The Writer's Workout

Bursting Free by Michelle Dornish First Place Why can’t they see beyond this mask? I sit at the dinner table, poking my limp green beans with my fork. My body seems to be vibrating in my skin, the skin which has never felt totally comfortable –or right. I am focused on my plate because my eyes are tired from holding back tears. I know if I meet my mother’s eyes, it will all come pouring out of me. I do not want to flood her with my truth. I want to calmly speak the words.

She Who Had Been Painted by Brian Lockwood Second Place Sunrise had come, but Edrick had already painted enough of those in his opinion. In fact, he didn’t even notice the shades of color shining over the landscape beyond his window. He loaded another two jars of paint into his satchel without giving the view a passing glance. The pack was rather full, but he wasn’t sure what supplies he’d need for the project. After all, he’d never painted a dragon up close. He referred to

Double Hashbrowns, Plain by Klaus Turk Third Place The paprikash recipe called for diced tomato, so Cheryl pulled the knife from the corpse's eye. Blood waterfalled to the floor. Frowning, she nudged the body over so that the floor by the counter didn't get slippery. She washed the knife off in the sink, scrubbing until her sponge turned from yellow to crimson to pink and back to yellow again. She tossed the sponge. With her implements clean, Cheryl began dicing. The medita

We had the privilege of talking with Jacklyn Oh on winning FIRST place overall in this year's Writer's Games. WW: What encouraged you to participate in Writer's Games this year? JO: I took part in the Writer’s Games for the first time last year. It was a blast, so of course I signed up again this year. I love the longer word limits (compared to other competitions), the open-ended prompts and the focus on different Core Concepts every week. The quality of the judges’ feedback

We had the privilege of talking with Moira Richardson on winning second place overall in this year's Writer's Games. WW: What encouraged you to participate in Writer's Games this year? MR: I had a blast with last year’s Games. It was TOUGH, but I loved the stories that came out of it. One of them is being published as a book in November. Just finished those edits this morning. Another just got accepted for publication just before I sat down to do this interview. I’ve had a bu

We had the privilege of talking with Logan Roscoe on winning third place overall in this year's Writer's Games. WW: What encouraged you to participate in Writer's Games this year? LR: I was an intern and judge for The Writer’s Games back in summer of 2022. It was a very unique experience and provided me a glimpse into the world of creative writing outside university itself. Since then, I've graduated from university and have been lacking a routine when it comes to creative wr

We love Fiction Potluck because the submissions are so much fun! Here are July's Fiction Potluck Finalists for the do it scared challenge. Look for the Finalist badge across social media to connect with these authors. July Finalists Avirupa Basu Avirupa Basu is an emerging writer drawn to the quiet complexities of identity, relationships, memory, and the many joys of being alive. Her work finds beauty and meaning in ordinary moments, intimate encounters, and the fleeting deta