#WeekendWritercize 8 Winner - Sarah Aisling

Oh my goodness, I am such a lucky girl to get to read flash fiction by truly gifted writers every Monday. Everyone who writes for #WeekendWritercize has a unique voice and perspective and there is no greater joy than seeing what they can do with a little prompt. If you haven't already, look at the past entries and follow these people on twitter, because they are really great.

As a reminder, this week's #WeekendWritercize asked participants to create a story with the same opening line: "She awoke at dusk in a field of daisies." It is so fun to read various interpretations of a single sentence.

So whose story takes the cake?

This week's winner is:

Sarah Aisling / @SarahAisling

This is her SECOND win!

Sarah won the first #WeekendWritercize with her lyrical voice, and this week she once again proved she has the soul of a poet in the way she paints a picture with her words and the eye of a cinematographer in the details and ebb and flow of the scene.

Fireflies winked in the gloom, hovering in the air like glinting jewels. One landed on a daisy beside her head, its tiny legs probing the petals gingerly. Eliza was entranced by the explorations of the little insect, until it dawned on her that the last thing she remembered was being in this very field in the middle of the sunny afternoon. With Jeremy.

What a beautiful pause. I know this is a woman who lives so deeply in the moment that she captures magic. As the story unwinds and takes her to a fearful place, Sarah exhibits her mastery of the scene and builds suspense.

 

“Jeremy?” Her voice came out as a hoarse croak, and she cleared her throat and tried again. “Jeremy?”

Her only answer was the chirping of crickets and the croaking of frogs. As she walked toward the edges of the field, there was a rustling in one of the trees and the haunting “Hoo, hoo!” of an owl.
 

You have to read the story to see what happens next. It is 629 words of pure literary joy.

Sarah, please pick up your badge below! Congratulations to you on your second win and I hope to read much more from you!

 

Honorable Mention:

Lisa Hollar / @jezri1

Lisa is becoming a regular at #WeekendWritercize and I am really getting to know her voice, which is a wonderful reward. I think I could almost look at several stories and pick out the one penned by Lisa McCourt Hollar among them, which is really a testament to her skill.

This week, I was blown away by once again by Lisa's strength in story telling. She is the queen of twists and turns, and I never know what surprise is lurking just around the corner.

This week, Lisa took me to a world where vampires and priests meet in the most unusual circumstances, and we had the opportunity to meet a new character, Eva. Eva is a strong heroine and I am excited to see her come to life!

Pick up your badge below:

 

Once again, congratulations to ALL of the entries and thank you for participating!  I love reading what you write every week and look forward to seeing what you create next week!

All Entries:

Christopher (CHM1880)

Lisa Hollar

Sarah Aisling

 

For a look at all these great stories, click here.

#WeekendWritercize One Winner - Sarah Aisling

A hearty thank you to all those of you who participated in and tweeted about the debut #WeekendWritercize competition! The stories are a wonderful way to kick off the weekly contest.

Once again, here was the prompt:

writercize:  Enough with "they lived happily ever after" fairy tale endings. Pick a familiar fairy tale, throw out the happily ever after, and tell us what really happened!

You guys really know how to throw in a twist or two, and I am so very impressed by every one of the entries.  It was not an easy decision, but I've narrowed the playing field to one winner.  

(Please note that I did consider each and every entry. The bit about profanity and violence is more of a courtesy than a rule, and a link to your website if you're doubtful of the nature of your post is the perfect solution. I do appreciate how cognizant everyone was of the request.)

Congratulations to: 

WINNER

SARAH AISLING (@SarahAisling) with her alternative ending to The Little Mermaid, "And To The Sea Return."  I chose Sarah's story as the winner because I am in love with the lyrical rhythm of her writing and the depth of her character development, slightly reminiscent of Kate Chopin.

Here is one of the final paragraphs from her entry:

"Her tears mixed with the salt of the sea as she lamented over her lost love. Worse than seeing his body come back wrapped in silk and carried on the shoulders of his men was having had to watch as the life had been gradually extinguished from his sparkling dark eyes. His exuberance, sense of humor, and desire for a better future all doused, the flame of hope snuffed out, never to burn again."

Sarah, please pick up your badge below, and congratulations!  I look forward to reading more of your work.  Message me your address (alanagwrites (at) gmail (dot) com) with a mailing address and your Target gift card will be on its way!

Honorable Mentions

Cara Michaels (@CaraMichaels)

"One Last Kiss"

I love the twist, both literal and figurative, of the case of mistaken identity in this alternative ending to the romance of Snow White with her Prince Charming.

Jezri (@Jezri1)

"Belle and The Enchanted Castle"

This story is like the dark twin of Shrek, with fairy tale characters galore, connected in the most creative ways. There are talking frogs, vampires, witches, wolves, unbearable giants, teen angst and more.   It's definite YA meets the Brothers Grimm, and I was intrigued to turn every corner.

LupusAnthropos (@LupusAnthropos)

Untitled

I selected this untitled story about a shoemaker as an honorable mention because of its relationship to current events in its parallel to the Occupy movement taking place in cities across the country. I am a big fan of relating news and current events to fictional stories.

I'll work up an honorable mention badge to award three contestants each week and tweet you all when it is ready!

Again, well done and congratulations to all the participants.  

Spread the word and I'd love to see you all here next weekend!