It’s been almost two years since I’ve had the mental capacity to write. For someone with an insatiable need to write, it felt like I had lost a battle. Defeat was my constant companion.

A cocktail blend of emotional exhaustion and Long Haul Covid had crashed my creative drive. But with time, therapy, and a lot of help from a team of experts, that drive did return. (You wouldn’t be reading this blog post if it hadn’t. I’m sure I’ll be writing more about it at some point soon.)

I floundered about for a bit, unsure of where to start. Before that battle, I was confident; but a constant shroud of defeat left me doubtful.

I just needed a nudge.

An ad for Writing Battle popped on my screen. It’s a competitive writing platform for writers from all over the world. Their next contest, which had a tarot-meets-Tolkien vibe, sounded really fun: write a short story between 500 and 1,000 words in one week using 3 assigned prompts (one genre, one character, and one object), submit your story, and then duel your fellow writers to victory or defeat. In the process, get feedback from peers as well as industry professionals. Why not, for only 39 bucks?

But I sat on it… until someone whose guidance I take very seriously told me it was time to put my work out into the universe again… and that I actually might enjoy the feedback. So, I bought my entrance ticket and waited for the battle to begin.

Late Sunday evening, April 13th, I lay in bed, holding my phone close to my face, watching the Wonder Flash Fiction battle countdown. And as the battle master promised, promptly at 10:00pm, my three prompt cards appeared on my screen.

For this particular battle, the four possible genres I could draw were fantasy, sci-fi, adventure or fairytale. I let out a squeal and fist pumped. Fantasy on the first draw! My husband Bill, who struggles to keep his eyes open past 8:30, mumbled a congratulatory yay, fantasy is your thang and then rolled over to drift off into dreamland.

My character card draw was a hunter. As long as there is a character resembling the prompt word who is important to the story, it will pass muster. I felt I had options with a hunter, so I stuck with it.

But my third prompt – the object card – was a surfboard. I slept on it, and then on a whim the next morning, hit the redraw button two times in quick succession. I decided I was going to stick with my third object draw: a puzzle piece.

I was cleaning horse stalls when my story idea struck me in the heart. (That’s when most good ideas seem to strike.) I didn’t need to wait until the 18th, when all prompt cards got locked in place. I locked in my three prompts and began plotting.

I submitted SHE HAS YOUR EYES at 9:50pm on Sunday, April 20th… 10 minutes before deadline… and 15 minutes before catching an unfortunate typo, a continuity error, a questionable plot hole, and multiple formatting issues.

But it is all good. For two reasons.

#1: The people. Over 1,700 storytellers from around the globe entered this contest, and they all have the option to interact in an online forum and story debrief area. The feedback I have received from my fellow writers has been encouraging and constructive. It is the community I have been craving. I’ve met amazing writers who happen to be the most wonderful, real people.

#2: I’m doing this to put my work out there, practice my skills, and have fun. So much so, that while I wait for results from my battles, I have entered and written stories for two other contests. Plus, signed up for a few more this summer. I’m officially hooked.

Up next: Screw It, Just Do It: When every word screams MORE EDITING (aka: My First Duel Results)

P.S. My story is currently only visible to active members of the Writing Battle community. Once Wonder is complete, I’ll be polishing it and submitting it for publication. I’ll think of a way to share it with you without exposing it to AI pirates.