Writing awards
For the NYCmidnight 100-word flash fiction competition, each entrant is assigned three prompts - Genre, Action, Word.
I was assigned Historical Fiction / Grimacing / Unit
All competitors must create a story and submit their entry within 24 hours.
Here’s my story (revised based on judges feedback):
Encouragement:
Refreshing Tonic
Atlanta, 1884. Anna scratched another appeal to Wesleyan College. Perhaps this one would change their minds. She’d be marking papers by Christmas.
John pulled another unit of tonic from the icebox and set it beside her letter. Ice clinked in the glass.
Anna lifted it to her lips. Syrupy bitterness coated her tongue. She swallowed, grimacing.
He jotted, female agitation. Then revised the formula: more sugar, more coca, less lime.
“Try this one. It could make our fortune.”
By autumn, Anna was emptying each glass without grimacing.
The letters to Wesleyan dwindled, then vanished.
Here are excerpts of the judges feedback:
“Anna’s slow repression gives the story a haunting quality. The pressure builds steadily through each setback, from the university’s rejection to the tonic and diagnosis, making the ending feel both inevitable and tragic.”
“The vivid period details ground the reader effortlessly in John and Anna’s world. Anna’s denied degree raises the emotional stakes, while the reveal that John Pemberton is inventing Coca-Cola delivers a compelling and memorable twist.”
“The parallel arcs of John and Anna are woven together with real skill. John’s determination to perfect the tonic reveals a character who is both deeply flawed and compelling, and the contrast with Anna’s diagnosis sharpens the tragedy. The tonic’s gradual effect on Anna is quietly devastating, and the final image of her dreams ‘vanishing’ lingers long after the story ends. I strongly hope the author keeps working on this one.”