Short Story Contest Results

Well, the NYC Midnight 2017 Short Story Challenge winners have been announced--and I'm not one of them. I am a little disappointed, but having read the synopses of the top 20 stories and having read the winning story, I understand why. NYC Midnight judges tend like stories with a slightly different take or with a twist, and mine didn't have either of those. (I would, however, like credit for getting the prompt "write a story about an undertaker at sunrise" and NOT writing a vampire story.) My story also didn't have the emotional wallop of the winning story, which you can read here. Still, I'm happy I made it as far as I did. It was quite a ride.

Better luck next year!

Short Story Contest Update

The results of Round 2 of the NYC Midnight Short Story Challenge 2017 were announced last night/this morning and guess what? I FINISHED FIRST IN MY HEAT!

Here's the proof:

For this round of the contest, I had to write a horror story. It came very easily, thanks to a lifetime of reading Stephen King. In fact, this time I had the opposite problem from Round 1: I wrote too much. We had a 2,000 word limit, and I could have easily written 5,000 words if I hadn't put on the brakes.

I really like the story I wrote this time, and I think it has great potential. So I'm not posting it. I'm going to work on it and try to get it published somewhere, someday. If you would like to read it in its current form, I'm happy to send you a copy.

What does finishing first in my heat mean?

It means the judges like me, they really like me! (Okay, they like my story--and apologies to Sally Field for the blatant plagiarism.)

It also means that I've advanced to the finals--meaning I get to spend my weekend writing one more short story. I've been doing these NYC Midnight contests for years, and this is the first time I've made it this far. Depending on where I finish in the finals, there might actually be cash prizes involved. This is where the real stakes are.

If there's a word that means "a combination of nervousness and excitement," that's what I'm feeling.