Ouch! In Dec. 2019, my story got a 7 on Rate Your Story

  A comment that really got me was, "Reads more like a book report than a narrative." A 7 means it's a subject worthy of merit, but needs a lot of revision. Sigh. Some good concrete suggestions, though, and the reviewer had some good things to say about the lyrical writing. I'll shape it up and submit in January. Maybe I'll move up to a 6!

Chop, Chop

   Oh, it's so hard to obliterate my character's childhood! It's important to start the story closer to her work as a writer, so I had to "kill my darlings" and to leave so much out. It does make it tighter and more focused. But aaaaghh! Leaving out her friendship with mice in her grandmother's kitchen, her father leaving the family, her marriage to a crook, her divorce, traveling to the Florida capitol with her sufragette friends, joining the Red Cross and traveling to Europe...so sad. But it's a picture book. Kep it simple. Why is keeping it simple so hard??

Susannah Hill's Holiday Contest

A Treat for Nana (73 words)

By Deborah Holt Williams



I really love my Nana,

so I made her a Christmas treat.

She’s on a special diet,

She can’t have anything sweet.



I thought about sugar-free cookies,

But wait—she has no teeth!

I took some selfies and printed them out

And glued the pics on a wreath.



I tied on sticks of cinnamon

And pinecones, one, two three.

She hung the wreath by her favorite chair.

She says her treat is—ME!

Rate Your Story

  I joined Rate Your Story early this year, which means I get to submit a story in December as well as every month in 2020. I sent in my Marjory Stoneman Douglas manuscript tonight, after lots of revision, and I'll look forward to seeing how the judge rates it. Maybe 2020 will be my lucky year!