Results of Morgen’s 100-word competition: June 2018

Hello everyone. Last month I received 25 entries from 17 authors. Ten were disqualified for not being 100 words (three 101s, four 99s, a 98, two 97s and a 96), all but three being 100 INcluding rather than EXcluding their title. It’s a shame, especially as three were from one author. Fortunately their entries this month are spot on the 100. Yay. Two of the 101s were submitted as a 100-word stories but both were missing an ‘a’ before one of the noun (a plate in one, a mood in another) so corrected, would have pushed them over the limit. Two of the 99s (one of which was actually my favourite story this month) was disqualified as there was a word that had been split in two (and was flagged in the grammar check) and one of the stories had a similar word which had, correctly, not been so it amounted to 99 words. To be fair to everyone, I had to correct then disqualify them. 😦

The winning stories are ones that I reacted most favourably to. They were clever, surprising, eek-making (in a good way),or gave me a warm fuzzy feeling (without being sickly). You may have chosen a different order or indeed not placed one or more of them so if you entered and didn’t find your story / stories here, don’t lose heart. You probably only just missed out so do enter new stories this month*, next month, whenever you like (but not in advance!). It’s an ongoing competition and free, so you could win at any time. There were new and familiar names this month so anyone could win… it’s all dependent upon whether your story grabs me, for whatever reason (whether it be clever, funny, unusual, quirky, or sweet).

Apart from the top three and highly commended, there are some ‘Honourable Mentions’. They don’t win anything but they were so close to being Highly Commended that I wanted them to know how close they came. It’s still something for them to put on their CVs.

*The theme for July is ‘a horror story’ and you can submit your entries (and do send three) at any time up to midnight (UK time) on Tuesday 31st July. Details and entry forms on https://morgenbailey.wordpress.com/100-word-free-monthly-competition. So without further ado, below are the successful entries this month.

*

First place (winning free access to three of my online creative writing courses (currently worth £60 / $60) or a free edit and critique of up to 2,000 words (worth £14 / $18):

Steve Root with ‘Silent Running’

It wasn’t the tyres. Properly inflated, legally treaded, they still performed as per design as they incongruously sped down the road unattached to a vehicle of any kind.

It wasn’t the brakes. Recently tested, they had performed well, although in this time of crisis they were never troubled.

The tree was not to blame. It had stood for many years. Those years had made it big, strong, and most importantly utterly immobile.

No, the culprit was still in place, wide staring eyes still proving the old adage: the most dangerous part of a car is the nut behind the wheel.

*

Second place (winning free access to two of my online creative writing courses (currently worth £40 / $40) or a free edit and critique of up to 1,500 words (worth £11 / $14):

Jane Broughton with ‘Greener Pastures’

“And now, ladies and gentlemen, the Great Garibaldi will astonish and amaze. Prepare to gasp as he throws the knives, while blindfolded, at the lovely Dolores. Bobo, spin that wheel.”

Bobo the clown started to turn the glittery wheel.

Dolores looked at Graham, also known as the Great Garibaldi, in contempt. She couldn’t wait for the fool to finish so she could leave him for greener pastures.

Graham levelled the knife. The audience held its breath. Graham smirked and mouthed ‘goodbye’ to the horrified Dolores.

After the funeral, Graham and Bobo consoled each other during a long weekend in Whitby.

*

Third place (winning free access to one of my online creative writing courses (currently worth £20 / $20) or a free edit and critique of up to 1,000 words (worth £7 / $9):

Cathy MacKenzie with ‘Squeaky Runs’

Squeaky jumps off the wheel and rests.

When I stick a finger into his cage, he leaps at it.

I spin everyday on a wheel to nowhere. Squeaky races to nowhere on a trip to somewhere, unaware he’ll spin for eternity, not missing what he’s never had.

A breeze drifts through the open window where the forest beckons.

I unlatch Squeaky’s door. He glances at me, glimpses the open door and the window. He darts out of the cage and bounds out the window like a bullet whizzing into the forest.

“Bye, Squeaky,” I whisper. “Perhaps I’ll see you again.”

*

Highly commended (winning my Entering Writing Competitions course worth £20 / $20) or a free edit and critique of up to 1,000 words (worth £7 / $9) – in alphabetical order:

• Juan Andrés González Romero with ‘The Longest Trip’
• Justin Rulton with ‘The Wheel of Misfortune’
• Laura Besley with ‘All Day Long’
• Shalom Aranas with ‘Curse of the Wheel’

Honourable mentions (not winning anything but only narrowly missing out and still looking good on their CV) – in alphabetical order:

• Jane Broughton with ‘Red 7’
• Lestie Mulholland with ‘Wheel Not Meet Again’

Congratulations, everyone. The entries for this month are already drifting in. Remember, you can send up to three per month so rather than miss out on a chance by sending one story, do submit more.

If you’ve enjoyed these stories and / or just want to leave a comment, please do so below and / or you can email me at morgen@morgenbailey.com., although I won’t (can’t) discuss forthcoming entries unless it’s a general query.

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Results of Morgen’s 100-word competition: May 2018

Hello everyone. Last month I received 17 entries, a quieter month than normal… perhaps a trickier theme, although not all were written with a flying-toy-type kite in mind.

One was disqualified for only being 88 words. This was submitted by a regular entrant so a faux pas, I think. Another was disqualified for being 101 words and it turned out that a word had been duplicated in error. It was a simple mistake which I could have overlooked but it would have been unfair to other entrants. Sadly it was the entrant’s only submission so missed out. A third was disqualified for only being 99 words (perhaps 100 with the title but that’s against the rules). Fortunately the author had submitted another story so that went through to the judging. Another lost a point for slipping in tense (a ‘has’ in a past tense story) but still made it through, as did a story that lost a point for an ‘it’ instead of an ‘it’. Silly mistakes that should have been picked up when read back through (and why I listen to them – via text-to-speech – while I read on the screen). Finally, another lost a point for using the spelling of a word rather than the noun version. Easily done but always worth checking if you’re unsure.

*

Winning stories are generally ones that I reacted most favourably to. They were clever, surprising, eek-making (in a good way), or gave me a warm fuzzy feeling (without being sickly).

You may have chosen a different order or indeed not placed one or more of them so if you entered and didn’t find your story / stories here, don’t lose heart. You probably only just missed out so do enter new stories this month*, next month, whenever you like (but not in advance!). It’s an ongoing competition and free, so you could win at any time. There were new and familiar names this month so anyone could win… it’s all dependent upon whether your story grabs me, for whatever reason (whether it be clever, funny, unusual, quirky, or sweet).

Apart from the top three and highly commended, there are some ‘Honourable Mentions’. They don’t win anything but they were so close to being Highly Commended that I wanted them to know how close they came. It’s still something for them to put on their CVs.

*The theme for June is ‘the wheel’ and you can submit your entries (and do send three) at any time up to midnight (UK time) on Saturday 30th June.

So without further ado, below are the successful entries this month.

*

First place (winning free access to three of my online creative writing courses (currently worth £60 / $60) or a free edit and critique of up to 2,000 words (worth £14 / $18): Patricia Cooksley with ‘Emily’s Knickers’

Emily did not need knickers. She was so thin, hers did not fit anyway.

Emily’s imprisonment in the vicarage had been immeasurably cruel. Starved and abused, Emily planned her escape.

She had captured unwary birds through the broken window, for nourishment, and she kept the feathers and bones in the dark recesses of her cell.

Armed with fragments of knickers and bones, Emily fashioned a kite. She pierced her finger until a trickle of blood stained the material: HELP Emily.

Emily patiently waited for sufficient wind to pass her window and all her hopes and dreams left with the kite.

*

Second place (winning free access to two of my online creative writing courses (currently worth £40 / $40) or a free edit and critique of up to 1,500 words (worth £11 / $14): Jennie Gardner with ‘Time to Soar’

“Have fun at Uni.”

Myla wipes a tear and prepares to wave. It only felt like five minutes ago she was waving him off to school, clutching his blue bear. She’d felt bereft then too, letting go of the tiny hand and retracing her steps, scooter dangling off her left arm.

Now, driving home, his ‘gone-ness’ is inescapable.

They pass a tree, a kite tangled in its branches, the torn canvas tugging in vain. Myla smiles at the memory of coaxing kites with her boy.

“You have to let it go. When it’s ready it will come back to you.”

*

Third place (winning free access to one of my online creative writing courses (currently worth £20 / $20) or a free edit and critique of up to 1,000 words (worth £7 / $9): Lestie Mulholland with ‘If you Love Something, Let it Go’

Raptor was his name because he was majestic enough to capture all of his genus in one. Red Kites are beautiful, graceful, harmless (unless you were a worm) and my chap, with his royal attitude, his masterly management of the wind and his gorgeous colours was a fine bird indeed.

If only I could share my joy with someone else.

Raptor seemed to know what I was thinking. He looked at me perceptively, sort of waggled an impatient tail, asking to be let go. The sky beckoned.

I obliged. It was easy thus to do. I knew he’d come back.

*

Highly commended (winning my Entering Writing Competitions course worth £20 / $20) or a free edit and critique of up to 1,000 words (worth £7 / $9) – in alphabetical order:

• Amanda Niehaus-Hard with ‘My Graduation Wish to You: Catch the Wind’
• Angela Greenwood with ‘Swooping Soaring and Free’
• Karen Turner-Smith with ‘The Red Kite’

Honourable mentions (not winning anything but only narrowly missing out and still looking good on their CV) – in alphabetical order:

• Barbara Young with ‘Morning Flight’
• Justin Rulton with ‘Breaking The Bank’
• Laura Besley with ‘The Ritual of Mating’

Congratulations, everyone. The entries for this month are already drifting in. Remember, you can send up to three per month so rather than miss out on a chance by sending one story, do submit more.

If you’ve enjoyed these stories and / or just want to leave a comment, please do so below and / or you can email me at morgen@morgenbailey.com., although I won’t (can’t) discuss forthcoming entries unless it’s a general query.

 

Results of Morgen’s 100-word competition: April 2018

Hello everyone. Last month I received 24 entries from 12 authors, six of whom had sent three stories (recommended). One was disqualified for only being 99 words. Fortunately the author had submitted two other stories so I had those to choose from. It was actually my least favourite of the three and as well as a word missing, there was a typo (though instead of through… easily done!). Another was disqualified for having a non-hyphenated number (ninety nine rather than ninety-nine) which then made it a 99-word story. Sorry but it’s a typo. Again, the author had sent in two other stories so still had a chance to be placed. Another author who had submitted three (always recommended) had a 102-word story. There was a hyphenated word (well-known) which could have been counted as two words (it isn’t) but no apparent reason for the other excess word.

The winning stories are ones that I reacted most favourably to; usually the winner making me go “Wow”. They were clever, surprising, eek-making (in a good way), or gave me a warm fuzzy feeling (without being sickly).

You may have chosen a different order or indeed not placed one or more of them so if you entered and didn’t find your story / stories here, don’t lose heart. You probably only just missed out so do enter new stories this month*, next month, whenever you like (but not in advance!). It’s an ongoing competition and free, so you could win at any time. There were new and familiar names this month so anyone could win… it’s all dependent upon whether your story grabs me, for whatever reason (whether it be clever, funny, unusual, quirky, or sweet).

Apart from the top three and highly commended, there are some ‘Honourable Mentions’. They don’t win anything but they were so close to being Highly Commended that I wanted them to know how close they came. It’s still something for them to put on their CVs.

*The theme for May is ‘the kite’ and you can submit your entries (and do send three) at any time up to midnight (UK time) on Thursday 31st May.

So without further ado, below are the successful entries this month.

*

First place (winning free access to three of my online creative writing courses (currently worth £60 / $60) or a free edit and critique of up to 2,000 words (worth £14 / $18):

D J Shine with ‘The Green Bucket’

I held the green bucket so close that the smell of earth washed up my nostrils, making me wrinkle my nose. I had used my thumb to put seeds into that earth and spent ages placing stickers of smiling princesses and clowns around my bucket. It was a magic world of happiness. I cried when Dad said I couldn’t take it into bed with me.
The sun did send love through the window but the earth didn’t hear it.
Dad spotted the grape in my bucket and said it was a miracle. It’s not a miracle it’s from the fridge.

*

Second place (winning free access to two of my online creative writing courses (currently worth £40 / $40) or a free edit and critique of up to 1,500 words (worth £11 / $14):

Laura Besley with ‘Blue on a Red Day’
‘Grandma, why is Mummy crying?’
‘She’s feeling a little blue, darling.’
I look down at the chopped up strawberries and raspberries in my bowl. ‘But that can’t be true, Grandma. Today’s a red day.’
Grandma slowly dries up the cup in her hand. ‘Not everyone believes the days of the week are colour-coded.’
‘I know. Peter Johnson says I’m silly, but Miss Anne always tells him off when he says that.’
Grandma sort of smiles. ‘Eat up.
‘But what does it mean?’
‘It means you feel sad.’
‘Is Mummy sad because the baby died?’
‘Yes, darling. That’s why she’s sad.’

*

Joint third place (each winning free access to one of my online creative writing courses (currently worth £20 / $20) or a free edit and critique of up to 1,000 words (worth £7 / $9) – in alphabetical order:

Angela Greenwood with ‘Animal Facts’
An ostrich lays gigantic eggs, while snakes don’t have any legs. An elephant’s nose is called a trunk and terrible smells come from a skunk. Bees are great at making honey, a hyena laughing isn’t funny. Zebra stripes are always black and wolves go hunting in a pack. A cheetah can run very fast, while a tortoise will always be last. Giraffes have the longest necks and geese will give you spiteful pecks. A lion gives a vicious bite, bats won’t fly unless it’s night. White rhinos have massive heads. But if a bear hugs you, you will be dead!

*

Lesley McLean with ‘The Moment’
The foxy seven year old swanked up to the teacher’s table, pivoted on the gaudy platform heels and announced to the class, New Shoes! She twirled then strutted down her catwalk, like a diva in drag. All eyes were on the fantastic footwear as she sat back down at her desk, grinning broadly.
It had taken tantrums and tears to acquire these magnificent creations. Mission accomplished, she owned the multi-coloured lace-up clumpertons. And to think, if she hadn’t mortified mother enough, she probably would have had to shamefully hide the horrid dowdy brown sensible Clark’s buckle shoes under her desk.

*

Highly commended (winning my Entering Writing Competitions course worth £20 / $20) or a free edit and critique of up to 1,000 words (worth £7 / $9) – in alphabetical order:

• Fiona M Jones with ‘A Hundred Words’
• Justin Rulton with ‘Discombobulated’
• Patricia Cooksley with ‘Jessie’s Surprise’

*

Honourable mentions (not winning anything but only narrowly missing out and still looking good on their CV) – in alphabetical order:

• Ishika with ‘A Loss of Innocence’
• Jennie Gardner with ‘A Stirring Tale’
• Karen Turner-Smith with ‘My Best Friend’
• Lestie Mulholland with ‘It’s a Dog’s Life’
• Shalom Galve Aranas with ‘Lira and the Arab Prince’

*

Congratulations, everyone. The entries for this month are already drifting in. Remember, you can send up to three per month so rather than miss out on a chance by sending one story, do submit more.

If you’ve enjoyed these stories and / or just want to leave a comment, please do so below and / or you can email me at morgen@morgenbailey.com., although I won’t (can’t) discuss forthcoming entries unless it’s a general query.

 

Results of Morgen’s 100-word competition: March 2018

Hello everyone. Last month I received 23 entries from 15 authors. One story was disqualified for being sent a month too early. It also means it can’t be resent in April (it’s in the rules) but is then free to be sent elsewhere. Some were heavily influenced by the theme (superstitious), others less so but there was, as always, an entertaining and impressive mix of tales.

The winning stories are ones that I reacted most favourably to. They were clever, surprising, eek-making (in a good way), or gave me a warm fuzzy feeling (without being sickly).

You may have chosen a different order or indeed not placed one or more of them so if you entered and didn’t find your story / stories here, don’t lose heart. You probably only just missed out so do enter new stories this month*, next month, whenever you like (but not in advance!). It’s an ongoing competition and free, so you could win at any time. There were new and familiar names this month so anyone could win… it’s all dependent upon whether your story grabs me, for whatever reason (whether it be clever, funny, unusual, quirky, or sweet).

A new recent feature… there are some ‘Honourable Mentions’. They don’t win anything but they were so close to being Highly Commended that I wanted them to know how close they came. It’s still something for them to put on their CVs.

*The theme for April is ‘a children’s story’ and you can submit your entries (and do send three) at any time up to midnight (UK time) on Monday 30th April.

So without further ado, below are the successful entries this month.

*

First place (winning free access to three of my online creative writing courses (currently worth £60 / $60) or a free edit and critique of up to 2,000 words (worth £14 / $18): justin rulton with ‘Mini Winnie’

‘Eating unshapely food means your baby will be ugly,’ Steph said with a grin.
Rachel examined what was left of the punnet of strawberries she’d been guzzling for the last fifteen minutes, picking up pieces of the fruit and grimacing at their uneven contours. ’That’s just old superstitious rubbish,’ she replied, laughing it off.
Three months later she was blessed with a baby boy, a small pink thing that looked a great deal like Winston Churchill chewing a nettle.
‘Isn’t he adorable?’ she asked her friend.
Steph took a bite from the smoothest, roundest of apples, pretending not to hear.

*

Second place (winning free access to two of my online creative writing courses (currently worth £40 / $40) or a free edit and critique of up to 1,500 words (worth £11 / $14): Barbara Young with ‘Animal Magic’

Steve glances at his cards. “Raise.”
He throws two bedraggled magpies onto the table.
Dave smiles. “And again.” A rabbit’s foot lands with a dull thud next to the birds.
“I’ll see you,” says Steve.
He tosses a scrawny black cat into the pot; it arches its back and hisses at the magpies.
I can no longer contain my outrage: “I represent the League Against Luck Games. You will be detained indefinitely. These innocent talismans will be rehabilitated and returned to their natural environments.”
I glance at the blood oozing from the rabbit’s foot.
I swallow. “Well, most of them.”

*

Third place (winning free access to one of my online creative writing courses (currently worth £20 / $20) or a free edit and critique of up to 1,000 words (worth £7 / $9):Amanda Hard with ‘Step on a Line, Instead’

It happened as they always said it would: his foot, his fault. While his mother recovers from surgery, he is especially careful with the salt, avoids all color of cats (just to be safe), doesn’t wish on stars or clovers, nor plucks petals from daisies — he already knows she loves him, despite the incident with the crack.
When she calls, he waits three rings before answering.
Her tired and lonely voice implores him to visit, but he makes the busy excuse.
He has no car, no bicycle, and there are too many cracks on the road to risk another trip.

*

Highly commended (winning my Entering Writing Competitions course worth £20 / $20) or a free edit and critique of up to 1,000 words (worth £7 / $9) – in alphabetical order:

• D J Shine with ‘Lucky Blond’
• Andre N. Lepine with ‘Modern Bathory’
• Liz Smythe with ‘Mr Frigg’s Superstitions’
• Christina with ‘Paraskevidekatriaphobia’
• Jennie Gardner with ‘These Eaves’

*

Honourable mentions (not winning anything but only narrowly missing out and still looking good on their CV) – in alphabetical order:

• Angela Greenwood with ‘Step On A Crack’
• Ishika with ‘The Church of Luck’
• Jane Broughton with ‘When Good Luck Goes Bad’
• Sebastian with ‘Aunt Sadie’
• Valerie Griffin with ‘Shopping With Gran’

*

Congratulations, everyone. The entries for this month are already drifting in. Remember, you can send up to three per month so rather than miss out on a chance by sending one story, do submit more.

If you’ve enjoyed these stories and / or just want to leave a comment, please do so below and / or you can email me at morgen@morgenbailey.com., although I won’t (can’t) discuss forthcoming entries unless it’s a general query.

 

Results of Morgen’s 100-word competition: February 2018

Hello everyone. This month I received 30 entries from 18 authors. One was disqualified for being only 99 words but the author had sent more than one story (always advisable) so there was another to choose from. Another lost its way for only being 98 words (with a two-worded title so that making up the 100 words) and unfortunately the only that author made which is why I suggest entering the maximum of three stories. If one gets published here, you’d still have the other two to send elsewhere. A third story was disqualified for not sticking to the ‘the outskirts’ theme.

Two others were disqualified for only being 96 and 94 words and were sadly the only entries from an author but the same author was placed last month so hopefully that’s some compensation. The word count has to be 100 exactly, not a maximum, and Excluding the title. Sorry!

Another story lost a point for a spelling mistake (a numbered date – so the spell check didn’t chuck it out). It’s easily done but you should be so thorough that it doesn’t go out with any errors.

*

The winning stories are ones that I reacted most favourably to. They were clever, surprising, eek-making (in a good way), or gave me a warm fuzzy feeling (without being sickly).

You may have chosen a different order or indeed not placed one or more of them so if you entered and didn’t find your story / stories here, don’t lose heart. You probably only just missed out (there were originally eight highly commended then I whittled down to the maximum three) so do enter new stories this month*, next month, whenever you like (but not in advance!). It’s an ongoing competition and free, so you could win at any time. There were new and familiar names this month so anyone could win… it’s all dependent upon whether your story grabs me, for whatever reason (whether it be clever, funny, unusual, quirky, or sweet).

A new recent feature… there are some ‘Honourable Mentions’. They don’t win anything but they were so close to being Highly Commended that I wanted them to know how close they came. It’s still something for them to put on their CVs.

*The theme for March is ‘superstitious’ and you can submit your entries (and do send three) at any time up to midnight (UK time) on Saturday 31st March.

So without further ado, below are the successful entries this month.

*

First place (winning free access to three of my online creative writing courses (currently worth £60 / $60) or a free edit and critique of up to 2,000 words (worth £14 / $18):

Christina Burton with ‘Freeze-frame’

I can still taste the saltiness on the ocean breeze, snapping a polaroid unbeknownst to the boy licking ice cream from his cone on the promenade.

Oh how I love walking barefoot. Sandcastles; sediment squelching through fingertips and toes. The water inviting, it embraces, cooling cheeks from suns warm kiss.

Content I watched days dulcet haze creep towards dusk as shells were pocketed meandering home.

“Dad?”

Interrupted in thought, a whispered smile brushed his lips; capturing the still frame in sepia memory. It was that very moment the shutter called time; the image flickered and faded fizzling to the outskirts.

*

Joint second place (each winning free access to two of my online creative writing courses (currently worth £40 / $40) or a free edit and critique of up to 1,500 words (worth £11 / $14):

Jacqueline Carter with ‘Ghostly Sermons’

They’re reputed to be haunted, the outskirts. Not by one soul or two, but many if you asked nearly anyone at the pub on a biting winter’s night while ale warmed bellies and cheeks alike.

You have to pass them as you travel into the town proper; standing like little matchstick rows of burnt timber and shattered glass, weeds winding tall and poking through where chance will allow.

The old church laying half caved in, a cross still standing at its altar as if it waited for ghostly sermons to begin each night when the moon rose full and round.

*

Valerie Griffin with ‘This Is Not How It Was Supposed To Be’

Ethel rubs her reddened hands, the skin paper thin around her gnarled and swollen joints.

Each morning she’s wheeled into the day room, and each interminably long day she sits, away from the others, watching.

She’d rather stay in her room. In fact, she’d rather not be here at all.

The staff jolly along her fellow residents in raised voices, as if volume will permeate the dementia and bring on understanding.

Ethel envies them their receding grasp on reality into blissful oblivion.

To her, every day is a frustration, her still active and witty mind stuck in her decaying body.

*

Third place (winning free access to one of my online creative writing courses (currently worth £20 / $20) or a free edit and critique of up to 1,000 words (worth £7 / $9):

Justin Rulton with ‘Displaced’

We used to stay up all night listening to records, marvelling at the form, examining everything about them.

We’d talk, touch, breathe the same air, see the same view.

Now we are digitised, electronically remote, we can’t interact with the things we love because they don’t physically exist.

We communicate in silence, transfixed by gadgetry we love until we are told we need something better, something newer.

Streams have replaced grooves, LCD has supplanted paper and icons have become our emotions.

We are living on the outskirts of each other’s lives, at the border of everything we used to love.

*

Highly commended (winning my Entering Writing Competitions course worth £20 / $20) or a free edit and critique of up to 1,000 words (worth £7 / $9) – in alphabetical order:

• Ashling Dennehy with ‘The Runaway’s Tattoo’
• Barbara Young with ‘A Deal In The Desert’
• Jennie Gardner with ‘Kurt in the Outskirts’
• Jane Broughton with ‘Castaway’

*

Honourable mentions (not winning anything but only narrowly missing out and still looking good on their CV) – in alphabetical order:

• Helen Somers with ‘Never Go Back’
• Laura Besley with ‘Mission: Recording Of Temperatures On The Outskirts Of Earth’s Atmosphere’
• Liz Smythe with ‘The Fringes of Society’
• Nancy Raynsford with ‘Living on the Outskirts’

*

Congratulations, everyone. The entries for this month are already drifting in. Remember, you can send up to three per month so rather than miss out on a chance by sending one story, do submit more.

If you’ve enjoyed these stories and / or just want to leave a comment, please do so below and / or you can email me at morgen@morgenbailey.com., although I won’t (can’t) discuss forthcoming entries unless it’s a general query.

 

Results of Morgen’s 100-word competition: January 2018

Hello everyone. This month I received 22 entries from 16 authors.

One was disqualified for only being 99 words and no obvious reason why it might have been 100. Another was 97 words (where the title of the piece was included but didn’t make sense as part of the story) and had no connection with the month’s theme of ‘sweater’. It’s a shame because it was well written. A third, amusing, story was only 95 words. It contained three standalone – hyphens, which are included in Word’s word count but when corrected to – dashes then don’t and are mentioned in the rules as not being words and therefore are not to be included. There was also a row of **** asterisks which are also included but shouldn’t be. Not sure where the other ‘missing’ word would have been. So, PLEASE check your word count carefully. Use your programme’s word count but also do it manually to make sure.

As I had expected (hoped), there were variations on the theme; most revolved around jumpers, others where a character was perspiring. Where there were stories of equal merit when it came to the quality of writing, some edged forward where the sweater was a feature of the story rather than an incidental mention. This is why I enjoy picking a theme; to see how it’s used.

The winning stories are ones that I reacted most favourably to. They were clever, surprising, eek-making (in a good way), or gave me a warm fuzzy feeling (without being sickly).

You may have chosen a different order or indeed not placed one or more of them so if you entered and didn’t find your story / stories here, don’t lose heart. You probably only just missed out (there were originally eight highly commended then I whittled down to the maximum three) so do enter new stories this month*, next month, whenever you like (but not in advance!). It’s an ongoing competition and free, so you could win at any time. There were new and familiar names this month so anyone could win… it’s all dependent upon whether your story grabs me, for whatever reason (whether it be clever, funny, unusual, quirky, or sweet).

A new recent feature… there are some ‘Honourable Mentions’. They don’t win anything but they were so close to being Highly Commended that I wanted them to know how close they came. It’s still something for them to put on their CVs.

*The theme for February is ‘the outskirts’ – again, used however you wish – and you can submit your entries (and do send three) at any time up to midnight (UK time) on Wednesday 28th February.

So without further ado, below are the successful entries this month.

*

First place (winning free access to three of my online creative writing courses (currently worth £60 / $60) or a free edit and critique of up to 2,000 words (worth £14 / $18):

Lestie Mulholland name with ‘Personality Rules OK?’

Darling Sweatie,

You know your Baby really loves it when you buy her things? You’re already my sweatiest sweatie who would be sweater still if you’d buy me that swetter from Marks’n Sparks. You know, the pink one we saw with the white fluffy edging? Please Sweatie, please.

Ooh, I knew you wouldn’t say no (you haven’t have you?) No? Good. Now, I’ll be at Molly’s having my hare done, so maybe I can where my new scrumshus swetter when we go out to dinner tonight?

I smiled and sighed. I do love her so, even if she can’t spell.

*

Joint second place (each winning free access to two of my online creative writing courses (currently worth £40 / $40) or a free edit and critique of up to 1,500 words (worth £11 / $14):

Ellora Sutton with ‘Comfort’

I want to wear you like a sweater. I don’t care that you’re a little threadbare. I want to see your knots and kinks, your unravelled bits.

I want to feel the warmth of you against the warmth of me. I want to feel every thread that makes the constellation of you.

I want to vanish inside of you, to hibernate in a place that echoes your shapes and smells and sounds. I want the hug of you, the love of you, the home of you.

I would wear you in the summer, the spring. Every season is your season.

*

Susi J Smith with ‘Comfort’

Alice tugged the thick woollen sweater off the back of the chair, wrapping it around herself.

“Do you understand what I said?” The doctor leaned closer, his fingers interlinked on the desk.

Alice inhaled the familiar scent of lavender and smiled. Her mother’s scent.

“Mrs Jarvis?” The doctor’s voice was louder now.

“I have cancer.” She brushed the soft threads, her fingers tracing the pattern. “I’ll be okay.”

“You’ve got a fight on your hands.” His voice trailed off, his lips continued moving.

Alice felt the warmth envelop her. Closing her eyes she saw her mother’s face. “I’ll be okay.”

*

Third place (winning free access to one of my online creative writing courses (currently worth £20 / $20) or a free edit and critique of up to 1,000 words (worth £7 / $9):

Christine Law with ‘Sweater Dress’

It was a confidence thing with Jenny; she had admired the blue sweater dress In the shop window for months. She had lost the weight and gained confidence, why not try it on. Looking at her reflection in the mirror from the front and behind it looked great.

A few months ago she would not have ventured into the store. The down side being that she had curvy hips and the light blue matched her eyes and showed off her blonde bob, her boobs looked like two tea bags. Quickly she removed the dress and walked away from the cubicle.

*

Highly commended (winning my Entering Writing Competitions course worth £20 / $20) or a free edit and critique of up to 1,000 words (worth £7 / $9) – in alphabetical order:

• Justin Rulton with ‘Time Wasted’
• M W Brown with ‘A Message in a Sweater’
• Rachael Stanton with ‘After the Sun’

*

Honourable mentions (not winning anything but only narrowly missing out and still looking good on their CV) – in alphabetical order:

• Michael Job with ‘Payback’
• Laura Besley with ‘A Non-Hollywood Romance’
• N Sebastian with ‘Spring Cleaning’

*

Congratulations, everyone. The entries for this month are already drifting in. Remember, you can send up to three per month so rather than miss out on a chance by sending one story, do submit more.

If you’ve enjoyed these stories and / or just want to leave a comment, please do so below and / or you can email me at morgen@morgenbailey.com., although I won’t (can’t) discuss forthcoming entries unless it’s a general query.

 

Results of Morgen’s 100-word competition: December 2017

Hello everyone. This month I received 23 entries from 15 authors. One was disqualified for only being 46 words and two others for being 99 words (a ‘–’ dash doesn’t count as a word and the other just appeared to be a word short) which were a shame as they were great stories. There were a handful that didn’t appear to have anything to do with the theme (a sign of hope), which was a shame especially as one was particularly unusual.

The winning stories are ones that I reacted most favourably to. They were clever, surprising, eek-making (in a good way), or gave me a warm fuzzy feeling (without being sickly). There were, unfortunately, a couple that I got to the end of (twice) and went “Huh?” As authors, we know what we mean by something but it can be difficult to convey it to the reader (especially if showing rather than telling). I’d recommend letting someone else look at your stories before you submit them to get their feedback – you don’t want a “Huh?” It’s a shame because they had such potential, and more importantly were the only submissions by those authors so they missed out on being placed when they could have submitted two more stories for consideration.

You may have chosen a different order or indeed not placed one or more of them so if you entered and didn’t find your story / stories here, don’t lose heart. You probably only just missed out (there were originally eight highly commended then I whittled down to the maximum three) so do enter new stories this month*, next month, whenever you like (but not in advance!). It’s an ongoing competition and free, so you could win at any time. There were new and familiar names this month so anyone could win… it’s all dependent upon whether your story grabs me, for whatever reason (whether it be clever, funny, unusual, quirky, or sweet).

A new recent feature… there are some ‘Honourable Mentions’. They don’t win anything but they were so close to being Highly Commended that I wanted them to know how close they came. It’s still something for them to put on their CVs.

*The theme for January is ‘sweater’ – to be interpreted however you wish – and you can submit your entries (and do send three for a better chance of one of them being successful) at any time up to midnight (UK time) on Wednesday 31^st January.

So without further ado, below are the successful entries this month.

*

First place (winning free access to three of my online creative writing courses (currently worth £60 / $60) or a free edit and critique of up to 2,000 words (worth £14 / $18): Jennifer Riddalls with ‘Final Note’

Every day I stare at the little red Acer tree in our garden and whisper to nature, ‘Please don’t let it die’.

My children think me mad with grief. My brain, several times an hour, forgets the current situation.

My eyes go to a closed door and I fully expect to see him come bumbling through.

I’m constantly waiting for the final note in a melody that never sounds. How long before I stop looking?

So I look at the Acer instead, the last thing he planted. This morning, fresh scarlet leaves have unfurled and I remember how to smile.

*

Second place (winning free access to two of my online creative writing courses (currently worth £40 / $40) or a free edit and critique of up to 1,500 words (worth £11 / $14): Lestie Mulholland with ‘Shh! Change is Good’

“It’s a sign of hope that we have decided to change the name of our town to ‘Sweetness’ don’t you think? It’s much nicer than Grimsbury, to be sure.”

“It’s going to cost a lot, much will have to be altered; memories manipulated, facts distorted, village births and deaths records amended, newspapers restricted. Oh dear, the more I think about it the more I worry. It’s all too onerous to bear. The FBI may start sniffing around.”

“Relax, Mayor, our secret is safe. We’re all complicit, we all know where the bodies are buried, and no-one is going to tell.”

*

Third place (winning free access to one of my online creative writing courses (currently worth £20 / $20) or a free edit and critique of up to 1,000 words (worth £7 / $9): Mark Sadler with ‘The Oasis’

It was Robert’s mother who took delivery of the telegram. She came and told me the news. Just like that, our future together was wiped out.

A few days later, I received a letter from him. His final correspondence: He had stumbled through acres of grey mud and battlefield smoke, into a grove of trees miraculously untouched by the artillery; an Arcadian sanctuary of lush green grass and wild flowers.

‘It was a sign,’ he wrote. ‘We’ll have a garden like this one day.’

I put the letter in a box with some keepsakes. I haven’t looked at it since.

*

Highly commended (winning my Entering Writing Competitions course worth £20 / $20) or a free edit and critique of up to 1,000 words (worth £7 / $9) – in alphabetical order:

• Gaynor Jones with ‘Feeling Lucky’
• Geoff Feasey with ‘Coma’
• Jennie Gardner with ‘Spring’
• Rowena Fishwick with ‘Love Letters’

*

Honourable mentions (not winning anything but only narrowly missing out and still looking good on their CV) – in alphabetical order:

• Ellora Sutton with ‘Christmas Card’
• Rachael Stanton with ‘The Second Gate’
• Tony Dawson with ‘Hopeless!’

*

Congratulations, everyone. The entries for this month are already drifting in. Remember, you can send up to three per month so rather than miss out on a chance by sending one story, do submit more.

If you’ve enjoyed these stories and / or just want to leave a comment, please do so below and / or you can email me at morgen@morgenbailey.com., although I won’t (can’t) discuss forthcoming entries unless it’s a general query.