Some of you may be familiar with my fractured relationship with the NYC Midnight Challenge writing competition. This year’s Short Story Competition has transported me into new territory in that I have broken with tradition and actually advanced to the second round by placing 3rd in my heat. A clerical error, no doubt.
The second round prompt was Romance/A retirement plan/ A jogger, and so I wrote a remarkably trite and boring story about football. They weren’t expecting that, I hope!
If you have time to waste …. here it is Miss Queensland Country 1954
Yep. We all have our remembrances, some of us are lucky enough to keep them in line, real, imaginary, or otherwise. This, my dear man, is beautifully done, careful, controlled, and poignant as hell. Bravo, bravo, bravo.
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Oh, thankyou.
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wow super powerful prose pops, think you’ve won it with this one!
I met a man very much like him who nursed his wife many years, he’d been a famous ref. Shared his story and died that same night. His wife said never happier and she finally got into a nursing home.
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Thanks buddy.
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I’m serious, you know I don’t lie … very moving!
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Ohhh!! Gushy. I’m totally not weeping right now!! Ohhh!! That’s really good. I think you could readily make it to the finals with this one!! That is so, so sad. I kinda guessed Janet was already dead, but it didn’t lessen the effect of his denial; and his living in the past was so melancholic as to induce tears. Utterly romantic, and a beautiful portrait of a life well lived.
You, me, final round, let’s do this!! Let’s go for glory!! If you can write that well during a rough weekend, then you can bring your A-game to the finals next month! We are so totally in this!
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I admire your optimism Meg. No matter the result, I thank you.
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