The Whining Stranger on Books and Reading: We Have a Winner!

Back in July, recall, I issued a summer writing challenge to the writerly readers of this blog. Write a 500-word short story on this theme: For fear that my mother would sell the house before I returned home again, I made sure to write a sentence in permament marker in the closet of my childhood bedroom. I set the deadline as Labor Day. I said there would be a prize.

I've chosen a winner.

First off, though, let's remember who entered the contest:

1. EDW, "It's No Story I Can Tell."

2. Jami, "Permanence Marker."

3. Paperback Writer, "['Writer's Block']."

Secondly, let me say that I really enjoyed reading all three writer's efforts. It's fun to see how different creative people approach the same topic. I like the different styles, and the different approaches. I like how EDW, for instance, takes a perspective you don't expect.

But there can be only one winner, I'm afraid.

And that winner is--

Jami, for "Permamence Marker."

I'm a fan of quick cuts, brevity, non-sequitir prose, and Jami's entry had all of that. And so, Jami, contact me, and I'll send you your prize: a used (I prefer the term "previously loved") of my all-time favorite book on writing, Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones, which I'll send your way from AbeBooks.

Musings: Conversations, Welcome Correspondence and Frothy Ales

Cool autumnal rains made Labor Day weekend a time of acceptable transition. Summer is over, school has begun, I am lost to books and classrooms and sharpened pencils and striped ties again for the better part of the next four months. On Friday we celebrated with dinner out at a favorite restaurant. On Saturday we attended films on campus, and then went for a dinner and drinks get-together at a colleague's that took us into the early morning hours and carried us home with ample wine and beer in our bellies. Sunday saw me at a beer-tasting. (Yes, you read that right.) I drank different style beers all afternoon before we headed out for Thai food and more beer and wine with other friends, till 3 a.m.

Sunday afternoon we walked the dog in the rain. I napped on the couch. We had tilapia and green beans and couscous and salad. Sunday evening saw me smoking and reading Ralph Ellison in a comfy chair and drinking scotch and listening to the patter of rain and the swell of jazz from the radio.

And this weekend I found out that another story of mine has been accepted for publication.

Life.
Is.
Good.

Will decide on the winner of the Summer Writing contest soon and decide on a prize for said victor. I'm still open to late-entries if you get 'em in quickly.

The Whining Stranger on Books and Reading: One Last Call To Scribes, Would-Be Wordsmiths, and the Literarily Inclined

Calling all writers again. You might recall that back in the dog days of summer, I issued this 500-word Summer Writing Challenge. The deadline is Labor Day--Monday, the end of this last weekend of summer.

To submit your final entry, please link your story to this post. I'll judge the winner sometime last week and send out a prize.

And tell your writerly friends!