Tag Archives: writing contests

New York City Midnight Short Story Challenge

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Writer Wendy’s weekly installment

The New York City Midnight Short Story Challenge opens tonight.

This is when about 15,000 people try writing a 3,000 word story in a week or less, based on a prompt that involves a character, a genre, and a plot device.

I’d always wanted to enter, and last year finally made it. (Hey, if the pandemic taught us anything, it’s: don’t postpone joy.) The prompts drop at midnight on Fridays. I rose bright and early Saturday morning to discover I was writing an action adventure story based on a coast-to-coast killer and a weird teacher.

Just shoot me.

Actually, I had a good time writing something in a genre I don’t even read. A little boning up on what action adventure entails, a little whimsical use of crochet as a plot device, and viola, I was through to the next round.

Round two is when the sheep and the goats start dividing. Round 1 is basically eliminating people who don’t write in complete sentences. Round two was fun as well, and while I enjoyed it, my life was complete by not getting tossed out the first time in the first round.

So when I advanced to round 3, I was kinda astonished. And scared. Pressure was on. We were now down to 100s instead of 1000s.

I didn’t make round 4 last year. The prompt drops at midnight, and I certainly plan to get at least to round 3 this year. We shall see.

Except a lot of weird questions. One reason I made it as far as I did last year was all the help friends sent me. They read, edited, suggested, and checked facts. It was pretty intense. (The deadlines get shorter each round.)

I look forward to what this year’s short story challenge brings. But believe me: nothing could be worse than writing an action adventure about a teacher who crocheted a note to the police.

Come back next Friday for more from Wendy Welch

Write Comes to the Cumberlands

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August 9-10 is WRITE COMES TO THE CUMBERLANDS – yeah yeah, so I like puns. This is an all-day workshop on  Saturday 10th when you can work on your novel or narrative non-fiction.

It’s being held in scenic Lee County, VA, at a hundred-year-old farmhouse in Turkey Cove. Participants arrive the night before for an optional opening session and find their sleeping quarters (beds available from cheap and cheerful to elegant and private, $10 to $50 per night). The next day after a home-cooked farm breakfast we’ll gather around the table to talk projects, do some prompting exercises, set personal goals and strategies, and then off you go to write, write, write. Throughout the day you can have private critiques and we will regroup in the afternoon to discuss publication options and whether to find an agent. It all happens in an encouraging atmosphere.

From beginners on up, this workshop focuses on ideas, productivity, and jumping the hurdles that hold us back. We meet for supper at 5:30, then drive to the bookstore (4 miles away) for an evening of reading your works and enjoying music together, 7-9 pm.

The workshop without accommodation is $140 and includes all-day Saturday meals and snacks. If you are interested in attending, slip over to the Tales of the Lonesome Pine LLC page on Facebook and check out the invitation.

Payment can be made via Paypal to jbeck69087@aol.com; or you can mail a check to the bookstore (address is on the FB page). Payments are 100% refundable until August 3. Questions? Ask them here or leave them on the FB page.

My friend Elizabeth, whose majestic farmhouse will be the site of this workshop, will be blogging about it at the end of the month. A gourmet cook and a medical doctor with a passion for flavorful and healthy local food, her meals will be as wonderful as the fun of gathering with other writers to get your gumption on.

Ready to write? Ready to roll? Let’s do this thing!