A bit of good news for a semi-sour week: I made the "honorable mentions" for the Elegant Literature for the first time.

Time to aim for the top ten and get published in this contest.

/endrant

Difficult, meaning, at what point is my lack of writing "success" a skill issue vs. other writers being able to simply "kill it" in a way I am currently unable to?

I think, and this is solely for me, participating in writing contests at this point in my writing journey do more harm than they do good.

To be continually told that "I can write well" but not well enough to stand apart from the other writers is a difficult thing to ponder.

The existential crisis and mood swings that come desiring to be a writer should be studied.

To go from "I can write" to "What is a word" is nothing short of jarring at even the best of times.

So...I'm at work, and I get a video from my wife.

One of my sons is swinging, cloth stuffed up his nose.

Me: "Is that a tampon?"

Spouse: "Yup, he hurt himself and that's all I had."

I can never say she's not resourceful.

So, I had the pleasure of waking up to a rejection today, only the rejection came with four recommendations on mags that might accept my piece.

Well, thank you?

Huge congratulations!

a close up of a man 's face with a beard ALT: a close up of a man 's face with a beard

The discourse surrounding writing rules (especially those made up by peers) never fails to amuse me.

Today's Rule: Using em-dashes within writing competitions (whether a couple or several) is cheating, regardless of the competition allowing it.

Just received my first R of 2026. Onward!

www.writingbattle.com/join-battle I joined the upcoming Tempest Owl Battle with writers from around the world. Get Ready to Battle on Jan 13, 2026! @writingbattle.bsky.social
#flashfiction #writingprompts #writerslife #WritingCommunity #writersofbluesky

Join the Battle and Learn More

Our next submission call is right around the corner. Check out our guidelines to learn more: https://bit.ly/3FZcgMA

We're kindling a new flash fiction writing contest, with unique prompts to spark your creativity. Join us on January 30?

Boromir from THE LORD OF THE RINGS, holding The One Ring. He thought he could use it for good, but everything done with the ring turns to evil. He was one of the mightiest warriors of middle earth, and he could not resist its powers. Others even mightier fell to the ring. Do you think you are stronger than them? The One Ring is generative AI.

Techbros seem to love Tolkien, so here's an analogy to help you understand what genAI is.

GenAI is The One Ring. You think your use is justified, b/c you don't have evil in your heart.

But it came from evil, it is intended for evil purpose, & anything you do with it will be twisted to that end.

Odd Embers Writing Contest | Ignite Creativity, Enter Now Join the Odd Embers Flash Fiction Contest to spark creativity with strange prompts. Submit stories, receive feedback, and compete for prizes and publication.

New contest alert!!! The inaugural contest is on January 30, 2026 (happens to be my birthday).

Consider signing up!

www.oddembers.com

Such an amazing story! Congratulations, friend.

I am happy to announce that my Alternative History story won the 2025 Autumn Writing Battle competition.

I'll take a HM. Great competition and fine outcome, albeit unexpected.

Edition 29 - OUT NOW This issue is dedicated in part to the memory of Dennis McFadden—whose final story appears within—celebrating a voice that shaped the magazine’s dark heart.

I have a story out in the wild. Take a peek at "Arrangement in Gray and Yellow" in Stygian Lepus #29
www.stygianlepus.com/r/1cc5c468?m...

Here's the final result of my story! While this is my best performance, I'll say that the best is yet to come!

This was a nice surprise. My second time ever going to the final showdown!

www.writingbattle.com/join-battle I joined the upcoming Autumn Short Story Battle with writers from around the world. Get Ready to Battle on Oct 26, 2025! @writingbattle.bsky.social
#flashfiction #writingprompts #writerslife #WritingCommunity #writersofbluesky

Join the Battle and Learn More

Next up!

September 29th: Bad Advice | Crepuscular Magazine Get more from Crepuscular Magazine on Patreon

Another story day for me! "Bad Advice" is available at @crepuscularmag.bsky.social today, and in 30 days if you don't subscribe (but you should it's cool over there).

Huge congratulations!

I'll never understand other writers crapping on peers (after contest results) in online forums.

Excited to start this book!

In other news, for my first Twisted Tournament writing comp, I received the following trophies:
1x Most Tension ⚡
4x Most Surprising 😲

My story was ranked a 7.87 and with so much amazing talent around that site, I'll take what I can get and work toward greater.

The swing from "I'm a capable writer." to "What is a word?" is honestly debilitating.

A bummer of a result since this was my favorite story I've written in a while, but I'm excited to see feedback!