Honorable Mention goes to:
Marilyn Durr, Lore City, OH, for “Keeper of Toy Soldiers”We want to thank every one who entered the contest this year. The judges had a difficult time deciding the winners.
Overall, this years entries were well written and had an emotional heart tug. Some, however, lacked a strong ending. They said that some endings were abrupt and needed more closure.
The judges urge writers to follow guidelines, fact check when writing about historic events, keep dialog real to the character, and watch changing points of view in the middle of the story. Watch for correct word usage, correct spelling, and use suggested typeface and font size.
These errors caused some stories to miss being marked as a winner by one point.
1st Place - Lori Krause, Elgin, NE - The Forgiving Years
2nd Place - June Venable, Georgetown, TX - Me and Junior
3rd Place - Carol McConkie, Seabastopol, CA - The Rag
Honorable Mention goes to:
Maria B. Murad, Apple Valley, MN - The Last Dance
Susan Roberts, Lapel, IN - Hodge
Caroline Cooper, Dayton, OH - Say Goodnight Sophia
Alicia Stankay, Ambridge, PA - Murder by Surprise
Lois Loehr Rini, Evansville, IN - Dove and the Flood
Kimn Swenson Gollnick, Marion, IA - Lost Yesterday
Susan Roberts, Lapel, IN - Before Cold Weather Sets In
The judges want to congratulate all who entered the contest this year. The judging was really close with only two points separating first and second place. They selected seven Honorable Mentions because the scoring was so high.
The judges offered these comments:
- Many stories lacked conflict.
- Some weren't clear, lacking sufficient description and sense of place and time.
- Some stories had weak endings and weren't clear.
- Use active verbs.
- Many stories had awkward sentence structure, poor grammar, sloppy punctuation, and missing quote marks.
- It isn't necessary to double space between paragraphs.
- It's important to follow the guidelines.
1st Place - Daniel R. Cole
Plainfield, IN - Fish Breath
2nd Place - Pat Agar
Brandon, Canada - The Cow and Miss Creasy
3rd Place - Eugene D. Alvin
Collinwood, TN - Anasazi Moon
Honorable Mention
Gregory A. Hartman - Lilac
Dorothy Carey - The Water Boy
David M Dekelaita - Kathy's Nightmare
George A. Thomas - A Junior Officer
David Bishop - Lunch with Sean Murphy
Judith G. Finkel - Shaytl Lady
Barbara Phillips Stuart - The Silent Scream
Helen Nardecchia - Duchess and Friends
Rachael Purta - Pockets
Darlene A. Buechel - The Return of the Real Granny
The contest committee would like to thank all the contestants who entered our writing contest. The judges said they enjoyed reading the wide variety of entries displaying different levels of writing ability.
We encourage writers to become involved with a writing group to help polish their writing skills, attend writing conferences, and subscribe to magazines that focus on the craft of writing.
Judges comments on the overall entries will appears on our website within the next week, and watch our web site www.hamiltonwritersguild.org for our next contest in 2008.
First Place Dawn Goldsmith; Oviedo, FL; wins $100 for The Vigil
Second Place Patricia Crandall; Petersburgh, NY; wins $50 for Not Suitable Viewing For children
Third Place Lynda Diessner; Primrose, NE; wins $25 for The Old Yellow Chair
Honorable Mention:
Linda Hudson Hoagland; North Tazewell, VA; I Froze...
Martha Crotty; Cincinnati, OH; Carnival
Helen Cunningham; Florence, KY; Saying Good Bye
Emmette Boone; College Corner, OH; Unearned Vacation
Susan L. Comer; Brentwood, TN; Barbies Dream House
Judith Hoy; Black Mountain, NC; Dinner With The Spider
Natalie Chandler; Hixson, TN; Dog Gone, Again
The contest committee would like to thank all the contestants who entered our Writers Guilds first Fiction Contest. The judges enjoyed reading the wide variety of entries and levels of writing ability. Unfortunately, many good entries didn't follow the industry standards for proper formatting, and others were disqualified because they failed to follow the Contest guidelines.
The judges encourage writers to become involved with a writing group in their area to help polish their writing skills, and attend writing conferences and subscribe to magazines that focus on the craft of writing.