500-Word Essay Contest Third-Place: “Mother and the Whale”
Daddy’s sailboat capsized in a giant seiche off a northern Lake Michigan shore and his body was never found.
Past Contest Winners
Read the winning entries from previous writing contests sponsored by The Writer.
500-Word Essay Contest Second-Place: “Half a Bear Hug”
“Half a Bear Hug” By Beverly Rose My grandfather became my legal guardian after tragedy made me mostly an orphan: a mother dead from childbirth … Read More “500-Word Essay Contest Second-Place: “Half a Bear Hug””
2022 500-Word Essay Contest Winner: “Dog Tags”
The winning entry in our 2022 500-Word Essay Contest: “Dog Tags,” by Michelle Y. Green, a portrait of her late father, a three-war veteran.
2022 Essay Contest Winner: “A Viking Funeral”
Her story, A Viking Funeral, by Mary Charles, is the essay contest winner of The Writer magazine’s competition.
Third-Place Fall Short Story Contest Winner: Wall of Tears
Read the third-place winner of our 2021 Fall Short Story Contest.
Second-Place Fall Short Story Contest Winner: Polecat Springs
Read the second-place winner of our 2021 Fall Short Story Contest.
2021 Fall Short Story Contest Winner: “The Refrigerator Test”
Walter took his Batman cup to the kitchen because maybe there was still apple juice. Ignorant of spirits, he had inaccurately deduced what Bruce Wayne … Read More “2021 Fall Short Story Contest Winner: “The Refrigerator Test””
2021 100-Word Contest Winner: “Benediction”
Read the grand-prize winner of our 100-Word Contest.
Second-Place 100-Word Contest Winner: “Preserved”
Aleece told me that Brownie had run away from home. My heart stopped cold when I recognized her shaggy body stuffed, still as a rod … Read More “Second-Place 100-Word Contest Winner: “Preserved””
Third-Place 100-Word Contest Winner: “Surrounded”
Melody could sometimes hear the faint rhythmic clicks when standing in the kitchen. Otherwise the hundreds of dull-faced dolls that she had placed in … Read More “Third-Place 100-Word Contest Winner: “Surrounded””
Featured Posts
Opportunities for Writers: February 2023 Calls for Submissions
February 2023 Calls for Submissions These are the writing opportunities and contests that caught our eye and are published in the February issue of The … Read More “Opportunities for Writers: February 2023 Calls for Submissions”
Consistency across your YA series
The key to writing a great YA series (or MG series) is knowing your characters and plotlines inside and out – while giving yourself the flexibility to modify things when needed. Here are four things to live by when writing a series, based on tips from middle grade and young adult authors who have been there.
25 Sensory Writing Prompts to Improve Detail & Description
By most accounts, there are more than five senses. Some experts say there are seven, some as many as 20. But narrowing in on at least the five classical senses can lend a much-needed “sense” of detail to your writing. Here are five prompts for each of those five classic senses.