This fall, Short Fiction Break is partnering with The Write Practice to host a writing contest in which everyone gets published.
WINNERS OF THE FALL WRITING CONTEST
We received hundreds of excellent submissions. After much deliberation, our judges selected the following winning stories:
Grand Prize:
Little Montster by Jace Hawkins
Runners Up (alphabetized by author):
Love Wants by Jeffrey Muchuweni Becker
Missing Pieces by Emma Crowley
Honorable Mentions (alphabetized by author):
Pine by Zane Andrew
Show and Tell by Magnus Coney
The Midsummer Maiden by Laura Cookson
Shifted by DJ Curtis
Inheritance by D. A. Winter
SHORTLISTED STORIES
There were so many good stories in this contest, the judges were hard pressed to narrow their selections to just a handful of winners. While the following stories didn’t win a prize, the judges noted them as some of their favorites.
The Garden of Evil by Fred Cucchi
Wild by EndlessExposition
The Wolf in the Closet by M MacKinnon
The Demons of The Alamo by Darrell Eugene McGuire
On the Rocks by Paige Pennebaker
The Shadow by Kim Griffin Russell
READERS’ CHOICE AWARD
While the judges consider the entries, we invited you to vote for your favorite story to win the Readers’ Choice Award.
The winner of the Readers’ Choice Award is Victory Beyond Fear by Ashna Chand. Congratulations, Ashna!
SPONSORS
The prizes for this contest are provided by the following sponsors:
Becoming Writer: Becoming Writer is the premier workshopping community from The Write Practice. Contest participants receive six weeks’ access to the workshopping community to get feedback on their short stories, novel chapters, and other writing pieces.
FALL WRITING CONTEST STORIES
You can find all the stories writers chose to publish in the contest below.
If you chose to publish your story, we encourage you to read this guide to help you get the most out of publication on Short Fiction Break.
Beware of the Beast! by Luis A.J.
Monster by Elizabeth Adams
Nairobi Escape by Adiechieng’ Odhiambo
The Cradle Outside Our House by Samran Akhtar
Drowning Flames by Vince Alvarez Jr
Melek by R. Amieva
Fifteen Minuets by Tobi Needling
Procurement by Maria Andino
Pine by Zane Andrew
Rotting Fish by Joe Arcara
Banishing Monsters by Elizabeth Austin
Monsters Are Real by Zeina B
Run by Krissy Baccaro
War with a Monster by Joyce Barbatti
Within by Alexis Barrie
Slave Driver by Austin Bartolo
A Bite of Life by Whitnie A Bauer
Love Wants by Jeffrey Muchuweni Becker
Monster in My Pocket by Laura Beiler
Studentzilla by Lordy Belance
Chester by Bianca5
Me, Myself and It by Rhiannon Bird
Guise of a Monster by Lyn Blair
The Witches of Lyra County by K.J Blanco
Subject 17 – Day 91 by Retta Bodhaine
You Are Okay by Adrian Lee Borden
Morning After by Claude Bornel
To Have and to Hold by Jannika Vang
The Shadow Oak Monster by T.K.Bryan
The Skin You’re In by Paris France
A Halloween Story…A Homeless Tale by Heath Byers
Uncle Anthony’s Last Ritual by Miriam Calleja
Impossible Love by Rita Louise
WHO’S THE MONSTER NOW? by Debra Campoli
A Monster Stalks Her by Kat Canfield
Poony Finds His Daughter by Tom Chambless
Victory Beyond Fear by Ashna Chand
Moonlight? by Claire Chandler
Primeval by Joslyn Chase
The End of Hate by David A. Chase
Seeing Blue by Valorie Clark
Phantom of the Louvre by G.T. Clarke
The monster within and without by Shalon Clevenger
A Perfect Stranger by Victoria Collins
The Midsummer Maiden by Laura Cookson
Making Friends by Christine Costa
Ouroboros by Candace Cox
The Others by Karen Crawford
BOO! by J. H. O’Rourke
Missing Pieces by Emma Crowley
Phoenix by Nia Ellis
the Garden of Evil by Fred Cucchi
Shifted by DJ Curtis
The Wolf in the Closet by M MacKinnon
The Missing Girls by L.w. Davie
Amanda by Jessica Deen
Playing with Fire by Calvin Dewell
Caging the Wild by Taylor Deziel
The Wishing Well by Des Sixon
“Time To Play” by Caitlynn Dixon
Hunter Hunted by Kristine Donahue
MONSTER by HUBERT DU
Memories of Fire by Patrick Dudgeon
Loved Like Our Own by Mara Eason
This One is Real by Ichabod Ebenezer
Hope You Can Sleep by Todd Edmands
The Watcher by Laura Eiras
The Devil You Know by David Elderton
WHEN TWO WRONGS MAKE ONE RIGHT by Louis Eugene
Daisy’s Revenge by Shane Fitzpatrick
Scuttlers by Rebecca Flansburg
Happy Birthday by Angely N. Florez
Her Monster by Lori Fogle
Tomorrow Morning by Ann E. Fowler
Tell Me About The Sun by Cheyenne Freligh
The Wedding by Justine
A Boy’s Mistake by Victor Garate
The Field Journal Of Miss Abigail Flinders by Eve Garnier
A Monster Lives In My Closet by Yannie Gataya
THE MONSTER IN THE DARK by N.J.GAULD
THE MONSTER IN THE DARK by gnormj@gmail.com
Hooked by Luke Geldmacher
Lockwood by J. M. Gill
Monster by Camila
Vandals by Alicyn Grace
The Rage Of Sound by Melissa Bisbano Guckin
Peace, Greater Than Encountered Before by Parker A. Hankins
A Creature Among the Trees by Michael Harrison
The Key by Craig S. Hartley
The Monster Within by D. J. Harvey
MAUDE by E.C. Haskell
Monstrosity by Dawn Charmaine
Exposed by Trish Hernandez
The Umbra by Coleen Holley
A Fiend Unseen by Jacqueline Houchin
Me, my monster and I by Ashleigh House
Goodbye Major Tom by Robert Leigh Hunt
Why I Don’t Remember by AJ Hunter
Human Nature is a Monster by Lorraine Hurley
Locke Lake by Sarah Ivie
12 Steps by Sharoll Jackson
The Face by Gloria Jainchill
Snowball by Samantha James
The Full Moon by Thom Jenkins
Lightning Struck by Leah Ruth
Black Unicorn by Kristin Johnson
Double Identity by Crystal Johnson
Monstrocity! by Denis Joseph
Happily Ever After by Audrey Julienne
RETSNOM by Victoria M. Jurgens
Sheer luck… by Kashvi Kapoor
Break Bone by Brigitte Kelle
Monster by Ray Kelly
The Ones Menacing Goldimelas.. by Sara Khoukhi
Everyone Loves a Monster by Toni Kief
The Black Widow with the String of Pearls by Madame of the Mansion
Mothers Are Monsters, Too by Vanessa Victoria Kilmer
Rainmaker by Peter king
Boys Night In by Emmy Kolbe
Fear and Fury by Emma Kukuk
Turning Tide by Alex Klark
Fighting for Jackie by Cherry LaFarr
What Lies Beneath by Tiffany Lafleur
Let’s Blame Salem by Charles Vincent
Table for Two by Stella
Sins by Katana Lemelin
The Helpful Monster by Susan Liddle
The Monster Under the Bed by Victoria Lorenz
John Doe by Raven Major
As Terrible As The Sea by Sage M. Kahn
It’s Done by Barton K Mann
The Maddening Crowd by Jennifer Marshburn
The Monster Under the Bridge by Dennis Martin
Dark Memories by Amy Martin
Sing Me a Lullaby by Monica Martinez
Mrs. Monster by Julie Mast
Caroline by Heidi Matherne
Kong Ming by Shelby J McDaniel
Monsters Among Us by D.R.McElroy
The Demons of The Alamo by Darrell Eugene McGuire
A Monster, After All by Lindsi McIntyre
Trepidation by Lyle McNeal
Sulley ‘N Me by William Caufield
TIME’S UP by Sue Moreines
The Monster I Am Not by Erick Morin
Monster’s Proxies by A.J. Mortimer
Too Many Ghosts by G.M. Kelly
The Gift:Book One by Michael Munson
Amor Vincit Omnia by Mallory Nelson
Jackson’s Monster by Sarah Nelson
The Monster on Carriageway Drive by Elizabeth Nettleton
Whispers by LJNewlin
Catalyst by Brian Noonan
The Kuluthol by Tom Norman
Wild by EndlessExposition
Baby Monster by Geraldine O’Sullivan
I am a Monster by C.Oliver
Monster in Us by Marien Oommen
Mirror, Mirror by Marka Ormsby
Monster, I Know Your Name by Susan H. Osborne
Just a Short Run by Brian Palmer
Underground by R. Knowlden Parker
Monster Thought by sarfraz
On the Rocks by Paige Pennebaker
Hunted by P.L. Perry
The Monster Within by P.E. Writes
I Caught A Monster by Erik Porter
From the Mouth of a Monster by S.F.Prescott
The Missing Word by Evelyn Puerto
The Strangeness by Jordan Raikes
The Little Monsters Challenge by Deborah Reagan
Fragile Evil by Nirissa Reddy
The Shadowman by T.R. Tennyson
Remember by Damien Remington
The Vacation by Allene Reynolds
Don’t Bite Daddy by Terence Reynolds
No Nonsense by Sandy Richards
Sienna by Len Richelle
Circumstance by Arin Roberson
A 10-0 Season? by TD Roberts
The Purple of the Rainbow by Norma Rrae
The Monster in the Room by Alisa Russell
The Shadow by Kim Griffin Russell
Serpent Below The Surface by Jim Ruth
Counterfeit by Shayla Danielle Schmida
Itch by Gina Screen
She is My Own by Jennifer K Seigworth
The Wrong Monster by Natalie Shannon
The Search by Chris Shave
Twinkle by Ellory Shaw
Don’t Turn Off the Lights by Robert Smiley
Final Moment by B. Shaun Smith
Sober Temptation by Jamer Spear
Belua by Claudia Spiridon
The Suit Makes the Man by Jack Daniel Stanley
Bildungsroman by Malcolm Allen
Screen by Andy Steven
The Unveiling by Darlene Stasia Stiles
A Dummy’s Painted Smile by K.I. Stoehr
The Voice by Nathan E. Stone
Of Monsters and Heroes by Julie Stroem
My Monster by Kelly Marie Sullivan
A Day in the Life … of a Monster by Cecile Swift Lippitt
My Monster by Jessica Tanner
The Heart Within a Monster by Christian Tanuyan
A resemblance by Krista Timeus Cerezo
Little One by Lauren Timmins
The Mirror by Savannah Tripp
Treasures by Bea Dawkins
Monster by Hannah Tussing
Mascotte by Kevin Urban
The Monster Within by Dawn Van Beck
Fraught with Peril by Evan-X van V
Fatal Delivery by Gloria Wright
The Monster on Mars by George Wallace
Bar Pickup by Deborah Wallace
The Boy by Sam Ward
Creature of Scorn by Daniel Weaver
A Monstrous Justice by Sue Larkins Weems
Doubt by Kody Wescott
Ugly by Joya Williams
Inheritance by D. A. Winter
The Resident by Pamela Witzig
You Can’t Scam a Scammer by A.C. Wolfe
Back to School by Gayle Woodson
The Helper by Kavan Wright
The Poetry Slam by Antonia P. Wright
No quarter this day by Miguel A. Zamora
Congratulations to all who entered!