Spring Fling Writing Contest

I LOVE entering writing contests! Not only is there the possibility of a prize, but it also gives me a chance to write about a topic that might not work for a full book, take a break from a current manuscript and all the editing, and opens the possibility of encouragement or gratification from an incredibly supportive online writing community. The last point is really important because the publishing industry tends to send out far more rejection than acceptance letters. It’s uplifting to hear that what you wrote made a reader laugh, or cry, or even introduced them to a new topic or concept.

Most writing contests I find through Twitter, and that stays true of Kaitlyn Leann Sanchez and Ciara O’Neal‘s “Spring Fling Writing Contest” that takes opens up between April 7-9. I was a critique winner in their 2019 Kid Lit Fall Frenzy Writing Contest and I’m really excited to enter again. For more information about the contest, you can visit the contest page here.

https://media.giphy.com/media/3o72F2HX45exjjG1dm/giphy.gif

Above is the GIF I chose to be my inspiration, and below is my entry. Enjoy!

A SPRINGTIME GLOW

Word Count: 143

“In a canoe, Dad and I float down a creek in Dismals Canyon past moss covered walls and dripping waterfalls. Indigo and violet paint the sky on this breathless day, and soon thousands will show themselves like they do every spring in Franklin County, Alabama. We drift into a musty cave, wispy webs drooping like chandeliers and moisture hanging so thick I can almost drink the air.

We spot a glow to our right. Then to our left. Then another, and another, and another, until we are surrounded by trembling blue-green stars. 

But they’re not stars. 

They’re glowworms.  

Luminous glowworms transforming the cave into the night sky itself, pulsing in perfect rhythm with the humming of tiny wings fleeting by my ears. We lay down in the darkened canoe, floating peacefully towards our campsite, eyes transfixed at a moment created just for us.”

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