WD Short-short

Writer’s Digest is again giving you a chance to win some money. Submit your short-short story of 1500 words (or less) for the chance to win.  Just look at the lovely list of things you could get: $3,000 in cash Their short story title published in Writer’s Digest magazine’s July/August 2016 issue A paid trip … Read more

Hallowe'en fun

This is your reminder about Spooky Story Night. It will be held Friday, Oct. 23, 6pm, at Darrah’s home. Cost is $10 per person and benefits the HWG. Remember, this is YOUR group and it needs your support. The fun of the evening will be the Spooky Story Contest. Submit a piece of Flash Fiction, … Read more

Local library contest

The Henderson Library District is hosting a creative writing and artwork contest. They will accept prose – fiction and non-fiction – and poetry. Making this contest unique: artwork is also a category. It would be great to have our group make a showing. I’ve attached the submission guidelines (in PDF). Henderson Library Contest Brochure

TextAloud 3

Once again, the folks at TextAloud have donated two copies of their software for us to raffle off. The generosity and support of writers is greatly appreciated. If I did this correctly, the above picture should contain a link to their website.

Poetry deadline looms

2015 Live Canon International Poetry Competition submission deadline is September 6. First prize is £1000. The winning poem will also be eligible for the Forward Prize for best individual poem. The unique aspect of the Live Canon competition is that all the shortlisted poems are performed by the Live Canon ensemble (from memory) in a special … Read more

Guess Who

Even though we still do not have a winner for the previous posted Guess Who Wrote This, here’s another for you to ponder… I See You Smile I see my mother’s eyes Right above your nose I see my uncle’s nose Right above your lips I see me laugh When I see you laughing  I … Read more

Another contest

The Missouri Review is now accepting submissions for its 25th Anniversary Jeffrey E. Smith Editors’ Prize for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry with a $5,000 prize in each category.  Entry may be made by snail mail: The Missouri Review, 357 McReynolds Hall, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211 or through the website: www.missourireview.com. Postmark deadline is … Read more

Win a prize!

Be the first to correctly guess which of the Henderson Writer’s Group members wrote the following short story and win a dig through the Book Bag! Writers’ Freeze  When I sit at the computer ready to line out beautiful prose cradling wisdom with a sniff of calm and peace, I freeze. For many reasons. Since … Read more

Enter your short story to win and attend a free webinar with an award-winning author!

Subject: Enter your short story to win and attend a free webinar with an award-winning author! Reply-To: “Phil Sexton” <reply-fec613707d640c7f-113820_HTML-239076466-1303282-85@writers-community.com> Hello there! As you’ve likely heard, Writer’s Digest is once again running its annual Short Short Story Competition. Through this competition, we’ve discovered a number of terrific writers and helped shine a spotlight on their … Read more

Guess Who Wrote This Story

Guess who wrote this story and win a jewelry piece from Toni Pacini.

The rules are simple. Read the story and the first person to guess wins. Have fun.

He/She is in our group. This is a great way to meet your fellow writers.

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Why I Don’t Date

I don’t often date. Here are some of the reasons why: There are stages to the dating process. At first, a young man is attracted to your looks. A little later, he’s eyeing you with a view as to whether or not you will be useful to his career. The next stage involves your money, as in do you have any. At last, he wants to know can you drive and do you have nursing skills.

A young guy tells you about his dreams, his plans, and his aspirations. Older men regale you with tales of their cholesterol count and latest prostate exam. Here are some off my personal experiences in the elder dating scene.

One fellow, returning from the men’s room at a nice restaurant cheerily announced, “False alarm.” Now, truthfully, the only time I care to hear these words is when the fireman declares, “Don’t worry there’s No fire.”

Another first date’s opening line was, “What do you know about type two diabetes?”
I confessed, “Not much.” Sorry I said that! He spent the rest of the two-hour date, “educating me.” I suddenly recalled having a late evening appointment for root canal. (Actually, by then I needed a frontal lobotomy)

I told one date that I had spent the day critiquing stories written by first time writers. He shared the fact that he had stayed home collecting urine samples. Well I guess, we all need hobbies.

There was one fellow I did see about four times. I called him Blinky.(not to his face, of course) He told me he formed the habit of blinking as a child when his mother slapped him for any wrongdoing and then slapped him again if he cried. Also, he huffed, sort of like the big bad wolf, huffing and puffing. Maybe, I reasoned, his mother held him under water when she got tired of slapping him and he learned to huff to catch his breath. I believe I went out with him because of the novelty of waiting to see what he would next call me, since he couldn’t remember my name. Donna, Doris, and Darnell were among the names he tried out. At least they all started with D. Actually, I rather favored Darnell.
One evening, he called his son. “I’m calling to tell you I’m having dinner with Darnell and I won’t be able to call you tonight.” When he hung up I said, “You know, my name isn’t Darnell, its Dulcinea.” ( I can be a bit of a bitch.)

Another novelty was his driving. It was like going on an amusement park ride without the expense of a ticket. We routinely rode with one set of tires atop the divider bumps. I was never sure if this was to provide direction or keep him awake. He often stopped in the middle of the road. When I asked him why, he would point to a car at a side street and declare, “He stopped so I stopped.” Well of course! Curbs and lawns were fair game as was accidentally putting the car in reverse at odd times. In time, I had to let Blinky go, my nerves can only take so much.

On our first, last and only date, one man took me to a Chinese restaurant for dim Sum. Over dinner, he shared with me the fact that due to an operation, when he climaxed the fluid went back into his body and did not eject. Be still my heart! Could he have waited until desert to impart this too personal tidbit of information?
Many older men abandon dressing with care. Miss-matched shirts and pants, socks that don’t go with the outfit or with each other for that matter are common. Or, the white socks syndrome. Why do some guys think that white socks go with everything?

My last date arrived with his zipper down, a tiny piece of his red shirt protruding. Now, I have to tell you it’s embarrassing to tell a man you have just met that he needs to zip up but when I mentioned it as politely as I could, to this gentleman instead of a quiet, “thanks”
or just turning to zip, he barked, “Oh, a crotch watcher!”

Any wonder so many of my dates were both first and last?”

(c)

The Kenyon Review Short Fiction Contest

The Short Fiction Contest 2014 Guidelines Welcome to the 2014 Kenyon Review Short Fiction Contest! For the first time, after great debate and serious consideration, we are requiring an entry fee of $18. Last year entries leapt nearly 200%, all but overwhelming our small band of readers. In order to keep the contest alive, therefore, … Read more