Character Development
Edisto
The late morning sun was heavenly down on the beach in the light September breeze. Mary Elizabeth stretched and smiled at her children building a sandcastle together before picking up her phone to check her messages to see if anyone else was coming out this week. She got bored sometimes without her girlfriends, didn’t enjoy happy hour quite as much when she was the only adult in the house.
By Harper Lewis 5 months ago in Critique
Masie Adams. Content Warning.
I never wanted to come back to Garden City. Everyone here hates me because I won't play by their stupid rules. As luck would have it, when I went to the Pig to pick up some essentials, I had the misfortune of picking the same shopping day as Betty Blanchard Johnson. You'd think being a Blanchard was an accomplishment, that it requires a special skill set to be a Blanchard even though there's more Blanchards in these parts than there are Pinckneys in Charleston.
By Harper Lewis 5 months ago in Critique
Sunday Dinner
There had been a christening at St. Mary’s that morning, and Susan and her cousin were going on and on about babies. Blair said she would name her daughters Ellen and Beverly, and her first son would carry his father’s name with a Roman numeral following.
By Harper Lewis 5 months ago in Critique
The Letter I Never Sent
I wrote the letter three times. Or maybe four. I lost count somewhere between page two and the spilled coffee. Each time, I told myself it would be the one that finally made sense. The one that explained everything: why I left, why I stayed, why I never really knew how to feel about any of it.
By Samara Pollyana 5 months ago in Critique
Camp VHS: The Story That Never Was. Honorable Mention in Not Quite There Yet Challenge. Content Warning.
Not quite there, sigh. For the Stay a While Challenge , I wanted to craft a two-part story set in an isolated Iowa Summer Camp. The 3,000-word limit didn't allow for the necessary world-building, contextual character development, and savvy twist in the final act, so I sought to split Camp VHS's complete story into two separate submissions.
By Edward Swafford5 months ago in Critique
Goodnight, Sweet Prince . Content Warning.
Susan pulled her car, loaded down with all of her worldly belongings, into Trey's driveway behind his car. As she approached the house, she noticed a line of ants marching over the walkway, not having the sense to go around the crack that every third or fourth ant fell into. There was a dead bird under the dogwood tree, and the ants were working hard, taking treasure back to their queen.
By Harper Lewis 5 months ago in Critique
Limitations Push for Creativity. Top Story - May 2026.
Limitations help with pushing for more creativity. There are those who believe in as big of a page as possible, a huge canvas, free verse poetry, and infinite word count. These limitless options can be great, but many times limitations push most for new creative displays and ideas never before seen!
By Seashell Harpspring 5 months ago in Critique
