The Short Story and a Challenge…

First off, a bit of screaming and gratitude. Beyond Me hit the New York Times and the USA Today bestselling list, and I couldn’t have done it without my amazing, supportive readers. Thank you for loving and sharing my stories and allowing me to keep writing for you.

Second, I want to talk about writing. I love everything about creating a good story, in various formats, and consistently try to grow and get better. When I was in college, I took a short story writing course. The class was small and intimate, and each week we’d create a new short to read and discuss. By studying and delving into the craft of the short, I learned about the power of vivid words, getting straight into the action, and how to give readers a satisfying experience in a limited amount of time.

Yesterday, I was on twitter and saw a site called 81words.net.  I clicked on it out of curiosity and found a site that is dedicated to sharing stories of exactly 81 words. Readers vote and the stories are ranked. After scrolling through some of the top rated ones, I was blown away and reminded of what I love about the art of writing. In only 81 words emotions were evoked. A story was told.

Powerful stuff.

Of course, instead of going back to working my novel with a looming deadline, I got excited. I wanted to write a story in 81 words! Could I push myself to try?

Yes. So, I did.

You can read it right here. I titled it Unspoken.

http://t.co/4XbGql4qkG

After I posted, I got a huge adrenalin rush I always experience when I write The End on my book. I was also inspired by the other talented writers who pushed themselves and tried something new. I think in any career we may reach plateaus or forget to try something different.

So, I give you a challenge. Write a story of 81 words. Post it on the site here , or on your blog. Show me the link so I can read it, either on my website or on my author facebook page which is shown on the right side of my site.

Whoever takes on the challenge, I’ll put the names in a hat and give away a copy of my new digital release, Beyond Me. If you read it already, you can pick something from my backlist.

Are you a loyal reader but not a writer? That’s ok – just post that you checked out my new short Unspoken and I’ll put you into the contest!

Have fun. Happy reading. Happy writing.