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Writing and Publishing

Ten Writing Contest Finalists

Last month I mentioned that I entered a writing contest, my first one. I opted to enter this particular contest simply because it would not require a great deal of time or effort.

It’s not that I’m lazy. It’s that if it required writing a short story or essay, I would be hardpressed to invest several hours needed to craft the ideal submission. However, in this case, the requirement was a mere 25 words. Yeah, that’s right, 25 words, slightly longer than one of my weekly tweets.

For this contest, we were provided a photo and tasked with producing the opening sentence for a story based on it. I, along with a thousand or so others, did so. Not surprising, I was not picked as one of the top ten entries.

Check out the photo and the top ten submissions. I must admit that many of these submissions are much more creative than mine, but there are also a few that I don’t think are as good. Of course, I’m not a fiction writer, either, so what do I know?

After you’ve checked out the top ten, here is my submission:

Bored with the leisurely drive and desperate to capture Michael’s attention, Jessica thrust her arms upward and screamed loudly as if riding a plunging rollercoaster.

In retrospect, I think I creatively captured the photo but failed at penning a compelling opening for a short story.

By the way, I just entered another contest. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

Learn more about writing and publishing in Peter’s book: Successful Author FAQs: Discover the Art of Writing, the Business of Publishing, and the Joy of Wielding Words. Get your copy today.

Peter Lyle DeHaan is an author, blogger, and publisher with over 30 years of writing and publishing experience. Check out his book Successful Author FAQs for insider tips and insights.

By Peter Lyle DeHaan

Author Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD, publishes books about business, customer service, the call center industry, and business and writing.