melinda hagenson

For Challenge Two of the first round, I’m still in Group 34. New prompts: Romance, a lecture hall, and a cookie jar. We had 48 hours to come up with a 1000-word (max) story in response to those.

Speaking in Starts Distractedly

A young woman intent on impressing her famous Shakespeare professor discovers that her future is actually behind her.

I’m pretty happy with this story–I had fun writing it because the lecture hall, the professor, and even the paper (also titled “Speaking in Starts Distractedly”) are all real, even though everything about the rest of the story is total fiction. Writing this one took me on a fun romp down Memory Lane.

In Round 1, 125 groups of 30 or 31 writers each were given 48 hours to write two 1,000 word (max) stories, one for Challenge 1 and another for Challenge 2.  At the end of the two R1 challenges, the five writers with the highest cumulative scores in each group moved on to Round 2 (the semi-finals).  In Round 2, the 625 remaining writers have been put into 25 new groups of 25 each, and again given 48 hours to write a 1,000 word story in response to a new set of prompts.  I’m in Group 21, and our prompts were Sci Fi, an adoption agency, and a seesaw.  (The top 3 in each R2 group will move on to Round 3.)

(This is the first time I’ve drawn Sci Fi since I started doing these contests in 2015.)

The Einstein Children

A former R&D executive, guilty of the good he didn’t do, holds the key to life and death. Even he doesn’t know what he’ll do with it.

This is my entry for Round 2.  My prompts were romantic comedy, a mobile app, and a backstabber.  It’s not my best work–and I have no expectations of making it to R3–but with everything going on this weekend, I was happy just to get something submitted. Sometimes that’s a win in itself!

Wocket Man

A young man, two months into his new job as a WeightTrackers leader, sets his sights on the one woman who hasn’t tried to mother him, hit on him, or actively avoid him. If only she’d look up from her phone. . .

(While it may not be my favorite of my stories – I do kind of love the opening line!)

During my second month as a WeightTrackers leader, I met the woman of my dreams.

NYCM Short Story Challenge, Heat 32:  Romantic Comedy, Love Letters, A School Nurse

A first-grade teacher, new on the job, is resistant to the school nurse’s attempts to set her up.

This story wound up taking first place in my group, and it was a lot of fun to write, too.