My brother and I participated in the 100-word microfiction section of NYCMidnight as first time writers. We were eliminated after the first round but it was alot of fun – Solomon brainstormed the base ideas for both stories and also got an honorable mention in his category :D

Writers are placed randomly in groups and are assigned a genre, action and word assignment. Writers have 24 hours to craft an original 100-word story in their assigned genre with the assigned action taking place, and incorporating the assigned word.

Word Limit: 100
Genre: Comedy
Action: Writing on a napkin
Word: must
—

Reason for Absence by Solomon Sia

“Will you read the note out in front of the class please, Gavin.”

“Dear Mrs Wormwood, please excuse Gavin for not coming to school yesterday. We kinnapped him and held him for random and also stole all his homework which was great - he must be a genius. “

“And why, pray tell, did they write on a napkin?”

“Because they are kinnappers. Also they forgot to write it down but they said that they are going to kinnap me again tomorrow after recess and it will be the last time I promise.”

$\rightarrow$ Click to show reviews What judges liked:
Judge1: I found the misspellings to actually be quite funny and they added to the humor of the story. The actual note is quite cute and I especially liked "also stole all his homework which was great - he must be a genius". It just had a great tone and suggested a lot about Gavin's character.

Judge2: I liked Mrs. Wormwood's presiding calm over the situation. I thought her dialogue worked particularly well because of how unruffled she seemed by Gavin's lies

Judge3: It is rare that I laugh out loud but I laughed out load when I read this story. Gavin is a star. Mrs Wormwood is the classic (Grade 5 / fifth grade / fifth year primary school, depending on your geographic location) school teacher who is not buying Gavin’s story. We’ve all lived this, which is why this story has such a warm and fuzzy, and familiar feel to it. It charms to boot. And, yes, it is funny. It is all in the dialogue. You nailed it. This story could work as part of a young adult book as much as a potential yarn for grown-ups.

What could be improved:
Judge1: I wasn't sure that the fact that this story was entirely made up of dialogue worked for me. It's an interesting choice, but I was missing a little bit of description. This is a very subjective critique, but I'd encourage you to think about how small bits of description might actually make the dialogue even sharper/funnier (by fleshing out the story world a bit more).

Judge2: To me, that last line from Gavin about it being the "last time" felt a little incongruent with how thoroughly he was trying to sell the story otherwise. I think that keeping Gavin's motive in mind at every turn could solidify small but potent tweaks in his dialogue that drive his personality home.

Judge3: There is a little I would fault in this funny story that works from start to finish. The only bit I would consider rethinking is the “pray tell” piece of dialogue. Although it works, “pray tell” may strike some older readers as literary trope. It has been used often before. Fortunately, there are loads of alternatives. Perhaps, “And why, my prodigious little man, did they write on a napkin?” could lend a touch of sarcasm. Your choices are limitless. Go for it.


Word Limit: 100
Genre: Thriller
Action: Lifting a dumbell
Word: base
—


The Rising by Suzanna Sia

In Dhaka, a metallic mass rises unerringly, mushrooming at an exponential rate.

Physicists witnessing the phenomenon firsthand suffer acute crises of faith. Simulation theorists claim it as irrefutable proof that we are not living in base reality.

A sniper team is on constant watch. Any living organism under the umbrella radius turns feral and must be swiftly euthanised.

Only a week ago, when it had been the shape and size of a dumbbell, roadblocks were shifted daily. Now, they are being shifted hourly, as intellectuals debate whether the use of lethal force will be lethal for humanity.

$\rightarrow$ Click to show reviews What judges liked:
Judge1: The Rising incorporates the competition prompts in an amazing display of creativity. Overall, it is unique and complicated, adding to the convincingness of great microfiction storytelling. It is intriguing the debate regarding "whether the use of lethal force will be lethal for humanity."

Judge2: The story is well structured and has a lot going for it given the restrictions of the 100-word format. It's visually compelling, and we get the sense that even at this stage, where the "metallic mass" is exponentially expanding, the reader gets the uneasy feeling this is only the beginning and annihilation is inevitable.

Judge3: It's an intriguing intro. It gripped me. Nice pacing

What could be improved:
Judge1: It would be fantastic to head the story with a date or year as part of the introduction sentence or a standalone. The outcome will help conjure a timeframe and visuals that suit and connect with the story's reveals and events.

Judge2: Work to clear up some of the vague aspects. It's clear how large this phenomenon was initially, but it's unclear what size it is in the present. It's hard to fathom a sniper team shooting every organism (from squirrels to dogs to birds to people?) affected by this thing, especially over time as we're told it's growing "exponentially". To improve the story, utilize some specificity of details.

Judge3: Visually it has great potential. I would recommend the order of word choice. For example, "In Dhaka, a metallic mass rises unerringly, mushrooming at an exponential rate" It is a bit unclear what this is visual. "Metallic Mass" is so vague that, as a reader, I am not sure what to see in my head, and when you say "mushrooming" afterward, I am now thinking it's a mushroom cloud. But they are not metallic or do this look Metallic, So it is hard to understand what exactly we are to see. If it is a Mushroom cloud, I would consider Starting with "Mushrooming" To give the reader the visual of what exactly it is first, and then go into describing what this particular cloud looks like and is behaving like.




Upon reading the reviews, we seemed to have gotten promising themes (kudos Solomon) but lacked polish and attention to detail. Stuff that seemed slightly off will indeed be flagged, and the extra hours of hardwork mulling over those details would probably be one of many factors separating us amateurs from the professional. Professionals have a better mental map of what makes a good story and what requires attention.



P.S I later found out that my Professor’s wife placed first in the same subgroup - congratulations! :))