From the ominous buzzing of grocery store lights to the haunting of a betrayed friend, these young writers captured Guest Judge Katherine Arden's imagination with their spooky tales. Read the spine-tingling winning and finalist pieces from our Scary Stories Competition below!
Please note: Winning and finalist pieces on the site are now publicly viewable.
WINNER:
‘Buzz’ by Katie Rose, age 18 (United States)
A fantastic short. The concept is relatable (who hasn't been annoyed by halogen lights?), but taken in an interesting, inventive, and scary direction. The use of figurative language is strong, but it doesn't overpower the momentum of the story, and the build from beginning to twist ending is perfectly paced. Despite the brevity of the piece, the setting is well-drawn, as are the two human characters. Strong, interesting, even a little bit funny in a gross way, and we can see this young author beginning to develop a voice and a style. Hugely impressive, and I do hope this young writer keeps honing their craft.
RUNNER-UP:
‘Ghosts of Regret’ by Kshipra Kashyap, age 15 (India)
A strong opening line and a well-drawn series of opening images hooked me immediately into this strong, poetic piece. Writing in the second person is difficult to pull off but it's done well here. The merciless protagonist, the clueless parents, the wounded, malevolent friend all come through quite clearly, and this young writer understands that the best hauntings are metaphorical as well as literal—in this case the blind friend becomes the embodiment of the young protagonist's own guilty conscience. I appreciated the specificity of the challenges and pressures that formed the plot, and above all the strong use of figurative language that gave the whole piece a nightmarish quality. Really well done, and I am sure this young writer has a bright future.
BEST PEER REVIEW:
‘The Forest’ reviewed by cdthecoolcat, age 16 (United States)
Such great thoughtful commentary. I love that the commenter points out things they like as well as places that can improve--and then makes specific suggestions for improvement. A really well thought out critique, and sure to be useful to the author.
PIECE FINALISTS:
‘Demons in the Glass’ by The WordWeaver (United States)
‘Finally Quiet as the Blue of the Sky’ by marscant (United States)
‘Lucy’ by Bell777 (United States)
‘Monster in the dark’ by Fabula Ariolus (United States)
‘Silent Time’ by Pecteilis Radiata (United States)
‘The Third Door’ by Shine Lee (South Korea)
‘The Creek Thing’ by Louis Hao (China)
PEER REVIEW FINALIST:
‘Ghosts of Regret’ reviewed by EleanorMarie❤ (United States)
Love the mix of praise and good suggestions here from this commenter, and also their pointing out places in the text that were unclear. One of the best things a good reader can give a writer is simply their sense of when an idea isn't coming through, and this commenter does that so well here. I am sure this commentary will be useful to the author; great editorial suggestions.
