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SPRING FLING CONTEST 2025

writing

#FallWritingFrenzy 2024 Entry

Apples #14

Stolen Magic

By Jany Campana

Word Count: 126

Photo #14

On Halloween, Jade placed her magic inside a shiny apple. “I need to hide it from those pesky trick or treaters.” 

But when she turned away, her cat, Willow, took a big bite!

In an instant, Willow sparkled from head to tail. With a flick of his paw, the room filled with flying pumpkins and dancing skeletons.

“Silly Willow, you’ve eaten my magic.” Jade laughed.

Instead of scaring the children, the two cast spells together, turned books into bats, made the house glow green, and raced on broomsticks.

But as the clock struck midnight, the magic faded. Willow’s fur returned to normal.

Jade hugged him. “That was the best Halloween ever.”

Willow purred. His plan had worked. And he couldn’t wait to steal the magic, again.

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Spring Fling Contest 2024

The Fluffy Promise

By: Jany Campana

Word Count: 108

“Fluffy! Where are you?”

Remy searched. 

Under the bed…

Behind the toy box…

Even in the dark closet.

He couldn’t sleep without Fluffy?

Remy hugged Tin-Tin.

He cuddled Rocket. 

He snuggled Poppy. 

But nothing oozed love like Fluffy.

Remy sank into his pillow.

He tossed and turned. 

It was going to be a long, lonely night.

His eyes swelled shut.

Mom tiptoed in. “I forgot. Look who I found while spring cleaning.”

“Fluffy!” Remy leaped up and grabbed the old, tattered T-shirt.

He buried his nose and breathed in the familiar scent. 

“I’ll never let go of you again!”

And with an extra nuzzle, he whispered, “I promise.”

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FALL WRITING FRENZY Contest 2023

10. Photo by Josh Hild on Pexels.com

A GHOSTLY VACATION

By Jany Campana

Word Count: 76

Image 10

Fall is my busy season: kids dressed as aliens, witches and vampires. It takes all night to scare them.

Only, it is exhausting shouting, “BOO!”

Ghosts need a recharge too.

While everyone celebrates Halloween: trick-or-treating, decorating with cobwebs, craving Jack-o-lanterns – they forget the simple joy of rest.

But not me.

ANNOUCEMENT: A Ghostly Vacation placed as an Honorable Mention.

writing

Writing Picture Books — With Humor

Funny picture books are enjoyable to read. But writing them requires skill.

To develop this skill, imagine something that captures emotion.  For instance, Joy. You want to convey Joy in the most unusual way you can think of. Then ask yourself, what would be crazier, funnier? Take it to the extreme. Generate as many ideas as possible. Reread them, add some, take away some and keep the amazing ones.

Use humor to show rather than tell.

Writing this kind of humor is situational. Similar to slapstick humor, the author must consider not just ordinary arguments or obstacles, but outrageous ones. And the foil can’t be simple either—it has to have exaggerated responses. Remember Wile E. Coyote? He not only falls off a cliff, an anvil lands on him. Take your character to the limit and then make them jump into a blackhole inside Swiss cheese.

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#SunWriteFun Twitter Contest

THE DIAPER DERBY
By Jany Campana
WC 55

Little Teddy crawled.
Why Dad crouched behind a checkered line, Teddy didn’t know.
He. Just. Wanted. That. Bottle.
Why the other babies slowed, Teddy didn’t know.
They bumped. They stopped. They cried.
But not Little Teddy.
He kept his eyes on the prize.
The reward: cool, comforting milk.
And for some reason: a trophy.
BURP!

Back Matter–In 2018, 15-month-old Teddy Bradley crawled into history to win the New York City Diaper Derby. The annual event from the 1950s was cancelled in 2020 due to the global pandemic and hopes to return in 2021.

https://www.mightycause.com/donate/Readertoreader
#sunwritefun

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TALKING WITH AUTHOR SAMANTHA HARDIN Plus a Giveaway

Samantha Hardin is a self-published author of the romance BREWED WITH LOVE and she has two children’s book series: ZERTLE THE CRIME FIGHTING TURTLE and MATH HEROES.

When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Samantha: I’ve wanted to be a writer since I learned to write in the first grade. When I was about 8 years old, I wrote a story called THE WILD AND CRAZE ANIMALS. I still have the original copy. And it’s been about 18 years.

Do you write full-time?

Samantha: No, not yet. I am a fourth grade Language Arts teacher. But I have been writing seriously for about four years. With an eighteen-month-old, my writing schedule is erratic. I have to squeeze it in whenever I have time.

What is your writing process?

Samantha: It starts with a vague outline. Then I just start writing. I edit the minor stuff as I go, and add in more details later on. It is a long process. BREWED WITH LOVE was written over a span of two years.

Where do you get your ideas?

Samantha: The ideas for my stories come from everywhere. I got the idea for BREWED WITH LOVE, a story about a woman who left her fiance at the alter, shortly after getting married. In fact, right now, my husband and I are working together on a fantasy novel.

Do you have any advice for would-be writers?

Samantha: Keep writing. Even if you think it is horrible, just keep writing. And keep reading. I recommend reading for fun. Currently, I am reading THE PETTICOAT PIRATE by C.R. Pugh. And when I am busy, I listen to audio books, like THE GATHERING STORM by Robert Jordan and Robert Sanderson.

Samantha has recently gone into the editing business and has generously offered to GIVEAWAY an edit for a manuscript of 5000 words or less. This will include checks for grammar, tense, pov, and punctuation. Simply comment on this post to enter. For an extra chance to win, share this post on Twitter. And for an extra, extra chance to win, tag three friends in your Twitter post.

Find Samantha at Hard Copy Editing and on Twitter @shardinauthor.