Kingdom Pen is proud to announce the third place winner of our Begin Your Novel contest!
Congratulations, Aimee Meester!
Her entry, untitled:
Score: 79
Sachi Tagaskri had exactly one more day to live, and she was decidedly unhappy about it.
Dying wouldn’t be pleasant, she knew, not like this. Even lying there on the cot that smelled strongly of whoever had been there last, she could feel the thick rope around her neck. Feel the sudden loss of footing, the snap, the blackness. Sachi had seen it a thousand times before in the square. She just hadn’t thought it could be her there, instead of some poor bloke who’d been caught nicking a bite to eat.
The fact that she hardly even knew of the man she was supposed to have murdered added insult to injury.
“Rubbish,” she muttered, not for the first time. “Absolute rubbish. Hang it all.”
What the Judges said…
“Okay, so I love snarky understatements. The fact that the main character is “decidedly unhappy” about her execution made me chuckle, and endeared me to her right away. The tidbit about her barely knowing the man she was supposed to have murdered told me that there’s a lot more to what’s going on than meets the eye, and snags my interest.
Another thing I love: Puns. Sachi’s irritated ‘Hang it all’ was perfect and made me way happier than I should probably admit.” – Braden Russell
“I want to read more! Not just because of the threat of death the protagonist faces, but because I want to get to know this character more. In this limited space, the voice of Sachi is very clear and distinct, punctuated by her understating sense of humor, and ability to find a pun in the middle of distress.
Also, what is going on in this story world? Has Sachi really seen a thousand hangings, or is she just exaggerating? Why was she falsely convicted? Was it just an accident or is someone out to get her? In just 125 words, this story has me interested in the character, the plot, and the world outside of the main character’s prison cell.” – Reagan Ramm
As the third place winner, Aimee will receive a $25 prize, provided by our sponsor, the soon-to-be-launched, CoastalConservatory.com: Intentional Living for Cultivating the Family Enterprise.
I adored that “Hang it all.” Excellent job, Amiee! 🙂
Oh, wow! I am definitely hooked. This is really good!
Hey, this looks familiar… 🙂 But oh goodness, I totally didn’t expect this! Thanks sooooo much! It was such a fun contest to do. 🙂
Congratulations, Aimee! Do you mind my asking how long this took you to write? Also, is the rest of the novel written yet?
Great job! ~Abby 🙂
Thanks so much! This first paragraph is the result of four drafts of rewriting, and it took me maybe half an hour in itself to be happy with it? Aside from editing a thousand times before I submitted, of course. 🙂 And it is! It’s titled Pariah, and it’s a complete fourth draft right now.
Yay Aimee!
Incredible job, Aimee! *applauds* You definitely got me hooked.