#young writers program
In February, we challenged you to submit a 400-word excerpt from your NaNoWriMo novels. From over 650 fantastic entries, we chose two Grand Prize Winnersandfour Runners-Up. We hope you enjoy reading them as much as we did! (For more excerpts, check out this forum thread.)
“The Beasts of Beck Street” by Izzi H.
The headlights of a lone car flashed through the trees. Morgan drummed her fingers on the steering wheel and accelerated up the incline smoothly. A full-bellied moon dripped pale white light across the forest, but it would still be too dark out under the trees for human eyes. Not that it would matter, she had brought a flashlight this time. The truck leveled out on the desolate road and Morgan checked the rearview mirror compulsively. There was no way he was still following her…Read The Rest!
“The Dragon’s Jewel” by Julia
“I got ‘er,” he shouted over the bustling crown. “I got the thief!” To Bianca’s horror, the man raised a slip of parchment in his other hand. On it was a sketch of her face - braided black hair, freckles and all - as well as the words, WANTED ALIVE. For Crimes Against the Village and the Patrol; for Trespassing and Destruction of Property; Thievery; and Evading Capture. A man in a chain-mail shirt, plumed helmet, and black drawstring pants with a red stripe walked over. A legeon had arrived. He read out the poster to her…Read The Rest!
“Home Sweet Home” by Shiloh D.
Jax was locked in combat. Sweat dripped down his forehead. His heart hammered so fast, he felt it in his collarbone, choking him.
His eyes zipped around the room, searching, when—
Bzzt. Crackle, snap.
The lights began flickering wildly. A hot and metallic smell tainted the air. He heard several circuits short out behind the wall. He bolted into the kitchen, something he should’ve done before…Read The Rest!
“Wendy’s Macbeth” by Evelyn
“Why didn’t you tell us about the ghost?”
Wendy shuffled around a bit on the ground of the school’s costume closet. She knew she’d have to come clean to her make-shift Family eventually, but having three pairs of eyes on her didn’t make this any easier.
"I… thought it would be best to wait until Mars was here,” Wendy decided. It was a half-truth, wasn’t it? The other half, was, well… she didn’t trust them…Read The Rest!
In February, we challenged you to submit a 400-word excerpt from your NaNoWriMo novels. From over 650 fantastic entries, we chose two Grand Prize Winnersandfour Runners-Up. We hope you enjoy reading them as much as we did! (For more excerpts, check out this forum thread.)
“The City’s Pawns” by Abigail C. — Grand Prize Winner (13 and under age group)
Edith popped a lollipop in her mouth and hopped down from the wall. The morning had been successful. No different than most pre-Games mornings, but it was always fun to slip past the wealthy.
Back in the slums, she wiped the kind smile from her face and walked back to the Garage. Even though Edith technically didn’t work for anyone, it was easier if people thought she did. Solos rarely worked out in The City and the last thing she wanted was attention.
Edith climbed in through the second-story window in the back and took out her notebook to jot down what she’d found. She would burn the page after committing it to memory, a necessary precaution since the information she stole could topple family lines. Even on Games week she made sure to leave no trace of what she knew.
Footsteps echoed in the stairwell. Edith stared at the page a moment longer then ripped it out and stuck it in the furnace vent. She climbed down from the window and stalked out into the alley. Anyone who saw her would think she had given whatever she – supposedly – stole to Madame Friedswell, and thieves would believe she didn’t have any valuables on her. She’d learned that trick from a master.
Edith kept the same pace until she reached the slums bordering the Trading Quarter. Most of the time there were stands selling completely useless items to the gullible immigrants, who aspired to be merchants but didn’t realize you had to be rich to live in the Quarter. But it was almost Games week. The sellers were out working their side jobs as criminals.
“Hey, miss! You shouldn’t wear those rings around here. Someone could steal them right off your fingers!” Edith glanced up at the speaker, a filthy old man sporting missing teeth and an acrid odour. The crook made to prove his point but she grabbed his hand and bent his fingers back as far as they would go without breaking. He grunted and tried to pull his hand away, but she pressed harder.
“Believe me, kind sir, I know. I’ve gone lengths to ensure that won’t happen,” Edith crooned. His eyes widened and he stopped fighting. She grinned and let go. “Now run along. I have work to do.”
She didn’t tell him about the trap his mutinous gang had set for him, poor old Farley Baxter.
Guest author judge Tashie Bhuiyan had this to say this about The City’s Pawns:
"Reading this felt like reading something from a published novel. The worldbuilding was so easy to get into and really helped set the scene. It was so immersive and captivating, and the main character immediately drew me in!”
Abigail (Abby) C. loves reading, writing, music, and standing on top of hills with her face to the wind. While her friends at school say she reads and writes too much, her family and other friends say otherwise, so she’s not stopping anytime soon. Her favourite books to read always involve betrayals and major plot twists, to the dismay of book characters everywhere. She hopes to one day follow in her mom’s footsteps and become a published author.
In February, we challenged you to submit a 400-word excerpt from your NaNoWriMo novels. From over 650 fantastic entries, we chose two Grand Prize Winnersandfour Runners-Up. We hope you enjoy reading them as much as we did! (For more excerpts, check out this forum thread.)
“Demons & Detectives” by Asenath W. — Grand Prize Winner (14-18 age group)
Phinsby was out the door in an instant. The shock of the cold, icy air outside made it hard to breathe, but he pushed himself as hard as he could, gaining on the man in front of him. Snowflakes swirled around him, stinging his skin, and people scrambled to get out of his way, their protests silenced when they saw his badge glittering on the lapel of his flapping black coat.
The man didn’t stop to look back, sprinting across the snow with frantic, muffled footsteps. Phinsby almost thought he could hear him gasping for breath.
He caught up with him by a snow-filled alleyway, grabbing hold of the man’s coat and yanking him to a stop before tossing him against the rock-hard snow with a growl. “Some way to treat the man who’s here to save your life,” Phinsby said, pulling his scarf down so he could gasp for breath. The frigid air nipped at his exposed skin with razor-sharp teeth, but he ignored it the best he could. “I’ve been looking for you for a long time.”
The man lay curled on the icy ground, his face bright red from the cold. He had a pox-scarred, thin face with muddy colored eyes and a pained, horrified expression. “You’re different,” he panted, trembling. “You don’t look like the others.”
Phinsby grinned like a hungry wolf. “Correct.”
“Were you the one who did this to me?” the man asked, his breath coming in quick puffs. He scrambled backward, slipping, shaking his head. “Were you the one who cursed me? Is that why your aura is blue instead of yellow?”
Phinsby tilted his head, gazing down at the man through his tinted snow goggles. The blue glow of the man shifted and wavered, like it was trapped inside him. “Not exactly.”
“What happened to me?” the man demanded fearfully. “Why am I seeing things? And—who are you?”
“I already told you who I am, my dear man,” Phinsby said, winding his scarf around his nose and mouth again. “I’m your savior.”
Guest author judge Tashie Bhuiyan had this to say this about Demons & Detectives
“This story really painted the scene well, describing both characters vividly. The interactions between them were compelling and made me want to keep reading. The final line felt a lot like a mic-drop in the best way!”
Asenath W. is a junior in high school who loves to spend her time reading, writing, painting, watching old TV shows, and enjoying fresh air. Her favorite genres are fantasy, science fiction, mystery, and Regency romance, and she is constantly obsessing over her favorite characters. Although she spends more of her time daydreaming about her ideas than writing them, she hopes to become a published author in the future.
