Wicked Writing Winner!

The master of Liminal Spaces...

Jeff Kinnard

and

The Chronicler

Oct 30, 2023

October’s final Macabre Monday is upon us on the eve of Halloween…

There could be no better time to unveil the first EVER winner of Macabre Monday’s Wicked Writing contest!

Shall I keep you in suspense?

Are you anxious…?

Are you biting your fingers a little to hard?

Picking at your skin a little too much?

Tapping your fingers?

Bouncing your leg?

Pacing the room?

Screaming at the screen?!

Well, good.

Every single one of the entries deserves your undivided anxiety and attention.

So, please, once they are all being posted freely to their individual pages, go and show them how much you ~~love~~ detest their work.

Please keep in mind,

The Chronicler

adhered to a strict judging system that included 5 categories, as well as went into judging blindly without knowing any names. This was to keep it as fair as possible for everyone, but the results do remain subjective to the judge.

The Chronicler

was also kind enough to leave notes on each entry on why they ranked the way they did, as well as provide some feedback for future contests. These notes and their scores do not reflect anything other than the entry that was submitted.

The categories each piece was judged on were given 10 points, for a total of 50 points possible overall. They include:

Creativity and Originality
Flow, Structure and Character
Quality of Writing
Horror Intensity
Theme (Yes, this was added after the announcement since it is a themed contest)

A big thank you to everyone that submitted entries this month. This would not have been the success that it was without all your hard work! Even if you are not a winner in the contest, you all did an amazing job and I commend your courage to enter. It is one thing to share your work, but it is another thing entirely to submit it to harsh judgement.

Without further ado, the winner of the first ever Wicked Writing contest is….

1st place: Jon Toews and his entry “Rare Dawn”

Jon T

shocked not only I, but

The Chronicler

as well with his amazing writing skill. The 1st place spot was definitely well earned with such an amazing short story on liminal spaces. He has won the prize of a horror book of his choice, as well as being featured in an anthology of the top 5 short stories that were entered into the contest. I would have loved to share his story here for everyone to see, but I would rather everyone go check it out when he has it posted at his publication Ferns of Columbo.

Here are his scores:

Creativity and Originality: 9/10

Flow, Structure and Character: 8/10

Quality of Writing: 10/10

Horror Intensity: 4/10

Theme: 9/10

Total 40/50

This is beautifully written, easily followed, poetic, atmospheric, dream-like, eerie, and bleak. While it’s not scary, the author clearly makes use of the theme. Liminal space is understood here as “transition”, completely hitting the theme square on the head through metaphor. The dream-like space the character (perhaps otherworldly entities at the end of the world?) is in also gives a clear sense of a liminal environment.
There can be horror in hopelessness and the mundane, but I would not classify this as a “classical” horror piece. It did not frighten me. Rare Dawn, however, leaves a creeping sense of dread long after its finished.
Whoever wrote this allowed their creativity to shine through. This showcases some raw, real talent that you cannot learn or practice. There’s an obvious sense of rhythm, a musicality that demands attention.

Runner Ups to be included within the anthology…

2nd place: John Coon and his entry “The Job Interview”

By far the closest entry that threatened to de-throne

Jon T

, was John Coon’s amazing short story. ~~I swear we are not biased towards the name.~~ They were the only two contestants to get nearly a perfect score in the “theme” category! Go check out his story when it is up at his publication Strange New Worlds.

Here are his scores:

Creativity and Originality: 8/10

Flow, Structure and Character: 7/10

Quality of Writing: 7/10

Horror Intensity: 6/10

Theme: 9/10

Total 37/50

A slam dunk for the theme! You set an eerie atmosphere that showcased the physical nature of liminal space. My only feedback is that I would’ve liked to have more of a sense of horror!

3rd Place: Jessica Maison and her entry “The Hut”

This has been a great past few days for Jessica! She just won the pumpkin patch award for her short story over at The Lunar Awards. You know why? She showcases some real talent in her writing! Go check out her story when it is up at her publication Monster of the Week.

Here are her scores:

Creativity and Originality: 8/10

Flow, Structure and Character: 7/10

Quality of Writing: 7/10

Horror Intensity: 6/10

Theme: 1/10

Total 29/50

What a tragic end to Sheryl! You are a strong writer with a good sense for what is scary. I would recommend strengthening the theme! Also, I would like to have a better understanding of Sheryl’s motivations/temptations to enter the hut. If it is her presumed grief over Beth, how exactly does that affect her curiosity?
There are so many real stories of people disappearing on hiking trails throughout North America and this tapped into that fear. I liked how you engineered a sense of sympathy for your main character as well as your use of environment/space. This felt like a solid modern take on a Grimm story.

4th Place & 5th Place: Christopher Freeland’s “Early Birds” and Jennifer Morrow’s “Gnaw”

This was quite interesting. Both of these writers tied in their scores, and there was no way to distinguish which was better! Rather than decide which is slightly better, they can both share the 4th and 5th place titles together. Seems like they will be in an endless transition between the two…almost like they were trapped in a liminal space…

Go check out their stories when they are posted at their publications; Christopher Freeland’s Substack and Autumn Lives Here.

Here are Christopher’s scores:

Creativity and Originality: 7/10

Flow, Structure and Character: 6/10

Quality of Writing: 6/10

Horror Intensity: 6/10

Theme: 2/10

Total 27/50

Definitely unique, did not see the giant bird/dinosaur coming. You have a dry sense of humor throughout the work while retaining a feeling of claustrophobia. There was an interesting choice in name, I wonder if it is related to Blaine’s cowardly nature?
Unfortunately, though there was some adherence to the theme as a metaphor, it could have been more obvious. You have a solid grasp on flow and plot. This was an incredibly creative story written by a strong author!

Here are Jennifer’s scores:

Creativity and Originality: 6/10

Flow, Structure and Character: 6/10

Quality of Writing: 6/10

Horror Intensity: 8/10

Theme: 1/10

Total 27/10

Everyone likes a good zombie story. Yours is visceral and gory studded with an amazing crescendo when Dan attacks the main character at the end. I enjoyed the build-up, however, I felt that you could highlight this strength even more. Take the time because what you submitted has promise to be very good!
Unfortunately, the theme was not strongly represented in your work. Also, I would recommend taking some time to read your work to someone. I like using websites like Speechify or Siri to read my stories aloud so that I can catch that awkward line or two. Reading your work aloud also helps identify issues with pacing!

Honorable Mentions!

*Contestants, if you would like to know your exact scores, please email MacabreMondayEditor@gmail.com (Notes and scores were removed due to complaint).

“Quite the Reunion” by
Joshua T Calkins-Treworgy

“All Hallows Eve” by
Stirling S Newberry

“Abigail” by
A.C. Cargill, Author

“The Terror of Arthur” by
Michael S. Atkinson

“If a Tree Fell in the Woods” by
Indie Fiction Digest
(Reina Cruz)

“Twenty-One Grams” by
Honeygloom

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