Winners of the #WEP #FREEDOMOFSPEECH Challenge August 2021

Hello everyone! Laura here! We would like to thank those of you who took part in the August Challenge FREEDOM OF SPEECH. This was certainly an intimidating topic for many, and we appreciate your effort!

We've decided to bring back the blurbs for this month! We know a lot of you have missed them! 

In order to keep blurbs going in the future, we at WEP talked about having individual participants write blurbs/taglines for their own entries and include them in their post. This would give everyone valuable practice for those all-important submissions to agents and editors and save the WEP hosts the work of writing them for each challenge.

An example of a #tagline from my Paris Dreams novel: "Sometimes a new life comes at a cost." Short and sweet. A tagline doesn't have to tell the story. It's mainly about theme.

HERE is a great article by Anne Allen and Ruth Harris Jemi shared on Twitter this morning. All about writing BLURBS.

https://annerallen.com/2021/08/how-to-write-blurb/

BLURBS:

Yolanda Renée - Words - Words can be weapons. Does freedom of speech mean cruelty is allowed? What is the cost of these words?

Hilary Melton-Butcher - Freedom of Speech. An intriguing look at the history of human speech from how we learned to speak to using that ability freely

Susan B Rouchard - The Fresco. A look at the power of artistic expression, an artist who has external rules to follow and the inner drive to explore his truths and his hopes 

NR Williams - Freedom Of Speech. A reminder from our past that people haven’t always had the freedom to speak their opinions.

Olga Godim - Space Fleet Academy Neville is a busy man but the curious behaviour of a passenger has caught his attention and blocked his drone. Will Neville crack the case?

Nilanjana Bose - A Fine Yarn - the Emperor's New Clothes has a new twist. Can you see it? (pun intended) . ‘The truth never did set him free.’ 

Christopher Scott - ‘Break free, remove yourselves from their digital world before civilization forfeits any chance at freedom.’ A future revolutionary makes a passionate plea for freedom. Truth wears many faces. Literal and metaphorical chains hold the future. Who will survive?

Denise Covey - The Silent Apocalypse - The politicians tell of one reality while the people experience another. Is it another Chernobyl?

Sally - 'Because I want to, he said…I want to wait, she said.’ Sally explores freedom of speech and consent in a powerful piece combining both prose and poetry. in The Beginning - it’s all about perspective in this one. Light and bars and love and sorrow and what happens when words aren’t heeded.

Kalpana Misra - LANDAI #WEP – "To be a woman anywhere is to struggle" In Afghanistan they support one another through poetry. 

Carole Stoltz - Freedom of Speech - "Freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved” Carole pays homage to some of our greatest heroes. 

Roland Clarke – Crime Never Sleeps - "A nation without language is a nation without heart". Sparkle and Kama unmask a dishonest politician. 

Jamie - Bullets or Blood Cells – "TIRED of fighting misinformed people," Jamie shares her angst via an amazing poem. 

Sanhita Mukherjee – Granny’s Philosophy -  ‘Only the media remains free while they enslave thoughts of individuals.’ Granny and grandkids have a wide-ranging talk on everything from Simone de Beauvoir to Donald Trump.

Sonia Dogra - Of Silver and Gold. A contemplative poem inspired by the proverb “Speech is silver, silence is golden.”

Charlotte (MotherOwl) - a chapter of the author's ongoing fantasy story Unicorn Farm. Susan and Heidi offer a home to a family of goblins, and the goblins discuss the move. Everyone has a say in the goblin society.

J. Lenni Dorner - Seven. A conquered nation never really surrenders. They might back down to survive, but the resentment is always smoldering. Be aware, conquerors.

Jemi Fraser - Their Voices. Canadian history has some dark moments. We need to ensure their voices are always heard.

Pat Garcia - Freedom's Calling. An inspiring true story of a woman born a slave who won her way to freedom.

LG Keltner - Unapproved. Graduate. Camina has a speech to give and a powerful choice to make. The approved version or the one filled with truths not everyone wants to hear?

SHORTLIST

Our wonderful judge Nick Wilford has been a real trooper over the years. We've sent him some long short lists in the past because we had so much trouble narrowing down our choices. And who can blame us? We see so many stellar entries that choosing winners can be a difficult task. Still, this month we did our best to make things easier on Nick by sending him a short list of three. This is not a reflection on the quality of the entries this challenge. There were passionate email exchanges involved as we whittled things down. There were pieces we all loved that did not make the list, so do not despair if you don't see your entry listed here.

Pat Garcia

Kalpana

Carole Stolz

COMMENTING

Thank you once again to all of you who continue to comment! Commenting is a major part of WEP's success. The feedback you give your fellow writers helps them improve their craft, and the words of encouragement help to motivate and inspire.

CRITIQUE PRIZE

The winner of each challenge gets the opportunity to receive a critique prize. They also get the opportunity to write a guest post for WEP. Our sidebar proudly displays everyone who is offering critique prizes for 2021. You are welcome to contact any of the editors with a request for work. 

This month's critique prize is brought to us by our own Jemi Fraser. She is offering a first chapter critique or a query/synopsis critique. Thank you, Jemi!

NOW LET'S CONGRATULATE OUR WINNERS!

THE WINNER OF AUGUST 2021'S CHALLENGE

FREEDOM OF SPEECH IS:

Congratulations, Kalpana, for your entry, Landai.

Nick wrote: "This really brought home the terrible reality of what is happening in Afghanistan and how women's voices, which are already clandestine, might be snuffed out completely once again. This shows poetry as a mighty act of resistance."

Kalpana, please post your badge on your blog and link the badge to your winning entry. Enjoy the critique prize or pass it on if you have no body of work ready. We eagerly await your Guest Post on a topic of your choice!

~*~

THE RUNNER-UP OF AUGUST 2021'S CHALLENGE

FREEDOM OF SPEECH IS:

Congratulations, Pat Garcia, for your entry, Freedom's Calling.

Nick wrote: "This was a heartrending and educational post - particularly so as the entries around it highlight that such treatment of women is not consigned to history."

Pat, please link the badge to your entry and post it on your blog. Congratulations!

~*~

THE ENCOURAGEMENT AWARD WINNER FOR AUGUST 2021'S CHALLENGE

FREEDOM OF SPEECH IS:

Congratulations, Carole, for your stunning entry, Freedom of Speech.

Nick wrote: "Very inspiring stuff, and sobering as well - pushing us all to take action however we can."

Carole, please link the badge to your entry and post it on your blog.

~*~

Stay safe and keep writing, everyone!

Please join us for the OCTOBER challenge, which is just around the corner. That challenge brings us...THE SCREAM. Hope to see you there! Baffled about what to write? Check the CHALLENGES 2021 page.

This prompt has rich possibilities. Spooky Halloween stories would be perfect, but don't feel pressured to write horror if that doesn't speak to you.

~*~

We'd love for you to tweet this post or share it to Facebook or your favorite social media site.

Read amazing entries from our WEP AUGUST 2021 FREEDOM OF SPEECH winners @DeniseCCovey @yolandarenee @LGKeltner @OlgaGodim #BrilliantDebuts https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2021/08/wepwinners-post.html #amwriting #flashfiction #wepwinners

#WEPFF FREEDOM OF SPEECH winners announced @DeniseCCovey @yolandarenee @LGKeltner @OlgaGodim https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2021/08/wepwinners-post.html #amwriting #flashfiction #wepwinners

Come congratulate our AUGUST winners!. #WEPFF FREEDOM OF SPEECH Challenge @DeniseCCovey @yolandarenee @OlgaGodim @LGKeltner #amwriting #flashfiction #wepwinners https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2021/08/wepwinners-post.html

The #WEPFF writers had some fantastic entries for FREEDOM OF SPEECH! WEP winners announced! @DeniseCCovey @yolandarenee @OlgaGodim @LGKeltner #amwriting #flashfiction #wepwinners https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2021/08/wepwinners-post.html

Thank you for the writing excellence, WEP Winners FREEDOM OF SPEECH! @LGKeltner @DeniseCCovey @yolandarenee @OlgaGodim #amwriting #flashfiction #wepwinners https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2021/08/wepwinners-post.html

Winners of the #WEP #GREATWAVE Challenge JUNE 2021

Hi everyone! Thank you for participating in the WEP June challenge GREAT WAVE. The entries were even more stunning than usual and this is reflected in the number of winners! 

We're always impressed by the talent and creativity in this community. Choosing the winners was no easy task as we had a shortlist of over a dozen to whittle down for our judge Nick Wilford to place in a semblance of order. 

In the spirit of keeping it lite, there will be no blurbs again this month. If you still haven't read the entries (and we really think you should!), follow this link to GREAT WAVE!

SHORT LIST

Choosing a shortlist is always tricky. After a lot of thought and debate, we chose the following short list and sent it on to our judge, Nick Wilford. The competition was fierce and the entries diverse. Here is the list we sent Nick.

Jemima Pett

Jemi Fraser

Pat Garcia

Steph Wolmarans

Kalpana

Dixie Jo Jarchow

Carole Stolz

Sally Stackhouse

Rebecca Douglass

All of the above contributed stellar entries, but alas, we have to choose!

Earlier lists also had Michael di Gesu (welcome back Michael!), Roland R. Clarke and C.J. Austin.

BRILLIANT DEBUTS

There were many newbies this challenge. We welcomed Pennie Nichols, Jackie Begue, C. J. Austin, Lenny Lee and Charlotte (Mother Owl) - I hope I'm not getting my Owls mixed up? The quality was so outstanding, we award not one, not two, but three BRILLIANT DEBUT badges crafted by our very artistic team member, Olga Godim, for these talented ladies. 

Who can forget this artistic rendering of The Wave in cold wax and oil? Beautiful.

Thank you Jackie. Please post your BRILLIANT DEBUT badge on your blog with an explanation/link to your story. Even though WEP encourages artworks accompanied by an essay, we do not receive many entries along these lines, which is why Jackie's entry was so unique and eye-catching.

Another brilliant first entry to WEP. Under the Wave explored the history of the original painting, Great Wave, especially in regards to Japanese wood block prints. Anne, we at WEP hope you'll display your BRILLIANT DEBUT badge with pride.

Pennie's entry was surely a BRILLIANT DEBUT. It created much discussion amongst the WEP team members. How could we not be profoundly moved by the Great Wave Metaphor - an emotional rendering of the effects of alzheimers on loved ones? Our resident poet, Nilanjana Bose, gave it two thumbs up!

Pennie, please proudly display your badge on your blog with a link, so many others can share in your heartfelt words.

READER'S ROOST

Many thanks to the Ornery Owl who added WEP entries to her reader's list. If you haven't popped by, do, and follow some of the links. Please follow Ornery. HERE is the link. She has written short blurbs for each entry!

COMMENTING

Thank you to all who commented. Respectful, constructive, and thoughtful comments are vital to the success of WEP.  I remind writers to state the level of critique you desire. And readers, keep your comments to the point and never be disrespectful. 

CRITIQUE PRIZE

The winner of each challenge gets the opportunity to receive a critique prize. They also get the opportunity to write a guest post for WEP. Our sidebar proudly displays everyone who is offering critique prizes for 2021. You are welcome to contact any of the editors with a request for work. 

This month's critique prize is brought to us by the wonderful C Lee McKenzie. She's generously offering a first chapter critique to the winner. Thank you, Lee!

NOW, LET'S CONGRATULATE OUR WINNERS

THE WINNER OF JUNE'S 2021 CHALLENGE 

GREAT WAVE IS:

Congratulations, Steph, for your entry, Storm of the Water Dragon.

Nick wrote: "Very imaginative and otherwordly. Impressive worldbuilding in this short piece."

Steph, please post your badge on your blog and link the badge to your winning entry. Enjoy the critique prize or pass it on to the runner up if you have no body of work ready. We eagerly await your Guest Post on a topic of your choice!

~*~

THE RUNNER-UP OF JUNE'S 2021 CHALLENGE

GREAT WAVE IS:

Congratulations, Kalpana, for your entry, The Great Wave. 

Nick wrote: "Nice and lighthearted tone, riding the waves equated to going out on a limb in a relationship."

 

Kalpana, please link the badge to your entry and post it on your blog. Congratulations!

~*~

THE ENCOURAGEMENT AWARD WINNER FOR JUNE'S 2021 CHALLENGE GREAT WAVE IS:

Congratulations, Jemi, for your stunning entry, 
Red or Green?

Nick wrote: "A bit of light relief and nice adrenaline shot. A fun slice of action."

Jemi, please link the badge to your story,  and post it on your blog.

~*~

Choosing winners in a writing competition is so subjective. What draws us to some stories more than others? Personal choice. This month, 4 of the team members were completely blown away by a different story to those Nick chose and we couldn't see this writer overlooked. We don't do this very often, so, Pat Garcia, we have awarded you a Team's Choice badge.

Pat, congratulations! We thought aligning Noah's Ark and the Great Wave was inspired. We loved The Flood No One Thought Would Come. Please display your badge on your blog with a link to your story. 

~*~

Stay safe and keep writing, everyone! 

Please join us for the AUGUST challenge, which is just around the corner. That challenge brings us...FREEDOM OF SPEECH. Hope to see you there! Baffled about what to write? Check the CHALLENGES 2021 page.

This prompt has rich possibilities. Particularly topical as authorities have veered towards authoritarianism and people across the world have exploded in unrest.

~*~

We'd love for you to tweet this post or share it to Facebook or your favorite social media site.

Read stunning entries from our WEP JUNE 2021 GREAT WAVE winners @DeniseCCovey @yolandarenee @LGKeltner @OlgaGodim #BrilliantDebuts https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2021/06/winners-of-wep-greatwave-challenge-june.html #amwriting #flashfiction #wepwinners

#WEPFF GREAT WAVE winners announced @DeniseCCovey @yolandarenee @LGKeltner @OlgaGodim https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2021/06/winners-of-wep-greatwave-challenge-june.html #amwriting #flashfiction #wepwinners

Come congratulate our JUNE winners and #BrilliantDebuts. #WEPFF GREAT WAVE Challenge @DeniseCCovey @yolandarenee @OlgaGodim @LGKeltner #amwriting #flashfiction #wepwinners https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2021/06/winners-of-wep-greatwave-challenge-june.html

The #WEPFF writers had some fantastic entries for GREAT WAVE! WEP winners announced! @DeniseCCovey @yolandarenee @OlgaGodim @LGKeltner #amwriting #flashfiction #wepwinners https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2021/06/winners-of-wep-greatwave-challenge-june.html

Thank you for the writing excellence, WEP Winners GREAT WAVE! @LGKeltner @DeniseCCovey @yolandarenee @OlgaGodim #amwriting #flashfiction #wepwinners

https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2021/06/winners-of-wep-greatwave-challenge-june.html