NOTES
Many of my early short stories originated from magazine prompts for various competitions. I’ve found writing contests to be a good way to exercise my creativity within a set parameter which imposes some discipline on the ideas and their development. I like the challenge and I’ve been fortunate enough to at least make the short list for a number of competitions. Beyond that, it’s a fun way to stretch my writing legs.
A Simple Glass of Water is another example of a story written from a prompt for a contest. The theme was “man in a hole,” based on the Kurt Vonnegut story arc. Basically, man gets into trouble—man gets out of trouble. My goal with this story was to smack the reader broadside with a couple of unexpected twists. I thought that might impress the judges of the contest. Appa
