Vote For Your Favorite Story!
Presenting the Made Up Words Readers’ Choice finalists…
After reading more than 100 entries from 17 countries, we have whittled the list down to our Readers’ Choice finalists. Our original plan was to present three stories to be voted on by readers, but during our selection process it became clear that we, the four editors of Made Up Words, were each championing a certain story. What to do? Give you all four, of course!
The stories are free to read. We love them all and are amazed at what each writer has done in the space of just 2,000 words or less. We think you’ll enjoy them as much as we did.
Below, each editor shares his or her favorite. Readers have just 7 days to vote (August 26th — midnight on September 2nd). Let’s go!
Lisa Renee on Sally Roberts’ “The Ghosts of Finbury Road”
“The Ghosts of Finbury Road” is a charming, finely wrought tale of a miserable old man’s last days. Sally Roberts uses deft and playful language to draw the curmudgeonly Mr. Featherstone and weave his sad fantasy. He rails against reality and unreality, and we feel his relief as his story comes to its conclusion. There is something of the fairy tale in this surprising little story, but it also gently touches upon earthly issues of life and death, joy and sadness, society and loneliness. Somehow, the story of a miserable old man’s march through life is quite enchanting. This short tale is a lovely bit of wordsmithery and storytelling, and I would love to read more from this author. ~Lisa Renee, Editor, Made Up Words on daCunha
Read “The Ghosts of Finbury Road.”
Veronica Montes on Eric Van Meter’s “Ride It Out”
There are few things more charming than a certain type of excruciatingly self-aware thirteen-year-old. The wise-beyond-his-years narrator of “Ride It Out” meets the imminent threat to his physical being and the potential ire of father head on, reflecting on his clumsy failures as a farm kid, his need for approval, and the heady weight of parental expectations. I love the way his voice captures perfectly the tension between who he is supposed to be and who he actually is. Everything happens in the space of just a few moments, but isn’t that true of so many of life’s turning points? This is a sweet — and bittersweet — read for anyone who’s looking for their place in the world. ~Veronica Montes, Editrix, Made Up Words on daCunha
Read “Ride It Out.”
Grey Drane on Ayame Whitfield’s “Maps to Home”
I’m not usually a huge fan of dystopian science fiction, but I was very pleasantly surprised by “Maps to Home.” The story is set in the aftermath of a catastrophic global war, but it is such an intimate tale about family, about loss and about hope that the dystopian backdrop is almost irrelevant. As I followed Yukiko through her abandoned childhood home, I became engrossed in her near-future world and felt like I was right there with her, looking over her shoulder. Whitfield’s descriptions of tech as it has evolved over time are tightly woven into the story without dominating it, allowing a touching piece of sci-fi to emerge that everyone can enjoy. ~Grey Drane, Editor, Made Up Words on daCunha
Read “Maps to Home.”
Tom Farr on Jennifer Kain Kilgore’s “The Four Horsemen’s Education”
For a brand new teacher, there’s nothing more terrifying than the possibility of realizing that one of your students seems to have been sent straight from hell to your classroom. Jennifer Kain Kilgore explores this fear to a fun and creepy extreme in her story, “The Four Horsemen’s Education.” What if the four horsemen of the apocalypse were children walking into a kindergarten class on the first day of school? What kind of mayhem would ensue? “Horsemen” was a story that I couldn’t stop thinking about. I loved Kilgore’s surprising transformation of these symbolic biblical characters and the way she crafted their interactions with the main protagonist. The combination created an emotional resonance that I wouldn’t have expected. ~Tom Farr, Editor, Made Up Words on daCunha.
Read “The Four Horsemen’s Education.”
Thanks for voting on daCunha! We’ll be announcing both our Readers’ Choice Winner and Editors’ Choice Winner on Wednesday, September 7th. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for updates, insider info, and a surprise or two!
Best,
Veronica Montes
Editrix, Made Up Words on daCunha
