By Joel Grimsley, Arts Editor
Judges listening to competitors’ submissions – Photo by Joel Grimsley
The Writers Guild hosted their first independent event of the year, a Flash fiction competition of short horror stories which was judged by a panel of Aquinas faculty in the Moose on Wednesday, Oct. 30. Flash fiction, are fictional short stories characterised by their brevity, typically consist of a few hundred words within a few sentences, challenging writers to condense a narrative into a satisfying, but brief story. The constrictions often attract authors to write horror and unsettling pieces, such as Ernest Hemingway infamous flash fiction story “For sale: Baby shoes, never worn.” While Six words is very short even for flash fiction, it serves as an example how a few words can paint a large picture, sometimes even a disturbing one.
The event was put together by the Writers Guild, which is no longer dormant and has become an active group on campus, with future events planned and an active social media presence. They have creative hours in the 3rd floor of the library every other Wednesday. All writers, from academic writing to fiction to nonfiction are welcome to visit to improve their writing.
The competition, which lent itself to the Halloween season, was judged based on a criteria of its horror element, how brief the flash fiction was, and its narrative strength by the panel, which consisted of the head of the Writing Center Julie Bevins and the director of the Center of Teaching Excellence Dr. Gretchen Rumohr, who judged all the short stories submitted before declaring the top three.
Competitors gathered around decorated tables where they brainstormed, drafted and submitted their pieces within a half hour, a challenge despite the story’s length. The event was complimented by fall treats including a selection of doughnuts, apple fritters and apple cider which all added to the autumnal atmosphere.
The three winning contestants were Laura Standel, Jenna Hoinke and Grace Wilson. Wilson was awarded first place with her eerie cornfield story.
“I thought he liked me. When he invited me to the cornfield, I thought we were going to have a good time. Instead, I now look down from where he hung me as the giggling families find their way through the maze. I guess I don’t scare away kids or crows.”
- Wilson’s entry.
“Since the contest was in the moose, I kept looking at the moose head and decided to write a ‘hanging’ story about a girl turned into a scarecrow,” said Wilson when asked what inspired her entry.
If interested in some of the other submissions to the competition, the other submission are posted on the Writer’s Guilds Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/writingcenteraq/?hl=en.
The Judges Panel in the Moose – Photo by Joel Grimsley
The Saint 