The story of the week for December 21 to 25 is…
Surface Area by Bruce Meredith
It’s rare to receive a story so uniquely creative as this one. I’m not sure what to think about it! It makes me smile, gets my brain spinning… And it clearly resonated with the readers, too.
The story of the week for December 14 to 18 is…
All Sales Are Final by Daniel Slaten
A fun metaphor with some emotion behind it, like a solid meal with light flavors!
The story of the week for December 7 to 11 is…
All-Nighter Agony by Sally Basmajian
and
Fairy Lights by Ellie Burkinshaw
This was one of the strongest weeks we’ve had in a while! In the end, I had to pick two stories to honour, to reflect that. I know; I’m a rule breaker!
The Story of the Month is chosen from the Story of the Week winners announced from the past month.
The finalists for November were:
The Last Day I Wore My Wedding Ring by Guy Preston
The End by Alison Carroll
The Death of a Dream by Devon R. Widmer
Blind Date by Matthew Gregory
The winner of the November 2015 Story of the Month, and the $10 prize, is…
Blind Date
I had a hard time selecting a winner, because all four finalists were really strong, each in their own way. In the end, I chose Matthew Gregory’s entry because of the powerful character building, the establishment of a well fleshed out scene, the advancement of a very nuanced plot, and the emotional investment the story elicits. There’s so much room to explore this world inside your own mind.
The story of the week for November 30 to December 4 is…
The Magic Pencil by Joanne R. Fritz
I feel like we’ve witnessed the birth of a super villain! But more meaningfully, Joanne has constructed a nuanced, layered modern fable about greed and contentment.
The story of the week for November 23 to 27 is…
The Death of a Dream by Devon Widmer
Strong implied character building, emotional attachment, and a message worth hearing, all elements of a great story.
The story of the week for November 16 to 20 is…
The End by Alison Carroll
Setting aside the cynicism of the story, as Alison pointed out in her bio, the concept and execution of the story are really strong and vivid. Well written!
The story of the week for November 9 to 13 is…
The Last Day I Wore My Wedding Ring by Guy Preston
We’ve come to expect this kind of quality from Guy. It’s already his third Story of the Week award.
The story of the week for November 2 to 6 is…
Blind Date by Matthew Gregory
There’s so much story told here, almost purely by insinuation and reading between the lines. Chilling.
The Story of the Month is chosen from the Story of the Week winners announced from the past month.
The finalists for October were:
Sea and Sky by William Shaw
Cold Callers by Carol Browne
Life Encapsulated by Jon Nixon
A Fleeting Childhood by Jason Huynh
Mama by Lisa Lysen
The winner of the October 2015 Story of the Month, and the $10 prize, is…
A Fleeting Childhood
I love the sense of nostalgia packed into this story, even though it doesn’t directly resonate with my own personal experiences. I can imagine myself feeling the character’s emotions, purely through the strength of this story’s descriptiveness and phrasing. Fantastic work, Jason!