OMG! Finally I can start a story with "It was a dark and stormy night..." 😀

This will be fun, hope I come up with something. Big thanx to WriterGirl for setting this up.

Congrats to Verbal, ShyThespian and AnnaMayZing as well as the rest of the top 10. I'd have to say I was somewhat astounded by the quality of the entries, so many outstanding stories! Thanx to SS and judges who I have no doubt had a difficult task.

Quote by WriterGirl

I’m being honest when I say this is the best writing I’ve seen in a comp in a while. Y’all are always good, but the level of writing seems elevated in this one. Maybe this theme just hit everyone in a way that brought out their best. 😊 I hope a lot more entries are coming!

Agree! I'm really impressed with the writing quality and creativity. I think you're on to something about the theme...it just resonates.

I've collected stamps, coins, rocks, hockey cards and keychains as a kid. I still have the coins and stamps in a box somewhere. I used to collect vinyl records but stopped at around 500. These days I collect books including a few signed or first editions but nothing of great value. I figure I have 1200+ books nearly all hardcover.

Cats. Animals are cool and i like dogs but cats are fascinating and i love their attitude.

I don't remember when I started writing exactly but it was before high school. Other than basic grammar and composition I haven't had any formal writing instruction, it was just something I always enjoyed. I had an awesome teacher who really encouraged me. When I was in Grade 11 I wrote a story in English class that used the word "F***", something that was absolutely unacceptable at the time. The teacher loved the story and asked me to read it in class including the f-word. I got a standing ovation from the class although I'm pretty sure it was because I got away with swearing in class rather than the story itself. I didn't think that at the time and I think the reaction was a big factor in continuing to write. It was the first time I ever shared anything I wrote publicly. (A variation of this class reading crops up in a story i am currently working on.)