Happy Winter, Dear Readers,
Last New Year’s, I made a resolution to throw my hat into the ring of writing contests and see how my short stories fared against those of other writers. This year, I’m taking it up a notch with a goal to finish a short story for each season.
The garden seeds are ordered and will arrive just in time to start sprouting in pots on the window sills. For a bit of literary inspiration, I’ve read Season’s Readings: Sweet, Funny, & Strange Holiday Tales. Some stories were warm and comforting, while others provoked more thought: I wonder if my great-aunt has a magic aggie in her possession; she seemed all-knowing when I was younger. Does Father Krampus have a naughty and a nice list? And do I really need to cook a turkey on Thanksgiving?
My short story, “The Wormhole in the Garden,” didn’t make the finals for the paranormal contest, but the next contest I’m eyeing is the 2025 Bethlehem Writers Roundtable Short Story Award, and I enjoy the genre – Speculative Fiction. I wonder if the judge, Adrian Tchaikovsky, enjoys garden tales about wormholes. This time there’s a 2,500-word count limit to flesh out the story; I might have a chance at the prizes.
Armed with the newfound knowledge of platforms like Duotrope.com, Submittable.com, Chillsubs.com, and authorspublish.com, I’m ready to submit my other stories to even more contests. Here’s to hoping for a fruitful year of gardening and writing!
Happy writing!
Betty Wryte-Goode
Betty Wryte-Goode is a writer and mother who lives in the Lehigh Valley. Her passions include writing, reading, shopping, gardening, and exploring the internet. Betty is always looking for writing tips, so if you have any you would like to share, please send them to her through our Submissions/Contacts page.
Mixed-Up Words of the Month
Capital vs. Capitol
Capital has many definitions, but capitol has just one. The change of a single letter makes all the difference.
While capital can mean, among other things:
- An uppercase letter: a capital A
- A supply of something: rebuilding Notre Dame Cathedral required enormous amounts of financial and human capital
- A crime eligible for the death penalty: first-degree murder in some jurisdictions is a capital crime
- The seat of government or most important city in a country, state, or territory: the capital of Pennsylvania is Harrisburg
- The top of a column: a: classical column might have a Doric, Ionian, or Corinthian capital
But by changing the a in capital to an o, you get:
- The building that houses a government’s legislature: the state capitol has a golden dome
Putting them together:
It took a lot of capital to build the U. S. Capitol.