A Contest for Writers

Issue #26 – Try for a Prize

Jul 15, 2024

I hereby toss down the gauntlet.

In honor of my Substack’s one-year anniversary, I challenge you to write a poem, micro-fiction or flash-fiction story which correctly includes as many Writing Rhythm vocabulary words as possible.

That’s it in a nutshell. Read on for details.

The Background

So far, my Substack Writing Rhythm has had twenty-five issues, 2X a month since July, 2023. This newsletter has me bloviating (or jabbering on and on in a pompous manner) about different aspects of writing long fiction, even whilst providing links to tons of sites and people who actually know what they’re talking about. Every issue I’ve given meaning to a vocab word somewhere in the text, then provided a dictionary-definition link to that word at the end of each post, under this header:

**Background pic by Pisit Heng on Unsplash**

Like this:

What is to bloviate?

See how that worked? My whole idea is to buff up vocabulary, in hopes that you’ll use these newfound words in your writing. And now’s the time. It’s a win-win, whether you nab the prize or not: the very act of working with these words will seal them in your mind forevermore.

The Contest

We’ll do this in a Q & A format. The question of the month, therefore, has been pluralized for this issue only:

Q: Who judges the contest?

A: Me, and only me (hey, my newsletter, my contest).

Q: What’s the deadline?

A: Thursday, August 1, 2024 at midnight PST. The winning story or poem will be announced and published here between August 15 and September 1.

Q: Do I have to be a subscriber to Writing Rhythm to participate?

A: No. But I wish you would. It’s free.

Q: Where can I find the vocabulary words I need to use?

A: Two places. Here, in a big old list:

Pedantic, grueling, faineant, idiosyncratic, elegiac, aide-memoire, propinquity, eschew, elocutionist, multitudinous, denigrate, superfluity, tenebrous, bildungsroman, ascetic, irrebuttable, plethora, rota, de trop, penultimate, eldritch, ostensibly, dubiety, raison d'etre, caveat and dekko. Oh yeah, let’s throw in bloviate, too, since we defined it above.

Or, they’re already looked up for you here. To find each one conveniently linked to a Merriam Webster definition, go to each issue and look for the “Can we have a word?” header.

Q: Do I have to use ALL these words in my story or poem?

A: Nope. But the more words you use, the more the judge (me) will be impressed.

Q: What if I use them wrong?

A: The judge will be distinctly unimpressed.

Q: Can you define the word-limits of micro and flash fiction?

A: This was covered in Writing Rhythm Issue #20. Here are two illustrations to help:

Or, if you’re a poet, you can always write a rhyming OR non-rhyming poem.

Q: Any other tips?

A: Yes. I know it’s a challenge, but if you succeed in making your story or poem mean something—especially with the handicap of using such a varied collection of words—the aforementioned judge is likely to be very impressed indeed.

Q: What do I win?

A: The winner gets TWO signed, collectible books.

My Scary Stories books (for MG, or Middle-Grade, ages 8 – 12) are out of print and hard to get—but I have copies in new condition. I’ll sign ’em to you or to whoever you want to give them: a special gift for a kid in your life, or a true collectible for you to keep. I’ll mail them, too.

I’ll also print your story or poem, with appropriate attribution and accolades, right here in Writing Rhythm.

Q: Where do I send my submission?

A: Here. Do it now, ’cause you only have until August 1^st.