Wednesday 4 July 2018

#WEPff UNRAVELED YARN - Winners!

When we set the prompt, UNRAVELED YARN, the team wondered how it would be received. We needn't have worried. Your posts explored 'yarn' from many and varied POVs, some literal, some metaphoric, some fictional, some raw non-fiction, some poetic. The variety showed the creativity of the writer's mind.
WEP CHALLENGE FOR JUNE....UNRAVELED YARN.

The reading part of a WEP challenge is easy for the team, even though we often go back several times for a re-read. Then another read if there are similar stories. Then comes the hard part. Choosing three outstanding entries. Often the writers who make the final cut tugged at our heartstrings and stood out above the rest or simply entertained us. Whatever the process, coming to a final decision should be easier, but how we respond to writing is SO subjective. What floats one's boat, sinks another's.

UNRAVELED YARN resulted in some deep responses. Isn't that really the point of writing? To garner an emotional response in our readers? That's the sort of thing editors crave from submissions that cross their desks. Here at WEP, we like being emotionally involved in your stories and poetry. 
Here is a quick run through of the entries, excepting your hosts':

Pat Garcia – Engaging, emotional as always. Pat's heroine was someone with insecurities we could sympathise with. 
Carrie Golden – charmed us with her micropoetry on the unravelling that happens during a heat wave.
Christopher Scott - combined punk fiction with classical mythology to weave a thought provoking tale. Fixing fate is a tricky job!
L G Keltner – riveted us with her chilling, powerful flash on abuse, murder and thwarted revenge in the afterlife.
Pat Hatt – delivered with great panache another of his dark, nasty and extremely clever tales.
Kalpanaa – came in with a poetry entry that beautifully combined unravelling and yarn with gender stereotypes, expectations and freedom.
DG Hudson– gave us another snippet of her stellar sci-fi story set on an abandoned space station where some mysterious intruders are up to something disconcerting.
Jo-ke Ojo was amazing as always. Her brilliant poem explored the trappings and unravelling of gender identities.
Desk 49 – spun a fun, light hearted flash in prose this time, a change from his usual poetry posts.
Elephant's Child - posted a stunning, courageous and poignant memoir of a life unravelled by grief and alcoholism and its far reaching ramifications.
C. Lee McKenzie - delivered a poetry entry with splendidly evocative imagery and metaphors. Generations of women and the knowledge, or ignorance, of handling yarns.
Deborah Drucker – showed us that loneliness can take us down a dark path.
Orlin - a cute, playful take on the prompt with kittens literally unravelling the yarn, told from a cat POV done to a turn.
Jaya - posted a well-crafted and sorrowful tale of the unravelling of a suburban neighbourhood to creeping urbanisation. A dream home turned into a nightmare under the boots of progress.
Hilary Melton-Butcher -  wove a cool, colourful flash with children and wool and a napping grandpa which felt almost like a fairy tale, interspersed with amazing images, as is her forte.
Crystal Jepsen -  a first timer at WEP, Crystal gave us a disturbing and powerful flash on child abuse. Looking out for her future entries!
Dolarah - wrote an exquisitely atmospheric tale of an everyday hero set in small town USA. Is this navy Seal-turned-small-town-good Samaritan as whole and as wholesome as he appears?
Randomzb - Another first timer. Randomzb gave us a flash which kept the reader guessing whether grandfather was reminiscing or telling a tall tale. A Turkish delight!



Elephant's Child - non-fiction
Pat Hatt - flash fiction
L.G. Keltner - flash fiction
C. Lee McKenzie - poetry
Pat Garcia - flash fiction
Dolorah - flash fiction

As we couldn't get a consensus amongst ourselves, I outsourced the shortlist to writer and editor, Nick Wilford, who is also associated with the Insecure Writers Support Group (IWSG). (More on that in a later post.) Nick kindly read each entry on the shortlist, giving the following feedback:

Elephant's Child - non-fiction - 'Very powerful stuff and causes one to think about how things could have been different. Excellent interpretation of the theme.'
Pat Hatt - flash fiction 'Packs quite a punch and took me by surprise! I know this one wasn't a poem, but it had a lot of haunting and poetic images and something of a flow to it. Dark and mysterious.'


L.G. Keltner - flash fiction'Powerful and moving. A great take on the theme.'
C. Lee McKenzie - poetry - 'Great structure, stream of consciousness feel. Manages to convey regret, nostalgia and hope in only a few words. Nice job.'
Pat Garcia - flash fiction - 'Very vivid and intrigued me to know more.'
Dolorah - flash fiction - 'Nice and understated, but hints at something deeper going on. Leaves it to the reader to fill in the blanks. Great folksy feel to it.'


So finally, we came up with three winners.

THE WINNER OF THE

2018 WEP JUNE CHALLENGE UNRAVELED YARN




Congratulations Elephant's Child!
Please link the badge to your story and post it on your blog!

An Amazon Gift Card of $10 will be winging your way shortly.

***

THE RUNNER UP OF THE

2018 WEP JUNE CHALLENGE UNRAVELED YARN 



Congratulations Lee!

Please link the badge to your story and post it on your blog!


***
THE ENCOURAGEMENT AWARD FOR THE

2018 WEP JUNE CHALLENGE UNRAVELED YARN 

is L. G. Keltner



Congratulations L. G.!
Please link the badge to your story and post it on your blog!

***
All prospective winners are vetted for their comments before they are awarded a prize. 

Why? Because WEP is a supportive writing community where each person is valued. Wouldn't we all be sad if no one took the time to read/comment on our posts?

For the very strong commenters, we made a special award. 

For the inaugural Commenting Champion Award, issued in April for the Road Less Traveled prompt, we acknowledged Desk49. 

For June, we pass the Commenter Award to Elephant's Child, who, even when she cannot take part in the writing challenge, often reads all our entries and comments. That's true dedication!




Thank you Elephant's Child!. Please accept the badge and display on your blog!

We thank our team member, Olga, for the creative winners' badges. And kudos to team member Nila who re-read all the entries whilst in India to produce those alluring blurbs on each! 
THANK YOU TO ALL PARTICIPANTS!


THE NEW TIMEZONE:  In June, WEP began posting to EST (East Coast USA) time which is shown on the clock on the site. Still, we sent out 5 reminders to late posters. In the future, we will no longer send reminders. Late posters often lack readers, so remember to post your entry on or before the challenge date according to the clock on the website. The linky will tell you how many hours to closing time. Thanks for making our lives easier!

Relative to comments: try to set up your comment system so it's easy to comment! No Google+ please. Leave a message on our CBox or in comments if you cannot post comments on someone's site.



NEW ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING AUGUST WEP COMING SOON! WATCH THIS SPACE AND YOUR EMAIL!

Thanks, everyone, for joining us in JUNE. We appreciate each and every one of you. 

Our next Challenge will be in AUGUST -- CHANGE OF HEART! 
So what's your CHANGE OF HEART going to be about? And I think this is the most gorgeous of Olga's badges yet. How about you?

heart

On the Challenges Page you’ll find the prompt schedule for the year and further inspiration for the next prompt.

Be sure to return to read the winner’s guest post in a couple of weeks!
Image result for facebook image

We'd love if you'd Tweet this post or share to Facebook or your favorite social media site.

Your Hosts…
Denise – Renée – Nilanjana – Olga

38 comments:

  1. Congratulations all winners, Elephant's Child, C Lee and L G! Thanks to all of you who took the time to read entries! See you in August!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you on so many levels. Congratulations to other award winners, and indeed congratulations to everyone who submitted an entry. I loved so many of them.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Congrats to all winners. It was indeed a great challenge.
    Shalom aleichem,
    Pat G

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Pat. Your story was always one of the winners.

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  4. Thank you so much for the Encouragement Award, and congratulations to Elephant's Child and C. Lee McKenzie! I'm looking forward to August!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks LG. A magnificent entry from you as always. August will be a blast.

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  5. Mega congratulations EC, C.Lee, and LG! The entries were superb - powerful, heartfelt, captivating and insightful. It was a pleasure reading and rereading. Kudos!
    Particularly chuffed that non-fiction won, we rarely get entries in that category. The poems blew me away too. Everyone on the shortlist was magnificent. Looking forward now to an exciting August!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Congrats to EC, a well deserved win indeed. Great entries all around.

    You guys calling me short? Geez, how rude lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I’m sure you’re 7ft tall Pat. You’d scare your 🐈

      Delete
  7. Congrats, Elephant's Child. Brilliant work, well deserved. Well done!
    Congrats to the other winners too.
    Pat Hatt, hahahahahahahahaha

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Adura. Some great entries for sure.

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  8. Congratulations to EC for her win, Lee for her 2nd and LG for her third - but to everyone ... as they were such fun to read. Also for the comment win - hadn't taken that on board ... great fun ... and I love the colourful banners. I'll be round - running late here too ... and thanks for chasing me for my grandpa's nap ... cheers Hilary

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  9. Congratulations to Elephant's Child, C.Lee, and L.G. Great job! Interesting to read all the entries to this challenge. :)

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for being a supportive reader Deborah. Much appreciated.

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  10. Congrats to all the winners for your excellent entries. (EC, LG, and C. Lee). Looking forward to the next challenge, although I'm wondering about the changes you've hinted at. . .

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  11. I really missed not being able to participate in this challenge. I had something on the back burner but then work and life and a few challenges got in the way. Well done to everybody who participated and many congratulations to the the winners.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We always miss our regulars Sally. Hope you can join us in August.

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  12. Congratulations, everyone. Excellent entries all!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for dropping by Renee. And thanks for participating.

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  13. Cool. I made the short list :)

    I had fun reading all the different interpretations. Congrats to all the winners.

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    Replies
    1. Everyone loved it Donna. Some had you pegged in the top three.

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  14. I didn't expect to have people even like my attempt at poetry, let alone like it! And I certainly didn't expect to have it noted here with these great contributions. I am more than honored. I'm stunned. Thank you WEP for the badge which I'm off to display.

    ReplyDelete
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