I’ve been taking part in some writing challenges hosted by NYC Midnight for the past year or so. There are a number of different challenges throughout the year that cover various formats from the microfiction stories below to short stories of more significant length and even some screenplay challenges.

For the pieces here, the challenge was as follows: within 24 hours compose a 100-word Fairy Tale and/or Fantasy themed story that included both the action of picking berries and the word ‘lean’.

I ended up with three options and took some interesting observations about writing and my process away from the experience. I got feedback from about a dozen friends and family members, asking each to choose a favourite. That led to my submission choice for the challenge. What was interesting for me was that the clear winner was the story I spent the least time planning, tweaking, rewriting, polishing. And the story I was most attached to was the one that didn’t really resonate with any of my readers – it got one vote.

So while this is a small sample size – three super short stories with feedback from a handful of people I’m close to – it does have me questioning the time I spend on some of my writing. Should I spend less time on the rewrites, the layering, the mapping out of story intricacies? To be fair, (I can’t even write that without hearing Wayne, Katy, Daryl, and Squirrely Dan) while the story I submitted was the one I spent the least time crafting, I wrote it last and I think I may have been enjoying the flow by the time I got to it. I had spent a fairly intense block of time focused on crafting the first two stories, playing with the ideas, changing language, adding, removing. This one just happened without much thought.

The whole thing was fun and also reminded me I need to continue to carve out more time for my writing. As well, having something so short meant I’ve benefited from the juice that comes with finishing a project. Which begets more energy for the next thing.

Anyway, here are the pieces. The first is the one I chose to submit, based on feedback. The second was my initial idea, and the last was the one I spent the most time working on.

The Lesson Bears Fruit

Little bear munched happily, one raspberry after another disappearing from the bushes into his sticky muzzle.

“I knew it!” Mama said as she and Papa stepped from the forest. “Get out of Farmer’s berry patch.”

“Mama’s right,” Papa said, guiding little bear down the path toward home. “One day you’ll learn that there are consequences for taking what’s not yours.”

Their cottage door stood ajar; Papa leaned forward, nudging it. The chairs were tipped over and oatmeal covered the tablecloth. Inside, someone snored.

“It seems today is the day you’ll get that lesson,” Papa said, and stepped inside.

Different this Time

The girl gathers the belladonna berries carefully, lean arms freeing the delicate fruit from the plants, the crimson cowl of her cloak pulled up against the morning chill. She’ll have to work fast if she’s to make it to grandmother’s house on time.

She skips toward home, basket of berries in hand, work to do. There should be more to her life than treading this same trail every time, the wolf always at the door. But already today is different. Today she has chosen a different path.

“A pie,” she thinks. “Perhaps a pie will make it different this time.”

Freed by a Kiss

“You’re free,” he whispered, leaning over, and brushing his lips against her motionless form. Her body responded.

But the spell was not all he broke.

Now in his absence—questing for some long-misplaced chalice—she reflected. She’d once thought in absolutes. Good. Evil. She still couldn’t abide apples but now she understood the hag better. And one could be free but still bound.

The dark belladonna berries she was harvesting reminded her of the marks that marred the beauty of her porcelain skin. A pie would do.

She served him a slice that night with a peck on his cheek.