NYC Midnight Writing Challenges for 2023 Wrap Up

Image by StephenWheeler from Pixabay

 

Last year it looks like I entered six different NYC Midnight writing challenges. Of those, I managed to make the named list in all of them, and through to the second round twice. When I think about that and take into consideration everything else that was going on last year, I guess that's a pretty decent effort in the grand scheme of things. I think I also took my random story writing to new heights, which is also a bonus. The challenges I entered were:

• Short Story Challenge (5th place round one, no place round two)
• 100 Word Micro Fiction Challenge (7th place round one, no place round two)
• Flash Fiction Challenge (8th Overall first part - 7th round one, 9th round two)
• 500 Word Fiction Challenge (Honourable Mention) 
• Rhyming Challenge (Honourable Mention) 
• 250 Word Micro Fiction Challenge (Honourable Mention)

 

I like these challenges because the feedback is always really specific and actionable and can generally be applied to improve my writing (and almost definitely the story, which helps figure out what was wrong in the first place). Of course, sometimes I keep making the same mistakes over and over, but other times, I do remember not to do things and that's a positive. Slow and steady, I guess. Now I've got a growing pile of short stories I'm not entirely sure what to do with. Initially I was just going to dump them all on my website, because story content was good fodder for a writing website. But then as people started to talk about the other possibilities with stories, I realised that doing that was kind of publishing them, and maybe I didn't want to 'publish' everything on the website in the initial submitted form because it would prevent them from being able to be used for other things in some cases. So, now I'm back to having a growing pile of very random stories I'm not sure what to do with. I guess I'll do something with them eventually. Probably not with all the micro fiction or rhyming stuff though, although I could probably use them all for something. And someone told me poo stories make good kids books, although I'm really not sure about my poo story. And my rhyming story is still a bit clunky in places, I'm still trying to figure out the best way to structure rhyming stories. Sometimes to me, depending how you read different lines, the cadence and syllables can seem off, so going on counts and rhythm is tricky to sound right, it does my head in. I think I did better than last year anyway (well I placed better, and the feedback was way more positive, so I must have done better, right?). The feedback on most my stories suggests my writing is improving, I think.

So here are some of the stories I wrote, that probably won't end up anywhere else, I don't think. One of the stories I wrote has been edited and submitted to an anthology, so of course I won't put that on here, either. The first short story submission is also in another post so I won't duplicate that. Maybe the other ones will turn up somewhere else, in some form, eventually, if I ever get around to it.

 

100 Word Micro Fiction 

 Round One - Horror / Selling Something / Burden 

 

Bonelich 

 

“Go to bed, Jordie! Or else.”

“What?”

“I’ll sell you to the Bonelich.”

I one-finger salute mum. “It’s not real.”

“Fine. I’m done.”

Mum looks pissed. Who cares? I’m too big to control now.

She disappears into the bathroom. After five minutes she comes out, but she won’t look at me. I go in. Words on the mirror.

Bonelich, please come ease my burden. Jordie’s skin is supple.

Mum’s gone crazy.

“Okay, I’ll go to bed, Mum. Don’t get weird.”

Always more tricks with her. I glare but comply.

 

A rattle. The door opens.

“I’m in bed!”

It’s not Mum.

  

Round Two - Drama / Setting a table / Previous 

 

In the Service of Safety

  

“They’re in!”

“Emergency Services can’t be hacked.”

“I don’t think these guys got the memo.”

“What now?”

“Set the Users Table to read-only.” A half-assed solution we can implement quickly.

“But they’ll still be able to steal all the data!” Jeff retorts, mortified. “We should take the systems offline.”

“Do you want to get sacked, like the previous guy?”

“But it’s the only way to stop them.”

“Management prioritises data integrity and uptime. Last time the systems went down was when the patching went awry, and Josh became unemployed.”

Jeff stares in disbelief then sets the Users Table to read-only.

 

 

 

Rhyming Challenge

Round One - Comedy / Silver Lining / Sympathetic

 

A Crappy Situation

 

Now thinking back on it, I’m sure it was my worst idea yet,

That triggered a series of events I do deeply regret.

The only person who benefited was poor Uncle Stu,

And that was after I showed the whole world pictures of his poo.

 

This is something needing explanation, before you all judge,

I was being held to ransom by angry kids with a grudge.

I never should have drawn those curious pictures of McBorn,

Even though the teacher always called me demonic hell spawn.

I tried to tell him the other kids put the glue all on his chair,

But I sat the closest, he said, the argument wasn’t fair.

 

It was then the guilty kids threatened to tell the teacher all,

If I didn’t go through with their dare, what fate would I befall?

It involved taking photos of my family’s poo for a site,

So strange people could then rate it just for popular delight.

 

On a family camping trip was when my chance presented,

I cleaned out that thunderbox after everyone decanted.

The gruelling task was well worth it for the photos I acquired,

Who knew Aunt Sandy’s poo looked like a machine gun had misfired?

Or dad’s toilet-time to volume ratio wasn’t quite conveyed,

And I never noticed Uncle Stu’s was an odd kind of shade.

Far too focused on the task at hand and not failing, to see,

I was exploiting my whole family to benefit me.

 

When I got back home, I admired my photo collection,

then connected to the site not lingering for introspection.

Once the upload had finished, I tried hard not to think it through,

How strangers would soon be voting on my family’s number two.

The votes came in fast from poo lovers from right around the globe,

There were also comments one should see a doctor for a probe.

There was no way I could tell Uncle Stu his poo was famous,

Not without exposing myself as a big ignoramus.

“Oh, by the way I put your poop on a website—just for fun.

Just, you know, might be something wrong with it, so says everyone.”

 

I tried to ignore those comments, but they kept nagging at me,

Realised I should do the right thing here, at least to a degree.

The topic was delicate, so delivery had to be right,

So I told my parents of the violation, then braced tight.

First, came a bewilderment, a great mystery had been answered,

Me emptying the thunderbox was definitely nonstandard.

Then the conversation turned serious, I know I did wrong,

For the lecture and consequences, I tried to play along.

No Internet until next year, and loss of phone access too,

And I’m grounded forever—and I’ve got to tell Uncle Stu.

 

The talk with Stu was so awkward, but somehow the words came out,

He did see the doctor and found out what the fuss was about.

Turned out he had some heath issues, that needed quick attention,

My pictorial efforts avoided issues I won’t mention.

Stu came to visit afterwards, said thanks in a round ‘bout way,

And sorry ‘bout the punishments, and he hopes that I’m okay.

He doesn’t know what he would do without the ‘net or his phone,

And he grew up without those things when it’s all I’ve ever known.

I told him, “it’s okay, thanks for your sympathetic concern,

But I’ll survive this time, by focusing more on your good turn.”