drama, Suspense, Horror (All my choice)

Character: A Taxidermist (Primary), Black Sheep (Secondary)

Setting: A Snow Day (Primary), Cemetary (Secondary)

Thing: A Well (Two forms of well included)

I'm not sure when I can share it. I guess I need to find that out. Anyways, stay tuned, I'll keep you updated on the progress.

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Previous Update: I've paid for this challenge and have it scheduled on my calendar. 

On Jan 9th at 8 pm I will receive the prompts via email. I must select 1 of 5 possible Characters and 1 of 5 possible Settings, and there will be one “Thing” that must be included in each story. 

I will then have ten (10) days to write my short story up to 3000 words with a 100-word grace limit and submit it by 11:59 pm EST on Jan 19th.

This is my first time participating in Writers Playground, and I feel it fits all my requirements for what I like. I am excited. 

The prize pool: 

1st Prize - $500

2nd Prize - $475

3rd Prize - $425

4th Prize - $375

5th Prize - $325

6th Prize - $275

7th Prize - $225

8th Prize - $175

9th Prize - $125

10th Prize - $100

& 10 Honorable Mentions - $50

All winners will have their stories published on the WP website along with their name/pen name and where they are from and a link to the writer’s author page or social media page if interested.

Now I wait. 

In the blink of an eye, it’s all over. I've written and submitted my flash fiction piece—but not without a ton of stress. As always.

I would've loved an extra day to tighten up my story. Over three grueling days, I wrote nearly three different versions—all set in the same world with the same characters—each refining the plot, pacing, and overall narrative.

That said, I’m not sure how much better my story would've been with the extra time. I was so locked into my world and concept that it probably wouldn’t have made much difference. By day two, I should've started fresh with an entirely new idea.

And if I’m looking for another excuse for why this story might not fare well—the Super Bowl. Being an Eagles fan and a good husband, there was strong pressure to go out and watch the big game, which cut into my editing time. It’s my fault, but damn it, it sucked. I even found two misspelled words after I submitted—because I was editing in a bar without Grammarly (a Writing Battle first for me).

Day 0: Thu, Feb 6 – At roughly 9:30 PM, the genres dropped: Aliens!, Revenge, Shipwrecked, and Time-Travel Romance. I was immediately pleased—or at least not turned off—by all of them. I created a loose strategy for how I’d choose depending on what I got first and waited. 

That was until 10 PM when I got Time-Travel Romance—and my strategy went out the window. It was my fourth favorite and should've been a quick nope, but the more I thought about it, the more it grew on me. 

One attractive aspect was that I figured it’d be unpopular, given how close it was to the recent Heart battle and the genre’s inherent complexity. I seriously considered staying. Enough in fact that I worked through some great ideas all night and into Friday morning. I really wanted to explore a Blade Runner-inspired time-travel detective story. That would've been dope! 

Day 1: Fri, Feb 7- I woke up early, pumped to work out the details of my story but couldn’t shake the feeling that I was setting myself up for disaster with the word limit. By 10 AM, I noped out. At 1K words, it was just too complex to pull off.

So, I rerolled Aliens! and worked on my initial outline until 2:30 PM. Then, I wrote until 9 PM, making it about two-thirds through my first draft—685 words. I talked the story over with my wife and slept on my ideas until morning.

Day 2: Sat, Feb 8- I woke up happy. Wrote until the afternoon, finished my first draft, and submitted it for beta reading. After taking a couple of hours off, I finally got some feedback—and boy, it was not in my favor.

I felt like an amateur. My story had little plot until the end, was unbalanced, lacked clarity, and had confusing sections. What was wrong with me? Was I going backward? I kept about 30% of my original idea but changed everything else, writing half of my second draft until 9 PM. 

Day 3: Sun, Feb 9- By this point, I was more than concerned. Usually, on the last day of these contests, I’m refining a fairly solid piece. But this morning? Nope—still a first draft. I had to trust my instincts and the feedback I’d received, so I wrote until my self-imposed cut-off at 5:45 PM.

It was Super Bowl Sunday, and my wife wanted to go out. Dammit!

So, we went. I brought my tablet and keyboard to a bar and grill, spending my remaining time writing and revising surrounded by screaming fans and overly loud speakers. luckily I had help from a few beta readers. Shoutout to my beta team—I’m thankful they pointed out the lack of plot and antagonist. My story may not be great, but it was certainly much worse before they took a peek at it. 

At first, Aliens! It seemed like a great open genre—and I still think it was—but I struggled with this one. The awkward part? I left cards on the table. I truly thought my idea was solid (and still do), but it probably works better at short story length, not flash, where I have a little more room to work on the psychological aspects I wanted to develop. 

Time will tell, but I’m not holding my breath on this one. If I get out of the house, that’s a win with this one.

Prompt Cards:

Genre: Aliens!

Setting: [REDACTED] Until debrief begins.

Character: [REDACTED] Until debrief begins.

Next, I’ll be reading and voting on ten other stories from the different categories. Results should drop by mid-March. Stay tuned—and wish me luck!

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Oldest Update: I've paid for this challenge and have it scheduled on my calendar. Prompt cards will be dealt at 10 pm on Feb 6th. I then can redraw replacement prompt cards until Feb 8th at 10 pm. The specifics of the prompts are unknown, but there will be a Genre Card, a Character Card, and an Object Card. All I can do is wait...(Anxiously of course)

My story, The Roach and the Butterfly was awarded a Sensational 64 Silver Trophy winning 7 out of 10 duels and ranked in the Top 64 out of 295 writers or the top 22% of participants in the Espionage genre. It earned a spot in the Top 256 among 1460 total submitted stories or the Top 18% in the entire contest across all four genres. I received 47 reads and comments during the debriefs. It also was in 2nd place for the most-read and commented story in my genre. 

It's always exciting to have such a dedicated following and to receive so much great feedback during debriefs. Though I ask for the bad and the ugly too, I guess it's a good sign my writing is improving when there's little to nothing to nitpick. Having nearly everyone who reads my piece enjoy it, find my world heartbreaking, and connect with Artie and Jules deeply is just amazing. I'm also thrilled that so many readers have received everything I intended in this story so well. 

A quick note on the judging for this piece—I’ll try not to sound like too much of a sore loser. That said, this is the first time I’ve felt I had inferior judges in the Spartan rounds. In my opinion, after reading the stories I went up against, there’s a clear difference in nearly all aspects of quality and storytelling—I should’ve received a Sweet 16 trophy. I won't speculate as to why I think this happened out of respect for the competition, and Max, the creator. Regardless of this minor ego boost setback, I had a good time, but I will admit I’m quite bitter about this early loss. Especially on this piece, Especially to those stories. Especially since this is my best entry yet! 

Moving forward: The next battle is the 2025 Winter Writing Battle. I'm contemplating my 2025 strategy and still have not paid for anything. I may move to the pro-judged rounds to avoid my above concern for the peer-judged contest!

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Previous Update: I picked my cards. This contest is a seven-day contest, 2 days more than last year, which is wonderful considering I worked during the first half of this one. 

Prompt Cards:

Genre: Espionage

Setting: Birthday Party

Character: Author

Days 1-3: Sun, Oct 20th- Oct 23rd, 2024 - All three days I was working at the library, so I had limited time to write or develop a story. I focused on world-building, character development, plot, and a few other things. I probably wrote 1500 words for a rough outline and concept and felt pretty confident going into day 4. 

Day 4: Thu, Oct 24th, 2024 - I was ready to hit the ground running on my first day off. I entered the "War Room" by 9:00 am and spent the first half of the day writing the opening to my espionage story only to come up with another idea that I had not spent any time preparing for. 

The idea I had was a good one, so I spent the next half of my day writing the opening to that story figuring I had enough time to change direction and decide by the night on which one to pursue. Ultimately, I went with what felt right, which was the story I did not plan for. Yikes, What a waste of time. Changing ideas during the contest seems to be a theme of mine. I may not write about it here, but I do it a lot, mainly because my ideas are too elaborate for the word count and I'm forced to think simpler. Ask my wife, it's grueling working with me on ideas.   

Days 5-7 Thu, Oct 24th- Oct 27th, 2024 - My decision to change everything set me back, but I had to, the universe was compelling me to go with this story instead. Luckily, I utilized a similar world, and ideas to make the transition less of a headache. 

I spent my remaining time writing, developing, and revising with the help of some great Beta readers. Shout out to my beta Reader team. I am so thankful for them. I ended with 2505 words and they helped me cut 500+ words on Sunday. Amazing. 

The next phase will involve me reading ten other stories and voting on them in different categories, and the next announcement will be posted when the results arrive by the beginning of December. Stay tuned and wish me luck! 

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Oldest Update: I've paid for this challenge and have scheduled it on the calendar. This is a 2000-word story competition taking place over 7 days. It's the BIG one and it marks my first anniversary of entering writing contests! 

Prompt cards will be dealt at 10 pm on Oct 20th. I then can redraw replacement prompt cards until Oct 25th at 10 pm. The specifics of the prompts are unknown but it appears there will be a Genre Card, a Setting Card, and a Character Card. All I can do is wait...

The results are in, and I did pretty damn well overall—I love all three of my stories and am quite proud of them.

My 500-word story, Split Rock, was my lowest performer but still ranked in the top 40%. It also earned some trophies: one Most Tension, one Best Opening Line, and one Best Last Line. For anyone who knows me, that's exactly what I aim for in my writing. This feels like a win to me.

I understand I can't please everyone, but if what I set out to accomplish in a story is recognized, then I'm perfectly fine with the results. I loved the tension and turmoil I put my character through and had so much fun writing this piece, especially as it was another attempt at channeling Poe. For 500 words, I think I nailed it.

My 250-word story, Espresso, On the Rocks, killed it, coming in 7th place, and boy did it earn some trophies: one Best Prose, one Best Last Line, three Best Title, two Most Heartfelt, and two Best Opening Line. 

Fuck yeah! This story is being added to a Noire collection I've been developing for a couple of years. That same collection also includes my best story from the last Twisted Tourney, Jane—a fifteenth-place tie. I'm beginning to think I should entertain the idea of being a Noire Romance writer now. 

My 100-word story, They Waited..., performed pretty decent considering I stretched the rules a tad and experimented with form and structure. (Though I argue the abuse of extremely long titles is at least the same if not worse). This story also earned two trophies: one Best Prose, and one Most Tension. I will say by the time I got to writing this story I was burnt out, and the prompts I got were eh, so I knocked this one out fairly quickly! 

and finally...

My overall ranking for all three rounds: 

Total Score: 26.38

Average: 8.79

Rounds: R1: 8.2 R2: 9.38 R3: 8.8  

15th Place Overall

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Previous Update: I wrote three stories over three days:

500-Word Story: Split Rock – When a desperate man accepts a one-year post at the Split Rock Lighthouse, he believes the isolation is a small price to pay to save his ailing mother. But as the nights stretch into relentless torment, he begins to realize he’s not just battling insomnia—he’s fighting for his sanity.

250-Word Story: Espresso, on the Rocks – A noir-inspired piece that pulls you into a forbidden romance where rules are broken, and late nights are cut short.

100-Word Story: They Waited... – On the day of his grandfather’s funeral, a secret that could only be whispered—and was too dangerous to repeat until now—is finally revealed.

Fun Fact: I wanted to include “rock” in all three titles and almost managed it, but I couldn’t find a title for my 100 that worked.

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Previous Update: I've paid for this challenge and scheduled it on the Calendar. I'm in Group 2: Cherryhoof's Cavalry and I'll be judging stories from Snagglefang's Horde.  The event begins at 7 PM on Nov 11th where story 1 prompt is being issued. My first submission is due by 6:59 PM on Nov 14th. 

This is the second Twisted Tournament and the new guidelines seem even better than before. I am excited to see how it all plays out.

All entrants are divided into two groups that do not compete with each other. In each round, groups will receive unique prompts such as themes, tropes, and more specific prompts. I'll have 72 hours, then 48 hours, followed by 24 hours to write and submit my stories. This will be 6 consecutive days.

Round 1 begins: Nov 11th, 2024, 07:00 EST (72 hours to write) 500 Words

Round 2 begins: Nov 14th, 2024, 07:00 EST (48 hours to write) 250 Words

Round 3 begins: Nov 16th, 2024, 07:00 EST (24 hours to write) 100 Words

After all writing phases are complete, participants judge a set of stories (5-7) from the opposite group by ranking them. Providing feedback is optional. After that, there's a week to share on the forums before the results are released.

Peer Judging Period: Nov 19th, 2024 (8 days to judge)

Forum Sharing Period: Nov 27th, 2024 to Dec 3rd, 2024

Reveal period:

    Round 1 results revealed: Dec 3rd 2024, 06:59 EST

    Round 2 results revealed: Dec 4th 2024, 06:59 EST

    Round 3 results revealed: Dec 5th 2024, 06:59 EST

Prizes: Over $1400 dollars in prizes! 

Round winners (for each round, and for each group’s top three):

1. $100 

2. $50 

3. 25 site credits 

Overall winners (for each group): 

1. $200 

2. $50 

3. 25 site credits 

This will be a blast! 

The results are in and it wasn’t all bad news for me. 

My 250-word story, Planting My Bastard Seeds, ranked low, probably due to the content (which was trigger-warned beforehand) but the readers did not get along with it well. That’s OK, not every story is meant for everyone, but it did come away with two Best Prose trophies and I’ll certainly take that!

My 500-word story, Not in My Backyard, ranked a little higher, but still too low to brag about. It came away with one Best Opening trophy and one Most Surprising trophy. I must admit, I rushed this one and was not fully vibing with it when writing. I'm not surprised it did poorly.  

I work hard on opening and closing my stories, so these were nice accolades to celebrate.

…but

the BIG news is my 100-word story, Jane.

It made it on the Top 20 leaderboard and tied for 15th place point-wise. Jane received three Best Opening trophies and two Best Prose trophies. I’m stoked. Jane was my favorite story that I wrote in this contest, though Planting My Bastard Seeds was a strong second. Even though I didn’t win anything, I’m proud of the trophies, and plan to write another day!

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Previous Update: I wrote three stories over three days:

100 Word Story: Jane -A noire-inspired piece where a detective investigates a murder, and tries not to fall in love. 

250-Word Story: Planting My Bastard Seeds -A medieval revenge piece where an old king is forced from his throne by his sons, and he must teach them the lessons of the past.   

500 Words Story: Not in My Backyard -Patricia, the Neighborhood watch leader has been tracking a child killer on the loose and is close to finding him. How close, will be revealed on a foot patrol during tonight’s late shift.   

The contest results will be revealed on the below dates:

Round 1 results revealed: Jul 22nd, 2024, 23:59 UTC

Round 2 results revealed: Jul 23rd, 2024, 23:59 UTC

Round 3 results revealed: Jul 24th, 2024, 23:59 UTC 

My goal is to finish Top 10 in one or more of the story lengths. I am among some of the best international competitive short story writers, so we’ll see! 

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Oldest Update: I've paid for this challenge and scheduled it on the Calendar. The event begins at 8 PM on July 4th with the story 1 prompt being issued. 'Merica Amiright?! My submission is due by 7:59 PM on Jul 6th. Twist in the Tale has spawned a new peer-judged, peer-powered contest. This is right up my alley, minus the short time frames given to write. I am excited to see where this goes and how well my stories place.   All entrants are divided into two groups that do not compete with each other. In each round, groups will receive unique prompts such as themes, tropes, and more specific prompts. I'll have 24 hours to write and submit my story for each round. This will be 3 consecutive days, and I will have to produce 3 stories, one for each. 

Round 1 begins: Jul 5th, 2024, 00:00 UTC (24 hours to write) 100 Words

Round 2 begins: Jul 6th, 2024, 00:00 UTC (24 hours to write) 250 Words

Round 3 begins: Jul 7th, 2024, 00:00 UTC (24 hours to write) 500 Words

After all writing phases are complete, participants judge a set of stories (4-6) from the opposite group by ranking them. Providing feedback is optional. After that, there's a week to share on the forums before the results are released.

Peer Judging Period: Jul 9th, 2024, 00:00 UTC (7 days to judge up to 4-6 stories)

Prizes:

Top writers in each group win prizes and recognition each round! Then the cumulative score is used to determine the two overall winners.

Round 1 winners (one winner from each group): $40 each 

Round 2 winners (one winner from each group): $40 each 

Round 3 winners (one winner from each group): $40 each 

Overall winners (one winner from each group): $100 each 

This will be a blast! 

The battle has ended, and boy did my story "The Claim" eat shit. For the first time, I didn’t receive an honorable trophy, winning only 4 out of 10 duels and ranking in the bottom 50% of participants in the Sci-Fi Western genre. I received 100 reads and comments during the debrief.

This battle saw a record 1,463 submitted stories, with an additional 467 people unable to finish or submit in time—insane numbers.

I can’t say I didn’t expect a bad result. I knew it was risky to write a low-stakes piece with very little plot in a genre likely saturated with saloons, shootouts, tumbleweeds, and cowboys ripping through the desert on robot horses. But to do this badly—fucking hell—what a spur to the groin.

But I live by the rule: go big or stay home.

So, I wrote what I wanted, knowing I’d be taking a massive risk and likely losing $18.00. Hell, by the battle’s end, 1455 writers would be joining me too. In my mind, it was worth it. It’s always worth it to go against the grain, try something new and exciting, or be different or original. So, I adapted a world from an unfinished story that I had begun developing for another contest but never submitted and I reused characters I thought had great chemistry. 

In the end, I liked it, and so did the one hundred other writers who read and commented on it during the debrief—they wanted more. That’s the real win in my book and how I truly gauge my success! Not ten randos with a fiery urge to push a button!  

When confronting a loss there are only two roads one can travel. 

The easiest road is the first. Travel down that one and you’ll be laying fetal weeping into a soggy pillow blaming everyone but yourself, writing hit lists, holding grudges, becoming angrier and more bitter as time goes on. You may even write a blog or forum post about it, wasting tears and allowing negativity to get the best of you, which leads to nowhere. That road makes you give up on yourself, your morals, and your poise. That road makes many writers quit writing for a while—or worse, forever. 

Or, you could take the road with the roughest terrain as I did, strap yourself into that fucking saddle, and whip your horse’s ass into overdrive cause baby we’re getting to Orgeon by midnight come hell or high water. 

The same weekend my story ate shit, I signed up for the Autumn Short Story Battle. Oh yeah, I’m a glutton. Thank you, sir, may I have another?! 

I submitted a fresh story to Furious Fiction’s monthly challenge which I’m pretty stoked about; I’ll be expanding that story for the rest of September and October most likely. I earned second place in Twist in the Tale’s Side Quest Challenge and won first place in a short story contest on theprose.com. Finally, and perhaps most importantly I seem to have developed a more significant friendship with a fellow writer whom I respect and was invited to a writing group.

I may have broken my diet, splurging on tons of junk food, but I bounced back by Monday.

Writers lose a lot, more often than they win. Get used to it. Stop whining and start winning or start looking at losses as opportunities rather than setbacks. Get back on that horse and whip it, whip it good, all the way to Oregon!

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Previous Update: I took a risk on this one. I think my prose is good enough to get me out of the house, but plot-wise, not much further. It's a low-stakes piece that has more Little House on the Prarie or the Oregon Trail vibes, rather than The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. We will see if my world-building will carry me. 

Day 1: Thu, Aug 1st, 2024 - On Thursday at 9:30 pm battlers received a sneak peek of the Four Genres just before the official Start time at 10:00 pm. The categories were Jailbreak, Inanimate Romance, Social Commentary, and the genre I landed on: Sci-Fi Western! 

Prompt Cards: 

Genre: Sci-Fi Western

Character: Farmer

Object: Canoe

I picked my cards and nearly had a meltdown after "Nope-ing" out of Jailbreak. I enjoy writing Westerns, but a Sci-Fi Western in 250 Words had me considering quitting before I started. However, after I punched the air violently for five minutes alone, I brainstormed heavily and outlined with my wife until midnight to prepare for Friday's writing session.

Day 2: Sat, Aug 2nd, 2024 - I worked on a few story ideas until 2 pm, but they were too elaborate. I stopped for lunch to re-access my situation. It was then I had an ah-ha moment. I remembered I had started writing this piece for another contest that I had not submitted. The world I had created for that, and the characters in it felt like a perfect fit for a Sci-Fi Western. 

So I worked, reworked, adjusted, molded, and shaped that story into something usable until the evening. It was good enough to submit, so I did. 

Maybe I could have tried to work on more plot or submitted it on Saturday, but there's little room in a 250-word piece and only so much one can jam in there. I'm happy with what I submitted. 

The next phase involves me reading ten other stories and voting on them in different categories, and the next announcement will be posted when the results arrive. Stay tuned and wish me luck! 

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Oldest Update: I've paid for this challenge and have scheduled it on the calendar. Prompt cards will be dealt at 10 pm on Aug 1st. I then can redraw replacement prompt cards until Aug 2nd at 10 pm. The specifics of the prompts are unknown but it appears there will be a Genre Card, a Character Card, and an Object Card. All I can do is wait...(Anxiously of course)

The original story is no longer available on the Writing Battle site, however, the expanded and edited version will be available here for free. In the future, I may take it down when submitting to Literary Journals or contests. 

My short story, "When The Sun Goes Down" was awarded a Thrilling 32 Silver Trophy winning 8 out of 10 duels and ranked in the Top 32 out of 313 writers or the top 10% of participants in the There's Only One Bed genre. It earned a Top 128 placement among 1410 total submitted stories or the Top 9% in the entire contest across all four genres. Also, there were nearly 493 people who were unable to finish or submit in time.  I received 90 reads and comments during the debriefs.

I'm so stoked so many people enjoyed my work and connected to my unnamed "big sis" main character (who will be named upon revision) and her younger sister, July. I'm also proud I created this story in such a short time, only 12 hours, which gives me confidence in writing in shorter windows when I have to. I still prefer more time.

Also, since joining the 11:59 Workshop discord group last battle, I've been periodically reaching out to the members for help Betaing a few of my stories including this one. Getting advice from such an esteemed group of writers has proven invaluable, and I've learned so much from getting other eyes on my work before submitting it. They say it takes a village to raise a child, and I think that concept can apply to my word babies too! Thanks for all your help 11:59-ers. Regardless of not receiving the gold trophy, this story has winning qualities and I'm proud of it. The experience in the Writing Battle community and the feedback was a total win for me. 

Moving forward: Summer Writing Battle is already signed up for, and you better believe that I plan to bring the heat!

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Previous Update: I'm Stoked. I cannot reveal much until the Prompt Cards I received, but I can reveal the Genre! Here is a breakdown of my story.  

Day 1: Fri, May 3rd, 2024 - On Friday at 9:30 pm battlers received a sneak peek of the Four Genres just before the official Start time. The categories were Witchcraft, Disaster, Medical Drama, and the genre I got There's Only One Bed! 

My process for the prompt card reveal night has turned into spending a few hours working out stories and ideas in what I now call the "war room" (my office) with my wife. We usually brainstorm ideas, change prompts and create an initial concept and outline before I go to bed as the reveals happen at 10 pm. I like to get a jump on it and then sleep, hoping I get rest and inspiration by the morning. 

Initially, I got Medical Drama, and stayed on that prompt for a while, but ultimately changed it. Unfortunately, I forgot the other prompts I received for setting and character, but I can say this is the most "click happy" I've been with the prompt cards. Here's what I stayed with:

Prompt Cards:

Genre: There's Only One Bed

Setting: Hunting Shack

Character: Guardian

Day 2: Sat, May 4th, 2024 - I slept like shit and woke up by 5 am. My first story was based around a kidnapped girl from an abortion clinic (and that's all I'm gonna say because I may write it in the future.) I worked on that story the entire day until I had to stop to go out on a dinner date and to see a musical with my wife. I wrote nearly 400 + words and knew it was going south fast due to its complexity. I was overwhelmed with wasting time, fear of failure, freaking out about other story ideas, and not having enough time to develop and edit my story. I nearly gave up and had a mini meltdown. Thankfully, I have an amazingly supportive wife, who devoted the drive to our date, and all of dinner to help pull me off the asphalt. Over Chinese food, we decided on the simpler concept of what was to become When the Sun Goes Down and then I went to watch the musical, Into the Woods, which was so Amazing! I then got home and went to bed hoping for a miracle. 

Day 3: Sun, May 5th, 2024 - I woke up focused, determined, and in a good mood at 7 am entered the "War Room" by 8:00 am after taking a fresh shower, new clothes, a shave, and a warm cup of coffee. I then spent the entirety of the day writing and editing my story by 7:30 pm where I last minute requested Beta reads on the 11:59 discord. I received so much help and then submitted my final battle draft of my story.

It's always a grueling process, but also rewarding, and once again, my wife helped me drag this story over the finish line. Shout out to her again! 

The next phase will involve me reading ten other stories and voting on them in different categories, and the next announcement will be posted when the results arrive near the beginning of June. Stay tuned and wish me luck! 

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Oldest Update: I've paid for this challenge and have it scheduled on the Calendar. Prompt cards will be dealt at 10 pm on May 3rd. I then have the choice to redraw replacement prompt cards until May 4th at 10 pm. The specifics of the prompts are unknown but it appears there will be a Genre Card, a Character Card, and an Object Card. All I can do is wait...(Anxiously of course)

The original story is no longer available on the Writing Battle site, however, the expanded and edited version will be available here for free. In the future, I may take it down when submitting to Literary Journals or contests. 

My short story, "Perpetual Override" ranked in the top 130 out of 259 or the top 50% of participants.

Prompts:

Main Genre: Sci-Fi

Subgenre: Galactic Gothic Horror

Character: AI Companion

Originally titled "Stasis," this story was re-named with only 30 minutes to spare before the deadline. Talk about stress! I changed the name because a beta reader of mine kindly brought to my attention that they had just named their story "Stasis" which had a similar storyline where the character and plot were centered around a cryopod for a different contest. Imagine the horror of finding this out at the last minute! It was too bizarre not to take action and as a man who respects originality and my fellow writers, I scrambled to create a new title, while suffering a mini-panic attack. Not really, but close enough.  

The title "Perpetual Override" was the final result I landed on and I love it, but I wouldn't be a gentleman if I didn't shout out my wife for helping create it. She suggested the "Override" addition as I was going to simply name it "Perpetual." Her addition truly rings much better and it adds that Sci-Fi flair it was missing. Thanks babe! 

Much like Ashtray, I pulled from something personal to write this—my fears. I explored the feeling of being locked in tight a space and the mental hell one experiences when unable to escape, then I ramped it up to infinity. I'm mostly happy with this story, and even more stoked that it was published well before the results came in with SFS Publishing on www.scifishorts.co. 

This was my second Twist in the Tale contest. I am still not a fan of the rubric-based grading system and also dislike the lack of transparency with the minimal judges in the contest as I prefer a peer-based voting system, but I do appreciate the prompts and that I have more control over my stories compared to other places. 

I will not be signing up for the next contest which is a 150-word contest which I consider too high of a price point, and I'm still contemplating if I will return for future ones. I have not signed up yet for any additional contests with Twist in the Tale at the time of writing this, but stay tuned for updates. 

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Previous Update:  I took inspiration from Edgar Allen Poe's The Pit and the Pendulum to create my word baby, "Perpetual Override" which weighs in at 985 words and I've written, beta'd, and submitted it for competition. 

Huge shout out to the 11:59 Workshop Discord Group for helping me with a bunch of corrections that streamlined my story into the gothic horror I wanted it to be (Inside of 1000 words of course.) The results of the contest is on Wednesday, July 10th, at 8 pm EST. My goal is to finish in the Top 20—Just to be listed among some of the best international short story writers would be a damn honor! 

Oldest Update: I've paid for this challenge and scheduled it on the Calendar. Prompts will be issued at 8 PM on May 12th. My submission is due by 8 PM on May 19th. This is the second ever Twist in the Tale contest and the first ever 1000-word length contest. All entrants will share a main genre but will be given a secondary subgenre from a pool. Each entrant will also be given a character that must be included in some way, although it does not have to be the main character. Subgenres and characters can be rerolled up to three times each. 

Use this referral link to join if you are interested in this competition too: https://twistinthetale.com/referral/65a6f749a7d41bdaa0b20764 It's going to be a blast! 

The prize pool has been increased from the last contest. 

1. $1200 (US)

2. $400

3. $250

4. $150

5. $100

6. $50

7. $50

8. $50

9. $50

10. $50

11. $20 site credit

12. $20 site credit

13. $20 site credit

14. $20 site credit

15. $20 site credit

16. $10 site credit

17. $10 site credit

18. $10 site credit

19. $10 site credit

20. $10 site credit 

My short story, "Canary" was awarded an Elite 8 Silver Trophy winning 9 out of 10 duels and ranked in the Top 8 out of 375 writers or the top 2% of participants in the False Utopia genre. It earned a Top 32 placement among 1208 total submitted stories or the Top 3% in the entire contest across all four genres. Also, there were nearly 397 people who were unable to finish or submit in time.  This was a wild ride that at times induced near panic attacks, especially on results day, but also during the entire debrief. I received 93 reads and comments during the debriefs. It was insane, and I do not know how, but I return-read every fan who read mine. 

My favorite part of this WB season was that I had so many people get to enjoy and read my work and connect to my character Ellie-May (46). It was such an experience to be among the best writers battling it out in the end and I am so honored to have prior champions and writing badasses such as Suzzane Link, Freya King, and RP Mickler  rooting me on. Additionally this season, I found a wonderful community on Discord named 11:59 Workshop that is insanely helpful and supportive. Spring Writing Battle is already signed up for. Here I come!

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Previous Update: I'm Stoked. I cannot reveal much until the Prompt Cards I received, but I can reveal the Genre! Here is a breakdown of my story.  

Day 1: Fri, Feb 2nd, 2024 - On Thursday at 9:30 pm battlers received a sneak peek of the Four Genres just before the official Start time. The categories were Buddy Cop, Culinary Catastrophe, Enemies to Lovers, and the genre I got False Utopia!

Prompt Cards:

Genre: False Utopia

Character: Widow

Object: Ladder

I picked my cards, which I cannot reveal yet, brainstormed heavily, and then began outlining most of the Friday until nearly 2 pm. I then spent the following seven hours producing little on paper. I would estimate I ended with around five-hundred words which may sound good for a one-thousand words story, but I had overwritten my outline and only accomplished the first two chapters of my five-chapter story. Needless to say, I ended my day tired around 9:30 pm overwhelmed that I was way off track and disconnected from my story and characters. 

Day 2: Sat, Feb 3rd, 2024 - I got great sleep the night before and woke up at 6 am ready for war. I attacked the story and wrote with little breaks until finishing my first draft at 4 pm. I had 1817 words written for a 1000-word flash fiction contest. Yikes! After dinner with my wife and a much-needed break away from the screen, I came back to the editing phase of my night and skimmed down the story to 1648 words until stopping at 10 pm, 150 words above my goal for Saturday. I then came up with a plan just in case I wasn't able to edit my story down without maintaining its integrity. I went to bed, worried, but focused. 

Day 3: Sun, Feb 4th, 2024 - I woke up focused, determined, and in a good mood at 7 am entered the "War Room" by 7:30 am and spent the entirety of the day editing down to 1000 words by 8:30 pm where I submitted my final battle draft of my story.

It was punishing, yet rewarding, but we did it! Shout out to my angelic wife who deserves a gold medal for helping me with preparations, offering invaluable brainstorming ideas, and contributing to my overall mental health during these three days. 

The next phase will involve me reading ten other stories and voting on them in different categories, and the next announcement will be posted when the results arrive at the end of February. Stay tuned and wish me luck! 

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Oldest Update: I've paid for this challenge and have scheduled it on the calendar. Prompt cards will be dealt at 10 pm on Feb 1st. I then have the choice to redraw replacement prompt cards until Feb 3rd at 10 pm. The specifics of the prompts are unknown but it appears there will be a Genre Card, a Character Card, and an Object Card. All I can do is wait...(Anxiously of course)

The original story is no longer available on the Writing Battle site, however, the expanded and edited version will be available here for free. In the future, I may take it down when submitting to Literary Journals or contests. 

My short story, "Ashtray" ranked 125 out of 312 writers or the top 40% of participants.   

Prompts:

Main Genre: Thriller

Subgenre: Environmental

Event: Blackout

Overall I enjoyed writing Ashtray, and I'm very pleased with my title. To write this, I pulled from personal experiences from my childhood, and at times it was tough to get through. Additionally, I refreshed a bunch of prompts and came up with dozens of great ideas that were more expected for the genre, but in the end, I am happy with what I produced in 500 words and I'm glad I went in a different direction than expected for a Thriller. 

I also learned that 500 words are not a favorite length to write for contests, but I'll continue to write them. 

For Twist in the Tale or T3, I was not as much of a fan of the rubric-based grading system, but I very much enjoyed the prompts and the fact I could have a little more control and choice over my story as we were allowed to cycle through a few before being locked in. 

I have signed up for the second contest and will return. 

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Previous Update:  Coming in at 496 words, I have written, beta'd, and submitted my story Titled "Ashtray."  Huge shout out to Freya for helping me with a bunch of corrections that enhanced the story to the next level in my opinion. The results of the contest will be released on Sunday, March 31st, at 8 pm EST. The Top Ten Prizes awarded are listed below. The best of the best are competing here so it's unlikely I place, but I remain hopeful. 

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Oldest Update: I've paid for this challenge and have it scheduled on the Calendar. Prompts will be issued at Midnight on Feb 24th. This is the first-ever Twist in the Tale contest! It’s 500 words and I will have a week to write. I'll be given the same main genre as everyone else but may get a different twisted (unusual) subgenre. For this contest, I'll be given an event to include and 3 rerolls for the subgenre and the event. Use this referral link to join if you are interested in this competition too: https://twistinthetale.com/referral/65a6f749a7d41bdaa0b20764 It's going to be a blast! 

The prize pool: 

1. $1000 (US)

2. $200

3. $100

4. $25 site credit + rare pet item

5. $25 site credit + rare pet item

6. $10 site credit

7. $10 site credit

8. $10 site credit

9. $10 site credit

10. $10 site credit 

This was my first contest outside of Prose.com and boy was it a culture shock, but for the good!  

My short story, "the Fear of Water" came away with an Honorable Mention winning 7 out of 10 duels and ranked in the top 152 out of 1438 writers or the top 10% of participants. It also ranked in the top 17% of 863 writers who submitted their stories, as nearly 575 people were unable to finish or submit in time.   

Contest description: Receive and redraw your prompts, and write an up-to-2000-word short story using the prompts. Four winners would each receive $2000 after dueling through many grueling rounds in a Swiss-style competition. The runner-ups would receive $500. 

Prompt Cards:

Genre: Halloween Frights

Subject: Unusual Problem-Solving

Action: Patrolling

Writing "the Fear of Water" dragged me through the mud and made me question everything, but in the end, I loved the process. The first draft ended with just over 3400 words. I spent an entire day cutting it down to 2000. I had many faults with it at the beginning and have made adjustments based on crucial feedback I received in the debriefing phase. 

The original story is no longer available on the Writing Battle site, however, the expanded and edited version will be available here for free. In the future, I may take it down when submitting to Literary Journals or contests. 

My Poem, "the Current" is the Grand Prize Winner of this challenge achieving not only a unanimous vote from the judging panel but also the popular vote. This is a first in Prose.com history per Jeff Stewart, the creator of Prose.  

Contest description: In five haikus, tell a story about the cycle of life. Start with being born, then so forth. Because this is absorbing the entirety of all Prose. Challenges until October's start, we're giving the winner $250. The winner is decided by a combination of likes and our panel. And...Go.

I am honored to have won among so many great entries and even more humbled by the vastness of amazing poets showcased in this challenge, over 147 of them. It was a fantastic challenge I'll never forget. 

Note: I have since taken my poem down from the site as I intend to submit it to Literary Journals and/or future contests.  

My Poem, "the Exhibit" is the Winner of this challenge rising to hold the popular vote up until the very end.

Contest description: Two words for this one: Long poem. The winner will be decided by likes and the panel. We know, we're complicated. Anyway, a long poem of yours, about anything at all. 100 big ones for the winner. GO. 

I will never forget writing this poem. Off and on, it took me over four months to complete as I had difficulty finding a way to write my message effectively. It took a life of its own and dictated to me when it was ready. Another fun fact is that this poem was the first time I tried to emulate one of my favorite poets, Charles Bukowski with his poem, Bluebird. This was my attempt to match his repetitive style with my take and voice.    

I am more than grateful to win this challenge. It truly validated that I was on the right track and helped instill more confidence to keep writing. There were nearly 100 entries and any one of them could have taken the cake. I'll never forget it. 

Note: I have since taken my poem down from the site as I intend to submit it to Literary Journals and/or future contests.  

Having secured the popular vote in this challenge my poem, "5:00 AM" is one of two Winners. The other winner was by staff choice.

Contest description: This week, post a poem that isn't necessarily your favorite, but it's a favorite of those who read you. The winner is decided by likes and us. As usual, 25 bucks is paid to the winner. Go. 

This was a surprising win for me because if you read the description, it's not an all-time favorite piece of mine. I appreciated the competition among nearly 70 entrants and am overjoyed it has been received well in more than two poetry contests now, Winning both. 

Note: I have since taken my poem down from the site as I intend to submit it to Literary Journals and/or future contests.