Last week was filled with writing wins! First, I finished my edit of LFB, which took me ages (read more about that here). Then yesterday, I was announced the winner of a short story contest I'd submitted to back in April!
The contest was hosted by the Rogue Writers community, and was judged by a panel of community members. The stories were judged equally on technical craft, reader enjoyability, and implementation of the prompts.
I submitted a story called The Maiden and the Horned God, which was an exploration of the relationship between the archetypal male and female Wiccan/neopagan deities, and the turning of the seasons. Some traditions hold that each year, the Horned God dies (or is sacrificed) in the fall and is reborn new each spring. The story is told from his perspective.
The story was also an exploration of my personal relationship with these binary male/female archetypes. As someone who was AFAB but has never felt remotely "feminine," I have always felt somewhat at war with my own body--a body that continues on with its natural biological cycles, regardless of the societal implications of "femininity" that I don't identify with. This story is about the feminine being in control, regardless of what feels "natural" to the POV character.
The feedback I received was incredibly positive. I was proud of the piece after I wrote it, but I didn't realize other people might connect with the story as well. I'd been holding this story in my pocket, figuring I'd toss it up on my blog for June's Flash Fiction First Friday. But after hearing so many kind words and encouragement, I've been kicked in the pants to submit the story to journals and zines.
So, unfortunately, I don't have the story to share with you here, but I'll announce if it get accepted anywhere!
Thank you again to Rogue Writers for hosting the contest, to the judges for their time, to the community for their kind words. Thank you for encouraging writers of all types and experience levels, and for fostering a creative, welcoming space for us.
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