#writingcontest — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #writingcontest, aggregated by home.social.
-
Free entry for a contest for short story collections. For people who do not already have full-length prose books. https://fictionawards.writersworkshop.uiowa.edu/how-submit #WritingContest #ShortStoryCollection #WritingCommunity
-
Free entry for a contest for short story collections. For people who do not already have full-length prose books. https://fictionawards.writersworkshop.uiowa.edu/how-submit #WritingContest #ShortStoryCollection #WritingCommunity
-
Free entry for a contest for short story collections. For people who do not already have full-length prose books. https://fictionawards.writersworkshop.uiowa.edu/how-submit #WritingContest #ShortStoryCollection #WritingCommunity
-
Free entry for a contest for short story collections. For people who do not already have full-length prose books. https://fictionawards.writersworkshop.uiowa.edu/how-submit #WritingContest #ShortStoryCollection #WritingCommunity
-
Free entry for a contest for short story collections. For people who do not already have full-length prose books. https://fictionawards.writersworkshop.uiowa.edu/how-submit #WritingContest #ShortStoryCollection #WritingCommunity
-
I wrote a short story about The Gladiators of Pompeii for the Ancient Fanfiction Writing Contest of SASA Save Ancient Studies Alliance. It was fun. The pic shows my moodboard of the books I used while writing.
-
I wrote a short story about The Gladiators of Pompeii for the Ancient Fanfiction Writing Contest of SASA Save Ancient Studies Alliance. It was fun. The pic shows my moodboard of the books I used while writing.
-
I'll be at the Disability Pride Celebration at the Museum of Science in Boston on Saturday, July 25th! Local followers of Underground Bookshelf should reach out to me directly for the discount code to attend.
Come visit the Underground Bookshelf table to help write a group story, submit a micro-story, and pick out a free book!
https://www.underground-bookshelf.com/3218304_summer-events-2026
#DisabilityPride #MuseumOfScience #writing #books #WritingContest
-
I'll be at the Disability Pride Celebration at the Museum of Science in Boston on Saturday, July 25th! Local followers of Underground Bookshelf should reach out to me directly for the discount code to attend.
Come visit the Underground Bookshelf table to help write a group story, submit a micro-story, and pick out a free book!
https://www.underground-bookshelf.com/3218304_summer-events-2026
#DisabilityPride #MuseumOfScience #writing #books #WritingContest
-
I'll be at the Disability Pride Celebration at the Museum of Science in Boston on Saturday, July 25th! Local followers of Underground Bookshelf should reach out to me directly for the discount code to attend.
Come visit the Underground Bookshelf table to help write a group story, submit a micro-story, and pick out a free book!
https://www.underground-bookshelf.com/3218304_summer-events-2026
#DisabilityPride #MuseumOfScience #writing #books #WritingContest
-
I'll be at the Disability Pride Celebration at the Museum of Science in Boston on Saturday, July 25th! Local followers of Underground Bookshelf should reach out to me directly for the discount code to attend.
Come visit the Underground Bookshelf table to help write a group story, submit a micro-story, and pick out a free book!
https://www.underground-bookshelf.com/3218304_summer-events-2026
#DisabilityPride #MuseumOfScience #writing #books #WritingContest
-
I'll be at the Disability Pride Celebration at the Museum of Science in Boston on Saturday, July 25th! Local followers of Underground Bookshelf should reach out to me directly for the discount code to attend.
Come visit the Underground Bookshelf table to help write a group story, submit a micro-story, and pick out a free book!
https://www.underground-bookshelf.com/3218304_summer-events-2026
#DisabilityPride #MuseumOfScience #writing #books #WritingContest
-
The theme of the July writing contest is: OWN-VOICES STORYTELLING, PERSONAL FICTION or POETRY, MEMOIRS or NONFICTION
Submissions are open until July 26.
Details at: https://www.underground-bookshelf.com/3250546_july-2026-contest-submissions
#ownvoicechallenge #ownvoices #fiction #nonfiction #memoirwriting #poetry #writing #writingcontest
-
The theme of the July writing contest is: OWN-VOICES STORYTELLING, PERSONAL FICTION or POETRY, MEMOIRS or NONFICTION
Submissions are open until July 26.
Details at: https://www.underground-bookshelf.com/3250546_july-2026-contest-submissions
#ownvoicechallenge #ownvoices #fiction #nonfiction #memoirwriting #poetry #writing #writingcontest
-
The theme of the July writing contest is: OWN-VOICES STORYTELLING, PERSONAL FICTION or POETRY, MEMOIRS or NONFICTION
Submissions are open until July 26.
Details at: https://www.underground-bookshelf.com/3250546_july-2026-contest-submissions
#ownvoicechallenge #ownvoices #fiction #nonfiction #memoirwriting #poetry #writing #writingcontest
-
The theme of the July writing contest is: OWN-VOICES STORYTELLING, PERSONAL FICTION or POETRY, MEMOIRS or NONFICTION
Submissions are open until July 26.
Details at: https://www.underground-bookshelf.com/3250546_july-2026-contest-submissions
#ownvoicechallenge #ownvoices #fiction #nonfiction #memoirwriting #poetry #writing #writingcontest
-
The theme of the July writing contest is: OWN-VOICES STORYTELLING, PERSONAL FICTION or POETRY, MEMOIRS or NONFICTION
Submissions are open until July 26.
Details at: https://www.underground-bookshelf.com/3250546_july-2026-contest-submissions
#ownvoicechallenge #ownvoices #fiction #nonfiction #memoirwriting #poetry #writing #writingcontest
-
Faith, Fiction, & Fairytales @faithfictionandfairytales.wordpress.com@faithfictionandfairytales.wordpress.com ·Summer Contest Winner: “Tainted” by Gabrielle Newman
Helloooo!
It is July 13th, a week after the deadline for the “Land of the Free” short story contest, which means…
It’s time to feature our lovely winner and her short story!
I am super excited for Gabrielle, because she has submitted to every short story contest I’ve hosted thus far, come close a couple times, and now she’s won! Her story is not an easy one to read, but wow was it powerful. I hope you find it as moving as I did.
Thank you to all the runners-up who submitted their short fiction pieces. You all rock, and I wouldn’t be able to host contests like this without you! I hope that even if you didn’t win, you got some valuable insight to improve for next time!
And without further ado, the winning story!
Trigger warning: self-harm
“Tainted” by Gabrielle Newman
She does not control me anymore. She does not control me anymore. I am free. I am free. But I’m not. I killed them. I killed my parents. I killed my parents. I killed my parents. I am a murderer. I wasn’t strong enough to save them. I wasn’t strong enough. I —
“Shae!” my sister Ondrellia’s face appears on the other side of the bars, eyes wide, face pallid, crown glimmering atop her head.
Black burns running down the edge of her cheek, only half hidden by her hair. I nearly killed her, I nearly killed her, I couldn’t break Paera’s hold, I wasn’t strong enough…
“Are you okay?” she asks, “They wouldn’t let me see you before. Said they had to verify if you were still…”
“Being controlled like a puppet?” I offer.
She shouldn’t have been able to do that, shouldn’t have been able to control me. One of the limitations of our powers, as Ondrasae, is that we can’t physically control another living being. But for Tainted ones, those who choose to use their powers to harm others, it’s different. The Tainted can do other things. Horrible things. Things like making someone use his powers to kill his own parents. But their powers will only ever cause pain. My powers will only ever cause pain. I’m Tainted now, because of what she made me do. Because of what I did.
“I’m really sorry,” Ondrellia says, but she shouldn’t be apologising, I don’t deserve her apologies, I killed our parents, I killed Mother and Father, I deserve to die… “I should’ve seen, should’ve noticed, maybe then I could’ve…”
“Don’t,” the word comes out sharper than I intend, “Don’t. This isn’t your fault.”
It’s mine, all mine, I was stupid, I was weak, I wasn’t strong enough to stop her… Tears are glimmering in Ondrellia’s eyes. She wipes them away.
“I know, it’s just…”
A choked sob escapes her throat. I know how she feels. I feel the exact same way. The difference is she doesn’t deserve it.
“It’ll be okay,” I tell her, but I know it’s not true.
Nothing can ever be okay again. Not after this. But maybe she can be okay if I’m not there to make even more of a mess out of everything.
“I should be going,” she whispers, not looking at me, trying to calm her breathing, I can tell, “Yinumar will be waiting to prepare me for the ceremony.”
“What ceremony?” I ask, feeling like I should know but unable to think of any.
My brain is just not working. I suppose that’s one of the side effects of putting off sleeping all the time. Though I suppose it won’t matter if I’m executed. That’s standard practice for Tainted and assassin alike. I am both of those things. The latter might have been against my will, but it doesn’t change what I did. It doesn’t change that they’re dead, they died of my song, I will never talk to them, hug them, laugh with them, cry with them, ever again. I murdered them.
“The coronation ceremony,” Ondrellia’s answer cuts through my thoughts, “I am to be Queen.”
Though she tries to summon up some semblance of a smile, I can see the anxiety on her face, the fear and pain there. It’s a position she’s not prepared for. A responsibility she never thought she would assume. She hasn’t spent the past two hundred years training like I have, she doesn’t know what she’s doing, and now she has to rule the whole kingdom. If I hadn’t existed, she would’ve been prepared. If I hadn’t existed, Mother and Father wouldn’t be dead. I should just die. I should just die.
“Right. Goodbye then,” I tell her as she turns to leave. And then she’s gone and I’m left alone.
My nails dig deep into my flesh. Blood, not a luminescent white like it was, but a midnight black, streams down my wrists. And then the cut stitches itself together again, leaving no evidence that it was ever there. I wipe the excess blood away on my shirt. And then I do it again. And again. The pain is the only thing that keeps me sane. The only thing that keeps me from exploding, from tearing myself apart, from breaking completely as I sit in the dark, staring at the smooth dark walls surrounding me, resisting the urge to scream as I’m left in the silence with nothing left to do but remember…
No one has come to visit me since Ondrellia. That’s probably for the best. I keep singing. I didn’t want to, to start with, but eventually I couldn’t resist the urge anymore. My song is a part of me. And I suppose it doesn’t matter down here. The only person I can hurt is myself which doesn’t matter anyway. I deserve the punishment and they won’t torture me so why shouldn’t I just torture myself? The black burns I’ve sang into my flesh contrast sharply against my skin. Well, I’m not sure they’re burns exactly. They don’t scorch the actual flesh after all, but everywhere that’s been affected in constantly in searing pain like after one. The shadows tie around their victims like ropes of agony, leaving the marks behind in their wake. Maybe it’s their way of tainting whoever it hurts with the scars of their pain. If anyone deserves that, I do, I suppose.
“Shae, you awake?” Ondrellia’s voice, though hushed, causes me to wince as it breaks the silence.
“I’m awake,” I tell her, standing up as her anxious face appears through the bars.
Mother’s circlet glinting in whatever light slinks in from the hall as it sits atop her head. I hate it. She shouldn’t be wearing that. Mother should be. Mother would be. If I hadn’t murdered her. Everything’s so messed up…
“I don’t know what to do,” she tells me, voice laced with worry, “The Council thinks you should be executed, so you can’t harm anyone. And the Law of the Tainted decrees…”
So they’re finally going to do it. They’re finally going to kill me. This nightmare will finally be over.
“I don’t know how to stop them. If you have any ideas…”
She’s still trying to help me. Still trying to save me. I don’t deserve a second of it.
“Just let them do it, Ondrellia.”
She stares at me, eyes wide for a few moments, as if she can’t believe what she’s just heard. And then she speaks.
“No,” she says, “You’re not going to give up now. We’ll get through this, remember? God is with us.”
But is he?
Banishment. They’re going to banish me. They’re not going to execute me. No, they’re going to send me out into a world of vulnerable people who can’t even resist my powers to the slightest degree, not being Ondrasae. I’ll be forever barred from coming back here. But that doesn’t mean I won’t hurt anyone else. I need to die. Before anyone else does. I need to die. I need to find a dagger that can hurt me and bleed out every last drop of Tainted blood. Be free again, even if it is as a corpse. Rot away until there’s nothing left of me to taint this world.
“Please, say something,” Ondrellia says, watching me for a response, “You’re kind of freaking me out.”
The attempted lightness in her tone grates on my ears.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” I tell her.
I’m just so tired… Why can’t she let me die like I’m meant to? I’m not sure I can do this anymore, I’m just so messed up…
“I shouldn’t have saved your life?” Ondrellia asks, voice indignant.
I should probably be thanking her. But she doesn’t know what she’s doing. And I deserve death anyway.
“Yes, you shouldn’t have,” I say, and then the words are spilling out, one after the other, “You’re just going to cause more problems. What do you think is going to happen if other Tainted, other murderers, are arrested, and they want the same treatment? Don’t you see what that will do?”
My voice is loud, I don’t know why I’m so angry but I am, maybe it’s just me I’m angry at, I don’t know, I should shut up…
“I don’t care what it will do if it saves your life!” she snaps back.
“Well, then you’re a terrible queen!”
I don’t mean to say the words. Or let loose the song that comes after, that wraps around her, leaving its dark stains on her skin as she screams and screams and I’m calling for help and trying to make it stop but it won’t stop, where are the guards, why aren’t they stopping me, they need to stop me, I can’t stop this myself, I’m too weak, always too weak… And then the guards come and someone slams the hilt of a sword into the side of my head and I’m falling…
My eyes blink open. Ondrellia’s sitting beside me, concern for me in her features despite the black now staining her flesh. I hate this. I hate this so much.
“Just slit my throat. Please.”
I’m begging, begging, I can’t keep hurting everyone, I’m so tired of this… She shakes her head. And suddenly I’m crying, crying so hard my body shakes because I’m weak and stupid and I don’t know what else to do… I miss before. I miss freedom. I miss being untainted. More than anything, I miss them. And I can’t get them back. Ondrellia is holding my hand. I don’t want her to. I don’t deserve her to.
“I’m so sorry…” I whisper.
For everything. For hurting her. For saying she was a terrible queen. For killing them. For everything.
“It’s okay,” she says, tears in her eyes too, “It’s going to be okay. He’s with us. He’ll get us there. But you’ve got to stay until then.”
Tears are slipping down her cheeks as well. She’s begging me. Begging me to stay. And I’m not sure I can.
“I’ll try.”
I will. Or I’ll try to try, at least. But everything’s so broken… I’m not even sure he’s there. What if we never get through it? Ondrellia squeezes my hand once more.
“It’ll be okay,” she tells me, “Maybe you’ll even find freedom out there.”
But can I really ever be free from this?
The moment I step outside my senses are flooded with the overwhelming light that emanates from the gates, momentarily blinding my dark adjusted eyes. They stand, tall, proud, wardens defending the kingdom from whatever threats lie outside. A shame they couldn’t protect it from me. The night sky above is as black as the veins snaking down my wrists, a reminder of what I’ve become, of what I am. But, unlike my blood, the sky is laced with stars that pierce through the shadows. Pure, untainted light. I doubt there’s a drop of that left in my body. Not after what she made me do. What I did. Not after I killed them. The shimmering stardust sand beneath me loses all light everywhere my feet touch it, condemning me as much as the crowd that’s gathered to watch my banishment. Once it welcomed me, shining with light every step I took. Once they welcomed me. But I’m not their prince anymore. Not after what I did. Now even the sand of my home hates me. I don’t blame it. I hate myself. The guards tug me towards the palace, towering above me, majestic and imposing and agonising all at once in its light sung splendour, yet at the same time strangely comforting. Home. But I killed the people who made it home. I killed Mother and Father. And now I will never return to this place again. I deserve worse, I know the crowd’s thinking, filling the pillared courtyard with a combination of anger and horror so thick it fills the very air. And I agree with them, silently wishing that it would be blood, not salt, that I can taste coating my lips as Ondrellia stands to speak. The black stains from my song are hidden neatly under her hair, but I know they’re there, and the knowledge feels like a knife to the gut. I shouldn’t exist. The very fact that I do just causes suffering. I want to die. I want to die. Why can’t I die? My sister’s voice rings through the air.
“We are here today to bear witness to the banishment of Shaedron Allam, son of King Edanar and Queen Yaelas Allam, for the death that Taints his blood.”
Ondrellia’s voice is steady, queenly. She sounds like Mother. The thought sends another knife of pain through me.
“Though we recognise the acts that Tainted him were not his own and performed against his will, we also recognise the danger he poses to our kingdom and so, with regret, must banish him from our land for the rest of his lifetime. Any attempt to set foot within our borders shall result in swift execution. Do you understand this, Shaedron Allam?”
Swift execution honestly sounds amazing at this point. All it would take would be me to step inside and I could finally die… Ondrellia’s pleading gaze catches mine. She wants me to stay. I can’t stay, I need to die, doesn’t she get it? I make everything worse.
“Shae, please…”
She must be using her song to transfer the sound so I can hear it. Her Untainted song she can use without hurting anyone. I can’t seem to do anything without hurting anyone. But I promised her I’d try to stay. Slowly, I nod my head.
I’m alone, as I have been since I left. The rough valley walls dig into my back as I sit, staring out into the night, unable to fall asleep. Though I’m not sure I’d want to even if I could. The night air, fresh and clear, fills my lungs. Lungs that it shouldn’t fill. Lungs that should be dead. The Unlorian is silent around me, hushed, as if always listening, the only sound breaking it the odd whoosh as a geyser of flame springs up from one of the many founts lying around the canyon floor. It’s surprisingly peaceful for a place rumoured to be so perilous. Empty and calm. Even the flames just provide gentle warmth to my skin, almost comforting in the emptiness. Bringing to the surface memories of nights spent in the flickering light of the flames lining the palace halls. They are always there, in every single one. They were always there, every day of the two hundred years of my life. And now they’re gone. I killed them. The scream that’s between waiting so long to escape finally does, shattering the fragile silence as I shatter everything else. And then I’m crying stupid, weak tears, the silence returning to embrace me as I weep. The whisper of the flames is a lullaby, singing to me until my eyes finally begin to blink shut…
Rain is drumming on my flesh. I can feel each cool droplet on my skin, providing a small comfort to the black patches costing it. I sing it away, directing the punishment for it back towards myself. Soaking up the searing pain as I open my eyes. Puddles dot the valley floor, and any spurts of flame that rise are weak and sputtering, as if the fire is drowning. The red rock of the walls is drenched, transformed into a strange brownish colour by the dampness, and the sky is a blanket of murky grey above everything. It should seem miserable, but it doesn’t. No, in some strange way it’s majestic and homely and foreboding and comforting all at once. God formed it that way, I suppose. Made even the storm into something of a miracle. Though if he did, why didn’t he save them? Why did he let them die? But death can’t hurt us if we trust in him, can it? Can I even believe that? I tortured them until they died and where was he? Right there, he was right there, you know he was right there, he was what set you free, I remind myself but do I even know that, what if it was a coincidence, can I believe he really cares after what he let me become… I’m insane, I’m insane, I’m insane, this just needs to end, please let it end…
“God, if you’re there, please, help me or let me die.”
I’m too weak. Too powerless to help them. Unable to break Paera’s grip. I’m a failure. I’m a failure. I can’t get free. She’s going to make me kill them and anyone else who she wants dead, I will always be a prisoner, a killer…
“God, please, help me.”
I can’t do this, I’m too weak, I can’t get out, I’m just so… And then I feel it. A trickle of light, a snatch of a song, and the darkness begins to crack… Ondrellia teleports in, taking in everything with wide eyes, and before I know it, I’m singing again, shadows wrapping around her too… No, no, no… And then the snatch of song comes back to me, words of a melody I know well, and I’m singing different words. A song not of darkness. Of light. Of love. Of surrender to someone far more powerful than Paera Shannae. Him. The shadows begin to shatter. Agonising pain tears through my body as she tries to regain control, it the last thing I see as I pass out is light, glimmering, replacing the darkness…
My song, reduced to nothing more than a twisted melody of death, echoes through the air. One black welt after another appears on my flesh, and I drink in the suffering. Until it’s someone else’s screams filling my ears. Suddenly I’m running, stopping singing altogether as I try to find whoever I’m hurting… And then I see her, a human woman lying in the mud, shadows surrounding her. She’s in pain. So much pain. Pain that I am causing. I’ve stopped singing but the shadows are still twisting about her, ignoring my command to leave. So I do the only thing I can. I continue the harmony. I sing it back onto myself and let it consume me, crushing me, choking me, killing me… And I don’t care.
I haven’t teleported since I became Tainted. Too much risk. But now I do. Needing to get away from her. Needing to get away from the compassion in her eyes when she’d looked at me. Needing to get away from the darkness staining their corpses, Ondrellia’s face, this woman’s skin… Shadows, rather than light, surround me. I project every piece of pain into myself. The pain is to the point of tearing me apart. I wish it would. I wish the human girl hadn’t resuscitated me. But she had. At least she can’t follow me here. The shadows around me dissipate, no trace remaining except the dark stains on my flesh. I stand on a beach, on the edge of the waves I will drown in. I take a single step forward. The water cascades over my feet, bringing back memories of how they used to play with us in a place like this. Mother would sing the water into all kinds of things, fish, birds, all sorts. Ondrellia and I would try to catch them, and more often than not I’d cheat and sing them back to myself. Father would come up with some elaborate method of soaking us head to toe, often by creating various sea monsters from the water and dripping them over our heads. Ondrellia would always complain about how it messed up her hair. I miss them. I miss them. I miss them so much. Another step. And another. And another. A song about the shifting tides that they taught me enters my mind. I remember singing it all the time, to do everything from pulling books from the shelves to teleporting between worlds. I was fifteen when it was taught to me, practically an infant, but the song has always stayed with me. Deeper. I go deeper. Water nearly up to my head now. The waves slam into me with every step, yet they have about as much impact as a tidal against the barrier protecting Ondras Ali. Which, fortunately for our seaside citadel, is absolutely none. I remember one time, watching the wave shattering over the barrier, majestic and wondrous and mildly terrifying all at once. We would all stand on the balcony together and watch. It felt like we were invincible. But I broke that. I break everything. And it has to end. I go deeper. My head’s underwater now. And I’m ready to drown. Another memory slips into my mind. A passage from the Book. About people being baptised to be washed clean from their sins or something like that, I can’t remember exactly. Could freedom really be as simple as that? But no. I’m Tainted. And the things that Taint me are ones that water can’t wash away. I’m a murderer. I’m a monster. I hurt everyone around me. I’m Tainted and an idiot and too weak to protect the people around me, even from myself.
“And that is what some of you were…”
It’s what I am. Water enters my airways. I deserve this. I deserve to drown. This is who I am. But is it who I have to be?
“But you were washed, you were sanctified…”
Can I be? Death swallows me, Taints me. Can that really be washed away?
“you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the spirit of our God.”
I emerge from the waves, coughing up the water I had swallowed. And I feel him. All around me, his presence, so close and so impossible and undeserved and yet unmistakably right there like he promised he would be… Like he always has been. I just didn’t see it.
“I’m sorry,” the words spill out, and I sound as broken and weak as I am but I don’t care anymore… “I’m sorry I left. But please, if you can help someone as twisted, as Tainted as me… Please. Wash me clean. Sanctify me. Justify me. Set me free.”
And I’m crying again. But I’m crying in his arms. And suddenly, none of my weakness, none of the darkness staining me, none of that matters. In his arms I surrender it all. The shadows. The death. Everything that makes me stained. And he washes me clean. He sanctifies me. He justifies me. And in his arms, I am no longer Tainted. No, I am free.
Judge’s Notes
Gabrielle!! Oh my goodness!!! That was so beautiful and compelling. There is so much that I love, but the ending is the best part, of course… the way you worked in snatches of the Bible verse, turning drowning into baptism…ugh. Your persistence in continuing to submit to every single contest astounds me, and this is definitely the best you’ve submitted thus far!
I feel like the writing itself, the commas and frantic thoughts, really get us inside of Shae’s head and show how intrusive and panicky these negative thoughts have become. There were a few spots I feel like it might have been better with periods instead, but that’s definitely a stylistic choice, and I really liked the emotions it invoked for me as the reader.
Wow, girl. This is such a powerful story. So dark and painful… but with such light threaded in. Thank you for submitting it!
About the Author
Gabrielle Newman is a teen author and book lover with a soft spot for redemption arcs and stories of hope and healing. She writes stories in nearly every genre, though dystopian and fantasy are her favourites. When not writing, she can likely be found reading, singing, or working on artwork of some kind. She lives in New Zealand with her family and their adorable pet cats.
What inspired your short story?
Well, the inspiration to write a story about Shae came years ago when I was writing a portal fantasy that I planned to become a novel (which I have tried and failed to rewrite several times, so it may be one of those that never sees the light of day, lol) and the characters met Queen Ondrellia, who had a brother named Shaedron who was Tainted and had been banished from the city for mysterious reasons. I’d tried to write a story about him a few times but it hadn’t really worked, so I’d pushed it to the back of my mind. And then I was trying to think of something to write for the contest after about a thousand attempts, and I saw that verse. So that and the theme of freedom sort of melded together with my ideas for Shae to create this story.
What is your current WIP?
The real question is, what isn’t my current wip? Lol. But yeah, here are the ones that are: a highly amusing Beauty and the Beast retelling for one of Beyond the Bookery’s collections where the Beast character is absolutely hilarious, a fae fantasy novel about a prince and a wingless girl and doing the right thing despite the risks, draft 2 of Afraid, a multi-author 26 book series with some friends, and some others that I’m brainstorming. In other words, way too many, lol.
What tips would you give to writers entering short fiction contests?
Don’t try and write for the sake of writing the world’s most amazing short story. Just write from your heart. Don’t worry too much about what they’ll think. The story that you write out of love for your story and the people who might read it is going to be much better than the story that you write just for the sake of writing a story people will think is amazing. If that makes any sense.
Congratulations, Gabrielle!
Thanks again to all five of the writers who created a short story for this contest and were bold enough to submit. Putting yourself out there for feedback and criticism is not easy, and you all should be proud of yourselves for taking that scary step!
And keep an eye out! There may just be a fall contest announced here soon!
What did you think of Gabrielle’s story? How is your summer going? What fall-inspired themes can you think of?
Leave a like if you enjoyed this post, and subscribe to receive future posts to your inbox!
#1stPlace #firstPlace #freedom #shortStory #shortStoryContest #summerContest #winner #writingContest -
This week on Underground Bookshelf:
Poem: "Bumblebee Yellow Swimsuit" by Kristen
Essay: How I read non-fiction books by Alex Chan
Resource: Nonfiction Books by Authors of Iranian Heritage (Part 2)Kids' Corner:
Women Who Broke the Rules: Sonia Sotomayor (Chapter Five)
Books that Center Homelessness for Middle Grade Readers Part 2The July contest: Own Voices, personal stories, Memoirs
More at: https://www.underground-bookshelf.com/
#ownvoices #shortstories #fiction #WritingContest #poem #Essays
-
This week on Underground Bookshelf:
Poem: "Bumblebee Yellow Swimsuit" by Kristen
Essay: How I read non-fiction books by Alex Chan
Resource: Nonfiction Books by Authors of Iranian Heritage (Part 2)Kids' Corner:
Women Who Broke the Rules: Sonia Sotomayor (Chapter Five)
Books that Center Homelessness for Middle Grade Readers Part 2The July contest: Own Voices, personal stories, Memoirs
More at: https://www.underground-bookshelf.com/
#ownvoices #shortstories #fiction #WritingContest #poem #Essays
-
This week on Underground Bookshelf:
Poem: "Bumblebee Yellow Swimsuit" by Kristen
Essay: How I read non-fiction books by Alex Chan
Resource: Nonfiction Books by Authors of Iranian Heritage (Part 2)Kids' Corner:
Women Who Broke the Rules: Sonia Sotomayor (Chapter Five)
Books that Center Homelessness for Middle Grade Readers Part 2The July contest: Own Voices, personal stories, Memoirs
More at: https://www.underground-bookshelf.com/
#ownvoices #shortstories #fiction #WritingContest #poem #Essays
-
This week on Underground Bookshelf:
Poem: "Bumblebee Yellow Swimsuit" by Kristen
Essay: How I read non-fiction books by Alex Chan
Resource: Nonfiction Books by Authors of Iranian Heritage (Part 2)Kids' Corner:
Women Who Broke the Rules: Sonia Sotomayor (Chapter Five)
Books that Center Homelessness for Middle Grade Readers Part 2The July contest: Own Voices, personal stories, Memoirs
More at: https://www.underground-bookshelf.com/
#ownvoices #shortstories #fiction #WritingContest #poem #Essays
-
This week on Underground Bookshelf:
Poem: "Bumblebee Yellow Swimsuit" by Kristen
Essay: How I read non-fiction books by Alex Chan
Resource: Nonfiction Books by Authors of Iranian Heritage (Part 2)Kids' Corner:
Women Who Broke the Rules: Sonia Sotomayor (Chapter Five)
Books that Center Homelessness for Middle Grade Readers Part 2The July contest: Own Voices, personal stories, Memoirs
More at: https://www.underground-bookshelf.com/
#ownvoices #shortstories #fiction #WritingContest #poem #Essays
-
Call for submissions!
The July writing contest theme is:
Own Voices, Personal Fiction or Poetry, Memoirs or NonfictionLearn more at: https://www.underground-bookshelf.com/3250546_july-2026-contest-submissions
#writingcommunity #WritingContest #ownvoice #ownvoicechallenge #Fiction #poetry #memoirwriting #memoir #nonfiction #writingchallenges #callforsubmissions #submissionsopen #disability #disabilitypride #lgbtqia #bipocauthors #queerauthors #disabledauthor
-
Call for submissions!
The July writing contest theme is:
Own Voices, Personal Fiction or Poetry, Memoirs or NonfictionLearn more at: https://www.underground-bookshelf.com/3250546_july-2026-contest-submissions
#writingcommunity #WritingContest #ownvoice #ownvoicechallenge #Fiction #poetry #memoirwriting #memoir #nonfiction #writingchallenges #callforsubmissions #submissionsopen #disability #disabilitypride #lgbtqia #bipocauthors #queerauthors #disabledauthor
-
Call for submissions!
The July writing contest theme is:
Own Voices, Personal Fiction or Poetry, Memoirs or NonfictionLearn more at: https://www.underground-bookshelf.com/3250546_july-2026-contest-submissions
#writingcommunity #WritingContest #ownvoice #ownvoicechallenge #Fiction #poetry #memoirwriting #memoir #nonfiction #writingchallenges #callforsubmissions #submissionsopen #disability #disabilitypride #lgbtqia #bipocauthors #queerauthors #disabledauthor
-
Call for submissions!
The July writing contest theme is:
Own Voices, Personal Fiction or Poetry, Memoirs or NonfictionLearn more at: https://www.underground-bookshelf.com/3250546_july-2026-contest-submissions
#writingcommunity #WritingContest #ownvoice #ownvoicechallenge #Fiction #poetry #memoirwriting #memoir #nonfiction #writingchallenges #callforsubmissions #submissionsopen #disability #disabilitypride #lgbtqia #bipocauthors #queerauthors #disabledauthor
-
Call for submissions!
The July writing contest theme is:
Own Voices, Personal Fiction or Poetry, Memoirs or NonfictionLearn more at: https://www.underground-bookshelf.com/3250546_july-2026-contest-submissions
#writingcommunity #WritingContest #ownvoice #ownvoicechallenge #Fiction #poetry #memoirwriting #memoir #nonfiction #writingchallenges #callforsubmissions #submissionsopen #disability #disabilitypride #lgbtqia #bipocauthors #queerauthors #disabledauthor
-
FINAL DAY TO ENTER!
The Alberta Views short story contest ends tonight at midnight.
We are in the office to answer questions until 4:30 MDT.
For full details check out: albertaviews.ca/short-story-...
#WritingContest #BookSky #WriteSky #FictionContest #Magazine #CanLit #Writers #LiteraryContest -
FINAL DAY TO ENTER!
The Alberta Views short story contest ends tonight at midnight.
We are in the office to answer questions until 4:30 MDT.
For full details check out: albertaviews.ca/short-story-...
#WritingContest #BookSky #WriteSky #FictionContest #Magazine #CanLit #Writers #LiteraryContest -
FINAL DAY TO ENTER!
The Alberta Views short story contest ends tonight at midnight.
We are in the office to answer questions until 4:30 MDT.
For full details check out: albertaviews.ca/short-story-...
#WritingContest #BookSky #WriteSky #FictionContest #Magazine #CanLit #Writers #LiteraryContest -
FINAL DAY TO ENTER!
The Alberta Views short story contest ends tonight at midnight.
We are in the office to answer questions until 4:30 MDT.
For full details check out: albertaviews.ca/short-story-...
#WritingContest #BookSky #WriteSky #FictionContest #Magazine #CanLit #Writers #LiteraryContest -
FINAL DAY TO ENTER!
The Alberta Views short story contest ends tonight at midnight.
We are in the office to answer questions until 4:30 MDT.
For full details check out: albertaviews.ca/short-story-...
#WritingContest #BookSky #WriteSky #FictionContest #Magazine #CanLit #Writers #LiteraryContest -
5 days remaining. Deadline is June 30
Alberta writers, send us your stories!
albertaviews.ca/short-story-...
#WritingContest #Fiction #ShortStory #Booksky #WriteSky #FictionContest #LiteraryContest #Alberta #Magazine #Contest #Alberta #CanLit -
5 days remaining. Deadline is June 30
Alberta writers, send us your stories!
albertaviews.ca/short-story-...
#WritingContest #Fiction #ShortStory #Booksky #WriteSky #FictionContest #LiteraryContest #Alberta #Magazine #Contest #Alberta #CanLit -
5 days remaining. Deadline is June 30
Alberta writers, send us your stories!
albertaviews.ca/short-story-...
#WritingContest #Fiction #ShortStory #Booksky #WriteSky #FictionContest #LiteraryContest #Alberta #Magazine #Contest #Alberta #CanLit -
5 days remaining. Deadline is June 30
Alberta writers, send us your stories!
albertaviews.ca/short-story-...
#WritingContest #Fiction #ShortStory #Booksky #WriteSky #FictionContest #LiteraryContest #Alberta #Magazine #Contest #Alberta #CanLit -
5 days remaining. Deadline is June 30
Alberta writers, send us your stories!
albertaviews.ca/short-story-...
#WritingContest #Fiction #ShortStory #Booksky #WriteSky #FictionContest #LiteraryContest #Alberta #Magazine #Contest #Alberta #CanLit -
Join the micro-poetry contest (20-words or less)! This contest is one of the activities we are hosting during the Roxbury Poetry Festival, but you can join the fun early online!
Rules and submission form available at: https://forms.gle/m3dVZxFS23gWNtwx9
#poems #poetrychallenge #poetrycommunity #poetry #poetrylovers #poesia #poetrycontest #writingcommunity #writingcontest
-
Join the micro-poetry contest (20-words or less)! This contest is one of the activities we are hosting during the Roxbury Poetry Festival, but you can join the fun early online!
Rules and submission form available at: https://forms.gle/m3dVZxFS23gWNtwx9
#poems #poetrychallenge #poetrycommunity #poetry #poetrylovers #poesia #poetrycontest #writingcommunity #writingcontest
-
Join the micro-poetry contest (20-words or less)! This contest is one of the activities we are hosting during the Roxbury Poetry Festival, but you can join the fun early online!
Rules and submission form available at: https://forms.gle/m3dVZxFS23gWNtwx9
#poems #poetrychallenge #poetrycommunity #poetry #poetrylovers #poesia #poetrycontest #writingcommunity #writingcontest
-
Calling Alberta writers! This is the last week to submit to our short story contest. DEADLINE: June 30
Check out the full details here:
albertaviews.ca/short-story-...
#Fiction #writers #WritingContest #Booksky #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #fictionContest #LiteraryContest #Alberta -
Calling Alberta writers! This is the last week to submit to our short story contest. DEADLINE: June 30
Check out the full details here:
albertaviews.ca/short-story-...
#Fiction #writers #WritingContest #Booksky #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #fictionContest #LiteraryContest #Alberta -
Calling Alberta writers! This is the last week to submit to our short story contest. DEADLINE: June 30
Check out the full details here:
albertaviews.ca/short-story-...
#Fiction #writers #WritingContest #Booksky #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #fictionContest #LiteraryContest #Alberta -
Calling Alberta writers! This is the last week to submit to our short story contest. DEADLINE: June 30
Check out the full details here:
albertaviews.ca/short-story-...
#Fiction #writers #WritingContest #Booksky #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #fictionContest #LiteraryContest #Alberta -
Calling Alberta writers! This is the last week to submit to our short story contest. DEADLINE: June 30
Check out the full details here:
albertaviews.ca/short-story-...
#Fiction #writers #WritingContest #Booksky #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #fictionContest #LiteraryContest #Alberta -
Imagined Endings
Perhaps you remember the “Dear Aliens” contest? Maybe you even submitted a story to be shared with our alien visitors?
Mr Man and I have had a lot going on over the past few months so I did not get a story together, but I’m glad that many of you did. And now, the winners have been announced!
To Those Arriving Soon by MacEagon Voyce
“You’ll know by now that we humans fear the unknown, and that we fill that chasm with stories, imagining endings we have some agency over.”
See the full list for the top ten stories, and enjoy!
* * *
Photo by Tyler Lastovich on Unsplash #365Ways #365Ways2026 #aliens #contests #freeFiction #scifi #Writers #writing #writingContest -
Imagined Endings
Perhaps you remember the “Dear Aliens” contest? Maybe you even submitted a story to be shared with our alien visitors?
Mr Man and I have had a lot going on over the past few months so I did not get a story together, but I’m glad that many of you did. And now, the winners have been announced!
To Those Arriving Soon by MacEagon Voyce
“You’ll know by now that we humans fear the unknown, and that we fill that chasm with stories, imagining endings we have some agency over.”
See the full list for the top ten stories, and enjoy!
* * *
Photo by Tyler Lastovich on Unsplash #365Ways #365Ways2026 #aliens #contests #freeFiction #scifi #Writers #writing #writingContest -
Imagined Endings
Perhaps you remember the “Dear Aliens” contest? Maybe you even submitted a story to be shared with our alien visitors?
Mr Man and I have had a lot going on over the past few months so I did not get a story together, but I’m glad that many of you did. And now, the winners have been announced!
To Those Arriving Soon by MacEagon Voyce
“You’ll know by now that we humans fear the unknown, and that we fill that chasm with stories, imagining endings we have some agency over.”
See the full list for the top ten stories, and enjoy!
* * *
Photo by Tyler Lastovich on Unsplash #365Ways #365Ways2026 #aliens #contests #freeFiction #scifi #Writers #writing #writingContest -
Imagined Endings
Perhaps you remember the “Dear Aliens” contest? Maybe you even submitted a story to be shared with our alien visitors?
Mr Man and I have had a lot going on over the past few months so I did not get a story together, but I’m glad that many of you did. And now, the winners have been announced!
To Those Arriving Soon by MacEagon Voyce
“You’ll know by now that we humans fear the unknown, and that we fill that chasm with stories, imagining endings we have some agency over.”
See the full list for the top ten stories, and enjoy!
* * *
Photo by Tyler Lastovich on Unsplash #365Ways #365Ways2026 #aliens #contests #freeFiction #scifi #Writers #writing #writingContest -
Welcome to the 6th Monthly Writing Contest of 2026! The theme is: HISTORICAL, GOTHIC, or PERIOD FICTION.
Please note: Fanfiction is NOT accepted. Please submit original work only.
Winners are featured on Underground Bookshelf!
https://www.underground-bookshelf.com/3190763_june-2026-contest-submissions
#writing #shortstories #poetry #fiction #historicalfiction #gothic #gothicfiction #periodfiction #writingcontest #poetrycontest #genrefiction
-
Welcome to the 6th Monthly Writing Contest of 2026! The theme is: HISTORICAL, GOTHIC, or PERIOD FICTION.
Please note: Fanfiction is NOT accepted. Please submit original work only.
Winners are featured on Underground Bookshelf!
https://www.underground-bookshelf.com/3190763_june-2026-contest-submissions
#writing #shortstories #poetry #fiction #historicalfiction #gothic #gothicfiction #periodfiction #writingcontest #poetrycontest #genrefiction
-
Welcome to the 6th Monthly Writing Contest of 2026! The theme is: HISTORICAL, GOTHIC, or PERIOD FICTION.
Please note: Fanfiction is NOT accepted. Please submit original work only.
Winners are featured on Underground Bookshelf!
https://www.underground-bookshelf.com/3190763_june-2026-contest-submissions
#writing #shortstories #poetry #fiction #historicalfiction #gothic #gothicfiction #periodfiction #writingcontest #poetrycontest #genrefiction
-
Welcome to the 6th Monthly Writing Contest of 2026! The theme is: HISTORICAL, GOTHIC, or PERIOD FICTION.
Please note: Fanfiction is NOT accepted. Please submit original work only.
Winners are featured on Underground Bookshelf!
https://www.underground-bookshelf.com/3190763_june-2026-contest-submissions
#writing #shortstories #poetry #fiction #historicalfiction #gothic #gothicfiction #periodfiction #writingcontest #poetrycontest #genrefiction
-
Welcome to the 6th Monthly Writing Contest of 2026! The theme is: HISTORICAL, GOTHIC, or PERIOD FICTION.
Please note: Fanfiction is NOT accepted. Please submit original work only.
Winners are featured on Underground Bookshelf!
https://www.underground-bookshelf.com/3190763_june-2026-contest-submissions
#writing #shortstories #poetry #fiction #historicalfiction #gothic #gothicfiction #periodfiction #writingcontest #poetrycontest #genrefiction
