Featured, You Didn't Write That: News
Take two writers, drink plenty of liquids, and call me in the morning
Sep
Literati! At last! The contest.
You are visiting A Word with You Press because there is not a successful twelve step program for our shared addiction. Some of us do it secretly, late at night, when the kids can’t see us. Some of us do it shamelessly in public places that dose us with caffeine. Some of us do it on lunch breaks, and some of us do it when the suit patrolling the aisle between cubicles can’t really see what’s on our screen. (Mac!) It’s true what they say: 95% of all writers write, and the other 5% lie!
“No, hon, just checking my emails.”–Liar!
“Hey! Found a bargain on Craigslist!”–Liar! Liar!
“No, honest! I was just surfing the porn sites!” —LIAR LIAR PANTS ON FIRE!
You were writing. You know you were. We know you were. Here’s your chance to come clean. We are your enablers.
Welcome to our first contest since our site reboot(y)
You didn’t write that
In 150 to 200 words excluding the title, write us a story that uses the words “You didn’t write that”. Maybe you got busted writing graffiti? Embarrassed writing a love poem? Your mom found your journal? Or maybe you startled yourself finding something you had written years ago, and wondered how you could ever write something so good/bad/meaningful/meaningless. Maybe you wrote something so poignant people could not believe you wrote it, and are seeing you in a different way for the first time. Maybe you are Fareed Zacharia’s editor at the Washington Post?
What we want to come through is why you do it in the first place. We’ll settle for entertainment, but we’re really looking for you to tell us why you’ll never be able to beat the habit.
All entries must be submitted(ahhh, submission! It’s great to be back on the site again!) by midnight Oceanside time October 15th. Three finalists will be immediately selected, and two will die after a quick battle.
By submitting your work, you are giving AWwYP the right to a trial marriage with your daughter, and the right to publish your work on this site, or on line or one time rights in hard copy. We reserve the right not to publish anything that is sent to us.
Each entry must be double spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font and must contain a title, and author email and contact info (which we will not publish) AT YOUR OPTION you may include a link to your website and a request to post that at the end of your story. Send to thorn@awordwithyoupress.com. Up to two entries per author.
(The animal farmer in the pic has really got his fingers into something– but it’s really not my type.)
Cheers!
thorn
first-star-to-the-right-straight-on-til-morning-in-chief
Seriously? Why do you do this to me? On nights when you KNOW I have to be awake at 6:30…*le sigh*
Ok Muse…let me get you the six-pack of Sam Adams and get you going…
no surprise you’re first in line
Take this as you will: I wrote my first entry faster than an iPhone can send a text. Now THAT’S twenty-first century technology for you!
I’m a bit confused. Shouldn’t the words be “I didn’t write that”? If you were caught writing something embarrassing, wouldn’t you say “I didn’t write that!” rather than “You didn’t write that”? Please let me know if I’m misunderstanding something!
“You didn’t write that” is correct, and I am sure before long you will see some fine examples from our stable of contestants.. The scenario, as one of infinite examples, might be a young child coming home with an “A” on her essay, and maybe the parent has never been aware that their kid had talent…”MOM! LOOK!. I got and “A” on my paper!”…The parent can’t believe it, looks at the work, and blurts out loud “You didn’t write that.” And then there is perhaps the interaction between the two characters as the mom realizes she never encouraged her child, but the child succeeds anyway, or the child realizes that her parent is completely unsupportive, or any number of emotional combinations.
Or its a court trial and there is something incriminating on a the back of an envelope, and the DA asks the defendant, “You didn’t write that? Is that what you said?”
I think you will be amazed at the scenarios our regular contestants come up with, and I hope they inspire you to submit something kuhl. “You didn’t write that” question to me to be left hanging there, did you?
Bring your friends after you enter the contest to read your entry. You didn’t write that off as a possibility, did you?
Ah, I see. Thanks for clarifying! I work best with writing prompts, so I will definitely be entering something soon!
Ack, this is Marisa. Somehow, my reply got posted through my fictional character’s FB profile! I guess he does have a life of his own…
Dude! You hacked into my work computer?
I hope Thorn’s not after me, too. My boss would fire me, then black-list me. Oh, wait. I’m my own boss.
Seriously? ‘I became my own boss because it keeps me from getting fired?’ Nah, you didn’t write that.
If I come after you, Julie, it will certainly be for other reasons than I come after Mac!
Good to see the crew coming back.
Hey Thorn? What’s the prize for the contest?
Still have not found a suitable trophy. I am workin on it.
A contest, a contest, a contest, a contest. I’m so happy, happy, happy, happy!
Geez. . .Do we have to tell the truth? Can it be fiction? hehe Actually, I have several ideas, several tales. One invokes my mommy. Hmmm. . .What tale to tell, what tell to hide.
Go figure my work computer doesn’t allow e-mail, or document storage, or any other sort of actually useful use of the internet. That’s what I get for working in an Japanese middle school. I’ll drop my entry in tonight after work.
Go figure my work computer doesn’t allow e-mail, or document storage, or any other sort of actually useful use of the internet. That’s what I get for working in an Japanese middle school. I’ll drop my entry in tonight after work.
Couldn’t find anywhere else to post this so I am sticking it on this page – we have a style guide?
When did we get so uptown?
I wonder if he’s hacking into mine, too. So, the contest is over on Monday, right? Does the winner get to choose the next contest? I’m all for a Halloween or Dia de los Muertos memes.
Where’s my Pizza! What, this isn’t Pizza Shuttle?