Writing
	July 10, 2026

WON 3rd Place! 🥉

WHAT THE JUDGES LIKED ABOUT YOUR STORY –

Judge 1: Good use of scent to bring the reader into the world of the story. Some good specific details of the French Market. “Folded moments of humanity” is a great description of letters. Like the description of Lydia’s imagination about the couple having an affair. Good descriptions of the sense of touch when Lydia first examines the letter. Powerful actions of Lydia taking the shovel to her husband. “Bubbles pushed weakly from is crushed nose” is a wonderfully disturbing line.

Judge 2:  The story does a great job creating suspense and reeling the reader in with every line. The pacing felt right with areas of tension escalating the plot forward. Lydia showed agency throughout the narrative which made her actions feel appropriate as readers watch her succumb to her paranoia and fear. And the imagery of the kill with the shovel was both vivid and gruesome.

Judge 3:  The story has a great throughline, and sense of pace and drive. As a reader, the device to show the act of violence before it plays out was such a great way to grab my attention and desire to see what happens next. I thought there was a wry humor to it, too ‘ The jazz music played, and he made the drinks himself. Of course, he always did. / He handed her a margarita. / “To staying in.” — Not sure if they writer intended it to have the humor, but I read it that way, and enjoyed it!