This fall, Short Fiction Break is partnering with The Write Practice to host a writing contest in which everyone gets published.
FALL 2023 WRITING CONTEST
This fall, we invited all writers to write a new story inspired by the theme of our contest; workshop it in The Write Practice community, our partner writing community; and submit it for publication here at Short Fiction Break.
The theme of this contest was Legends and Myths.
WINNERS OF THE SPRING WRITING CONTEST
We received hundreds of excellent submissions. After much deliberation, our judges selected the following winning stories:
Grand Prize:
The Real Treasure by Maureen Duffy
Runners Up (alphabetized by author):
The Boy in the Golden Armour by Elizabeth Nettleton
The Woman of the Wind by Sam Viavant
Honorable Mentions (alphabetized by author):
American Styx by EJ Fordham
The Muse by Mary Gould
The Gift of Rebirth by Marita Lietz
Demon Feather by G.L. Shaw
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.
La Llorona by Carlos Arce
Davy Jones’s Locker by Eunice Armitage
The Peaceful Loch by George Balea
The Day After a Gloomy Sunday by Ryan Fleming
Whiskey Nevermore by Joanne Guillemette
Scottish Heather by Sandy Juker
Preconceived Notions by Kimberly Keagan
The Wraith by Adria Knudson
Bulgae by Jung Park
Family Feud by Tom Pleasant
Witch by Jessica Weber
Inside the Warm Cocoon by Michael Zeit
MEET THE JUDGES
This writing contest is judged by author and book coach John Malnor and editor and novelist Kyle Cisco. Learn more about them here and consider hiring them to help with your next writing project.
John Malnor is a storyteller and coach who helps people dust off their dreams and achieve them. With two crime fiction novels published and several underway, John is pursuing the Write Practice Book Coach Certification and will complete an MFA in Creative Writing in 2024.
Contact John at jsmalnor@gmail.com or learn more at johnsmalnor.com
Kyle Cisco is a Story Grid certified editor, and Air Force veteran, utilizing his discipline and attention to detail as a crew-chief to examine the structural integrity of your story. Specializing in bringing fantasy worlds to life and in guiding horror authors his dark sense of humor and ability to create suspense will keep readers at the edge of their seats while they’re dragged screaming into the abyss by the entities lurking within the darkness of your story.
For more information on Kyle’s services, visit ironravenediting.com. He gives a 10% discount to veterans and new clients!
Thanks for all your hard work judges!
READERS’ CHOICE AWARD
The judges are deliberating over the winners of the grand prize. As they sift through 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 “The Hidden Light” by Saira Leghari. Congratulations, Saira!
SPONSORS
The prizes for this contest are provided by The Write Practice. The Write Practice guides aspiring writers to become published authors through our transformational coaching programs and community. Contest participants receive six weeks’ access to the workshopping community to get feedback on their short stories, novel chapters, and other writing pieces. You can learn more and join here.
FALL WRITING CONTEST STORIES
You can find all the stories writers chose to publish in the contest below.
If you entered a story in the contest, we encourage you to read this guide to help you get the most out of publication on Short Fiction Break.
Rolling Stones by Allie April Knox
Solvitur Ambulando by Allison Allen
Legacy by Jade Roscoe
The Problem with Dottie by Marchel Alverson
La Llorona by Carlos Arce
The Stone’s Gambit by Liliam Sandoval
Loch Ness Retold by David Anderson Bain
Davy Jones’s Locker by Eunice Armitage
The Peaceful Loch by George Balea
A tired old legend by J.E. Barchenger
Nocnitsa by Nicole Beeman-Cadwallader
The Legend of Ugly Ed by Kim Belesky
The Ghost of Belle Starr by Teresa Marie Black
Hope of The Fox by Benjamin Boekweg
The Magician’s Secret by Emma Bradshaw
The Lady in the Mirror by Amanita Cynth
Ocean’s Heart by Joanne Buttner
Cinderella With Love by John Campbell
Eyeing You by Journey Brooklyn
The Legend of Birdsong by Rebecca A. Cathey
Anthos and The Fall by Dave Chaimson
Secret Encounter by Judith Chapman
Searching for Sally by Andrea Charman
The Inner Person by Francis Kennedy Murote Chomba
Where the Sun Doesn’t Shine by Kim Christensen
The Legend of Samuel de Layn by Avery Christy
The Black-eyed Pea by L’Michelle Bleu L’Eau
Martha Clarke by Marjorie Clement
The Island of Forget by Steven C Cochran
The Rash by Sunnye Collins
Medea & Hekate by Zoe Condos
The Legend of Nadia by Mike Conradt
The Legend of Billy Wannamaker and the Ghost Ship Addie Lee by C. Yvonne Corbett
Un-a-frayed by Jaxan Coy ~ judges feedback welcome
The Shadows’ Shield by Page Craw
The Lycan Campaign by Jacie Crump
The Wandering Inn by Hannah Custer
The Beginning of Mother Nature by Soul Dachuk
Soap by Steven Dale
The Myth of the Procrastination Demon by Michelle Daly
The Lighthouse Girl by Jessica Deen
Bestia by Stephen Dehner
White Jade Bear by Barbara A Denz
La Forêt Magique by Claire Doutremepuich
Legends and myths by Hubert Du
The Real Treasure by Maureen Duffy
The Labyrinth by Benjamin Duggan
The Isle of Avalon by Tjitske Duiker
When Legends Fall by Robert Dyer
Blessing by JD Edwin
SUNSET LAKE by David Elderton
Mel Waters’ Hole by Katy Eldred
The Old Masters by Isabella Errico-Dossi
The Chosen by Elaine Evans
Beyond the Black Forest by Devin Farmer
Truth Unboxed by Joe Streiff
The Pale Curse by Miruna Filon
The Day After a Gloomy Sunday by Ryan Fleming
Charon: The Lost Myth by Christine Florio
American Styx by EJ Fordham
LOTTERY LIES by Susan Foster
The Demure Bloom: Story of the Makahiya by Shaina Gabayeron
Amphitrite & Poseidon by E.Q. Adair
Coyote by Maximiliano Garcia Berriochoa
Hue Stomper or The More Modern Prometheus by Matthew Gaspar
The Legend of the Lady and the Lizard by Sandra Gharabaghli
Pipits’ Spa for Buffaloes by Rupi Jay Gill
Amina and The Sea Demon by Jasmine Gillard
Eros Cupid by Cambell Navarro
The Muse by Mary Gould
The legend of Cherry Tree by July Tale
Built to Wander by Eric Harline
Morrow Multinational by Sean K. Harline
The Golden Apple by Kaiya Hart
The Tentacle Man by Nikolas Haug
The Tommyknocker by William Wedgwood Hawkesworth
Autumn Changes by Catherine Heiberg
A Nod To Neptune by Britt Henesy
The Chimera by Mercury Hensley
The Hillsboro Crossing by Lucas Miguel Hernandez
Sinking Line of Descent by Susana Hernandez Stengele
BIBBITY, BOBBITY, BOO by Maggymac
Lady of the Lake by Olga Holtz
Sump Hole by Kevin Hudson
The Biggest, Baddest Bear by Clay Huston
The Song Without The Words by Ariana Hutchins
The Word by Anne Jacobi
Tabula Rasa by Hrafn Jóhann
Tale of the Bearded Lady by Bonnie Johnston
SCOTTISH HEATHER by Sandy Juker
Victor by Amy F Kaufman
Preconceived Notions by Kimberly Keagan
Kiwi’s Vision by Robin Kermode
Do you Believe? by Lorena Kiefer
Calyptra by Vanessa Victoria Kilmer
The Legend of the Three Brothers by John N King
The Dao in Tsun Juan Station by Robert King
The Wraith by Adria Knudson
Vetev by Pete Koelbl
The Next Lover by MJ La
Ch33tGPT by Paul S.M.L.
Sounds A Lot Like The Nain by Jasmine Lamothe
The Serpent by Braeden LaRoche
Whiskey Nevermore by Joanne Guillemette
The hidden light by Saira Leghari
Have A Seat by Christie Lessman
The Sword Bearer by Alexa Leung
Lost Isle of Buzios by George Lies
The Gift of Rebirth by Marita Lietz
The Birds by Lorraine Liston
The Hands of the Carpenter by Gary Little
Sacred Torment by Iman Llompart
Dark Muse Lake by Jayna Locke
The Warrior Defying Time and Space by Neha Mediratta
The Dream Seller by Rachel Simpson
Will of the Woods by Kaia MacLeod
A SHORT EVENING IN ARCADIA by Arthur Gardiner
Chestnut by Mynah Marie
Exuberance and Boy Visit the Black Mountain by Andrew Mark
The Beast by Rock Martin
A day in the life of a Leprechaun by Jane McGowan
First Man of War by Jada-Leigh McGregor
Dragon’s Blood by Phlimp Timbus
Let Sleeping Beauties Lie by Michelle McKay
The Fountain of Youth by Jennifer Metcalf
The Majestic Megáli by Atu-lia
Small Town Casualties by Shawna Moore
Cherlina’s Song by Eileen Natale
Finding Aarav by Rahul Nayak
The Boy in the Golden Armour by Elizabeth Nettleton
Love Strung by J. A. Newbourne
The Water’s Humans by Eunice Adu
Bulgae by Jung Park
Beyond the Waterfall by Kerr Pelto
Dream of a Jinn by Vykky La Vecchia
Try not to move by Kuchynka
For the Love of Apollo by Carmella T. Penny
You won’t remember my name by Leandra Alba
THE VISIT by Barbara Perkins
The Sirens of Anthemusa by Lance Phillips
The legend of the wind by Michael Piasetzk
The Wishing Pond by Kelly K. Plaza
Family Feud by Tom Pleasant
The Legend of the Silver Scale by Gordana Plemic Agostini
A Closer Examination by Michael Polzin
The Mystical Janellaroo by Sue Pugh-Rankin (aka Rakali)
The Legend of Robert the Bruce by Chris Pye
Sad Molar by Rebecca Reed
In the Pale Moonlight by Josh Resinger
Casting Shadows by Marc Revere
The Whistler by Kevin Richards
Eugene by Sherri Lee Boyd
The Fairy Trap by Kimme Rovin
Goodbye by Nancy Ruan
The Return of the Jersey Devil by Jennifer Rubino
The beast by Karen Russell
The Weeping Tree by Ada Hitchins Sage
The Rowan Relic by Eliza June Sapphire
Descendant by Gianna Savarese
Draco the Constellation by Zoey Sawa Sawa
Burn, Despite it All by Princeton Hart
Demon Feather by G.L. Shaw
Prelude: Holi Honey by Cori Sims
In the Workshop of the Fates by Raina Skotting
Waldgeist by Denise Steinbach
Changing of the Guard by S.M. Sykes
The Line by Heather Takenaga
Bukwus by Richard Thomas
The Woman of the Wind by Sam Viavant
The Survivor by Ivey Truscott
Witch by Jessica Weber
The North Star by Jennifer L. Willett
Antagonist’s Soliloquy by Celeste Wolfe
The Sirens Song by Emilia Wozniak
True King by A.R. Nitus
El Muerto by Miguel A. Zamora
The Angel’s Lament in Scarlet Hues by R.AmRi
Air-istocracy by Sarah Park
Oracle of Oxhuitsa by Mariana Moguel Mendez
The Horse and the Hummingbird by Ariana Donnelly