Halloweensie! The House Creatures' Halloween

Forget the trick-or-treating and candy and costumes and watching your jack-o-lantern slowly collapse into a gooey mess... Halloween means it's Halloweensie time! 

This is my 11th year writing for this contest, and thanks to Susanna Leonard Hill it just gets more fun every year. If you want to play along, the rules are to write a story or poem for kids in 100 words or under about Halloween with this year's contest words (treat, slither, scare.) Entries must be posted in the comments of the contest blog post. 

After we decorated the house for Halloween this year, I noticed the dog looking at the decorations (and us) like we were very weird. That inspired this story about the surprise the creatures of the house might feel when they creep out at night. 

Here is my entry: 

The House Creatures’ Halloween (100 words)

 

By Lauri C. Meyers

 

When night falls, the house creatures wake. But things look spookier.

Mouse snuffles for crumbs, but… “Squeak! A glowing ghost!”       

She scampers into a hole.

Bat hovers over apples, but… “Eek! A fangy vampire!”

He dives into a hole.

Centipede hunts for a bite, but… “Yikes! A monstrous spider!”

It slithers into a hole.

this work is titled: "I'm not an illustrator but 
still had fun doodling"

Cat prowls for a late-night snack. Suddenly, he sniffs a whiff of sneaking, flying, creeping beasties near a skeleton.

The animals shake and jump!

“Yowl! The skeleton is alive!” The cat runs scared.

The house creatures crawl out and celebrate on a feast of Halloween treats. 

Why Critique is Worth Celebrating

 One of the most beautiful parts of writing Kidlit is critiquing. 

    "Um, hearing why your story sucks doesn't sound beautiful," you say. 

But that feedback, no matter how devastatingly true, even if it causes you to painfully rewrite a rhyming stanza or throw a character off a plane without a parachute, is critical to getting your story read. And that's what we all want...our lovely story babies in the hands of others as smiles spread on their faces at the fun in our words. 

    "Remember that time they suggested your story about a tree was actually about the process of grieving and then you cried for like two days?" you say like a wickedly popular 17-year-old.

That was amazing. A critique partner able to identify an emotion I didn't even realize I had infused into that story. Understanding my story's layers made writing a query letter easier too. The flipside is also true, a critiquer (just like any reader) may see a meaning behind a character's action that you didn't intend but is true to her read.   

Actual pen used to recently
kill a character.

    "Well, what's the best kind of critique group?" you say. 

Critique groups can come in all shapes and sizes. I have a group of four writers from 12x12 which exchanges pieces in email. Another group of four was set up this summer via the selfless offer of Hannah Holt to connect similar writers looking for partners. This group which I lovingly call the NeRDLes (because of our initials) works on google docs and is even brave enough to critique rhyme. Another critique group chats in a Facebook group and posts in Tapatalk. I also have some lovely critique partners always willing for an impromptu exchange. 

    "Why are you in so many groups?" you question with an unnecessary eyeroll. 

Groups often have a life cycle. Life happens...new babies...back to school... job changes... sickness... and your critique friends (and you!) may need to step back at times. A once busy group can turn to crickets. Members can change focus between picture books and longer works. Other times new opportunities may mean you need more support. As a PB Chat Mentor in 2021 I had a lot of manuscripts to polish. Since joining 12x12, I am successfully writing more drafts, and new manuscripts mean more critiques. I also try to not hit the same group with multiple revisions of a story, because it's no longer a fresh read. 

    "You are so right and have been incredibly convincing about the power of critique groups!" I type right after you have taken a bite of cruller, but I'm pretty sure that's what you were going to say. 

Want to celebrate the wonder of critiquing?! Join in PB Critique Fest. Sponsored by Brian Gehrlein and his PB Spotlight page, this is a chance to win a critique from an author, illustrator or agent and show your support for the kidlit community. Follow the #PBCritiqueFest hashtags on twitter to join in the fun. 

And THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to all my critique partners out there who help me move my manuscripts forward. And THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for letting me be a part of your work, too. 

Say Howdy to Cowboy Bob!

Well, my Spring was wild with school activities, my Summer frolicked with fun, and I've rolled right into back to school! Fall is always a productive season with lots of revisions to chew on and many contests to inspire new pieces. 

One of those contests is Fall Frenzy hosted by Lydia Lukidis and Kaitlyn Sanchez. To join in, just pick one of the images from Lydia's site for inspiration and write a story in 200 words or less. 

This picture gave me all the feels and inspired a little 200 word ditty about Cowboy Bob. 

Halloween- Credit: Brian Wangenheim for Unsplash

Cowboy Bob's Candy

By Lauri C. Meyers

Cowboy Bob hugged his candy. “I’m not sharing my sweet vittles with those rascally trick-or-treaters this year!”  

“I’ll hand out beans!” Cowboy Bob laughed. But he loved his beans.

“I’ll fill their bags with oats!” Cowboy Bob hop-skipped. But Horsiepoo needed her feed.

Cowboy Bob slapped his knee. “I’ve got a gravy idea!”

He got busy lickety-split spookifying the ranch. Gravestones lined the trail, ghosts hung from branches, and spiderwebs stretched from post to post. Horsiepoo wore vampire fangs. Cowboy Bob got gussied up with a roll in the dirt and some guts on his shirt.

            “Those lil’ uns will be too scared to trot up my path.” Zombie Cowboy Bob rested his boots on the porch and grabbed his bowl of sweets.  

Suddenly, lights flickered on the path. Giggles bounced off the fence. It was a stampede!

“I think these critters plumb like being scared,” Cowboy Bob cried. Candy flew faster than a hooty owl in a storm.

Cowboy Bob checked his bowl. “Two pieces left for us, Horsiepoo!”

“Trick-or-treat!” a little witch called. “I love your spooky ranch, Cowboy Bob!”

“Aww, shucks,” Cowboy Bob said dropping both pieces in her bag. “My candy sure makes those trick-or-treaters sweet.”