Logan Roscoe - Third Place, 2026

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 writing. I had recalled my experience with The Writer’s Workout, and in search of an outlet, decided that it would be fun to join as a participant myself. Having been a judge certainly helped me to understand aspects such as the Core Concepts and the importance of formatting!

WW: What were you worried or nervous about in the beginning?

LR: I was particularly nervous about the time commitment, as my summer has been unusually busy—especially on the weekends. However, I came in with a lot of inspiration and drive. Seeing my name on the leaderboard gave me confidence that the stories I cared about telling could resonate with other people. I remember squealing with my friend when I unexpectedly opened up my email to see my name at the top. In that moment, I learned that passion and fervor in telling certain stories often pay off, as I had a couple ideas floating around in my head for quite a while, and I’m so happy to have been given the chance to tell them.

WW: How did life's challenges affect your writing?

LR: As I mentioned, I came in with a few story ideas rattling around my brain. It worked out exceptionally well that the prompts in the beginning lent themselves to those ideas. It was when the prompts got ultra-specific that my writer’s block manifested. And it was even worse that it lined up with the weekends when I had the least motivation and was quite busy. My friends heard me complain and stress plenty of times as I racked my brain looking for ideas. Of course, it all eventually worked out, and I feel I am a much stronger writer now after working through the quicksand that is writer’s block so consistently.

WW: Which Event did you have the most fun with?

LR: The first Event was so open-ended (“Satisfy the ending”) that I was finally able to hash out my passion project that I’ve had for a while. I had a lot of drive to tell a story about a girl coming to terms with the confusion, the regret, and the acceptance that follows a less-than-healthy relationship. As a massive fan of science fiction, and a serial contemplator of “what if-s,” I was desperate to “satisfy” that dilemma in this tale about a girl who confronts the past and debates whether it was worth reliving. Inspired by Arrival, my favorite film, I wanted to explore the question: "If you could see your whole life from start to finish, would you change things?" Do you splinter into the unknown in the hope of something better? These are questions I sought to explore, and it makes me so happy that this is the story that won first place.

WW: Which Event was more challenging for you?

LR: The fourth Event (“Your character finds themselves in an unfamiliar environment”) was definitely the hardest for myself. Trying to think of a location from the provided list that would give the foundation to an actual worthwhile plot was rather difficult. I feel that is the challenge in competitions like these; sometimes you come in with ideas for themes, fleshed-out character arcs, and genuine plots. Other times you come in with nothing but a concept. Building a story out from a concept is the bane of my existence. When I don’t have my characters, themes, and plots on lock, and I’m building out from otherwise vague ideas, I feel as though my story is porous. I try to avoid this form of brainstorming as much as possible, but the fourth event certainly made that difficult—as I had nothing but a few ideas for locations in mind to start.

WW: What inspires you?

LR: Movies, people, places. Once I get in the writing mood, everything serves as inspiration—from the cool philosophical concept I learned in class to the specific analogy a song lyric uses. But, as any writer will probably say, most consistently my inspiration comes from other people’s writing. There are certain authors who scratch a specific itch. As soon as I read them, I reach for my laptop and start writing. It makes for a drawn-out reading experience, but those are my favorite kinds.

WW: What advice would you give to writers?

LR: Keep writing. It doesn’t matter what you write or where you write—just keep doing it. As writers, we are so lucky to have this passion for a limitless sort of work. When you step away for too long, you miss out on such a unique practice and art, but coming back to it is like coming back to an old friend. Writing will always be there.

Responses are published as received.

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About Logan Roscoe:

Logan Roscoe is a San Diego native who enjoys going to the beach, baseball games, and, of course, writing. She is a writing studies Master’s student at SDSU and a copywriter.