A Dish Called “Wanda” – Our New Conte$t

By On July 15, 2010 · 98 Comments · In A Dish Called "Wanda"

I was driving in Newport Beach a few years ago as the sun was coming up on a Saturday morning.  I saw an empty spot on the curb and figured I had better snag it, and trust I could find a place to eat within walking distance. I stopped a passer-by, clearly a local.  “Is there any place open to eat?”  He looked over his shoulder from whence he came before dispensing his advice.  “Yeah.  There is always Wanda’s.  But you don’t wanna go there.”  He left it at that and continued walking.

And so the inspiration for our new contest, A Dish Called “Wanda.” Weave these words about Wanda into story: “The locals warned me about Wanda’s, but why was there …”

750 words max, but somewhere you must include the warning just as it appears.  Doesn’t have to be a pancake parlor, pub, or pizzeria (but it could be).  This is a writing exercise.  Let’s go heavy on dialogue.

Our usual rules apply: Each submission must be attached to your email as a separate Word doc, and each page must contain a title to your story and your contact information, which we don’t share except with federal authorities and your creditors.  Limit two submissions per writer. Contest ends August 15, winners announced September 1.

The prize? A gift certificate of  $50 to the eatery, pub or pleasure palace of your choice for the winner, and a $25 certificate for the two runners up.

And here’s a twist: In order to win, you must make a comment on at least three of the other entries, and must have at least eight comments posted on your own story.  Threaten to take your friends out to dinner if they comment on your story.  That’ll work.

Wanda is a made-up name.  I didn’t want to sully a reputation.

Cheers!

thorn

sully-er-of-reputations-in-chief

 
About The Author

Thornton

Someday, I'll get it write...

Visit Authors Website →
Newer Comments →

  • Pingback: Take a letter

  • Pingback: Sweet Dreams

  • Pingback: Where there’s a Will

  • Mac Eagan

    You mean I have to come up with EIGHT pen-names and stories to match?

  • http://www.awordwithyoupress.com/ Thornton Sully

    only if you don't have eight friends who will lie for you

    Thornton Sully
    Editor-in-Chief
    A Word with You Press
    Publishers and Purveyors of Fine Stories
    www.awordwithyoupress.com

    editorial services
    manuscript appraisal
    book reviews
    author coaching
    literary fiction publishers

  • Derek

    And eight IP addresses as well of course. Did I mention my British novels are about surveillance officers?

  • Derek

    As I always say, a friend in need is about right.

  • Mac Eagan

    No problem. Up at Crossroads, there are a Wendy's, a McDonalds and a Starbucks, all with free wi-fi. Three IP's down, two more intersections to go. Did I mention in the real world I handle counter-surveillance?

  • Star5fallonmyheart

    …Crap. Commenting on other people's stories I can do…convincing people that my story is worth the time of day to comment on? I don't have $8000 that I can just throw out LOL

  • Pingback: Small packages

  • Pingback: Hair apparent

  • Pingback: Them’s the rules

  • Mari Maiko

    This seems like a tricky one. I'm in! Besides, who could turn down a chance to get a certificate for free Chinese- food.

  • http://www.awordwithyoupress.com/ Thornton Sully

    I assume that means those of us who are actually the counters of the responses you get to the strories are under surveillance? What ever should I wear?

  • Mac Eagan

    Actually, that was one of my real questions. Are the responses being counted manually or does Morgan have a way of counting them electronically (in other words, if comments are named but posted as “Guest” do they still get counted)?

    Wear a torn hat.

  • Peggy R. Dobbs

    Steph, now is the time for us to make a pact! Oh,………as you said, “Crap!” Thorn is corrupting us in such a subtle way, and I fell for it, trying to take you along with me. The locals warned me about Thorn, but why was there such an innocent look on that grinning face if he had our best interests at heart???? pd

  • http://www.awordwithyoupress.com/ Thornton Sully

    We count manually, which is why we stop at eight. We were going to go for ten, but Jamie told me that in order to write you need disposable thumbs.

  • Miryam

    I think I'll have time to stop by Wanda's… thanks for the invite!

  • Pingback: Night Class

  • Pingback: Mosh definitely

  • Pingback: Blowin’ in the wind

  • Peggy R. Dobbs

    Thorn, Please clearify something for me. Must this be a eatery of “any kind”, in other wrords, may it be a manacurist or a hairdresser, or even a local policewoman? We have an argument going around here that it can ONLY be a place that serves food of somesort! I have a slow weekend going, so how about it? pd

  • Mari Maiko

    Why do you have to count manualy?!!!!!? :( My dad said I could have an e-mail account if I wrote a good enough story. Then he found out that you count manually and well…bye-bye
    e-mail acount. Change your deal man!:(

  • Mac Eagan

    Directly from the rules: “750 words max, but somewhere you must include the warning just as it appears. Doesn’t have to be a pancake parlor, pub, or pizzaria(but it could be). This is a writing exercise. Let’s go heavy on dialogue.”
    I take it that it does not have to be an eatery. However, the must-be-used-verbatim-line does say “Wanda's” (possessive) so I would not think you could work it as a policewoman. But, I've been wrong before.

  • Mari_Maiko

    Can i retract my comment?

  • Peggy R. Dobbs

    Mac, thanks for trying to clearify for me but I could be “warned about Wanda's patrol car hiding , Wanda's unfair parking tickets, etc. See what I mean?

  • Peggy R. Dobbs

    Correcting myself, Mac pointed out that Wanda was “possessive” , so I should have said:
    “The locals warned me about Thorn's innocent looks when we think he has our best interests at heart!” Is that better? pd

  • Peggy R. Dobbs

    OOPS! I left out…”but why was there..”, so I see what you mean Mac. I think it can be done, but I'll have to do it with pencil and paper first. Thanks so much for pointing that out. I wish this thing had an erasure.pd

  • Mac Eagan

    Except the full line is
    “The locals warned me about Wanda’s, but why was there …”
    and the line has to be used in its entirety. The only thing I think you don't have to use are the ellipses at the end. There I assume you take over the sentence. To me, that's the most challenging part. The structure does not lend itself to an easy add-on.

  • Peggy R. Dobbs

    Mac, I corrected myself about 3 hrs ago further down, talking to myself. That's what I should have done before I started this long ramble, “talking to myself” that is. You are albsolutely correct, I overlooked that completely. I sent you an e-mail note to that effect. pd

  • Mac Eagan

    I got an email notification about it. I noticed after I posted above that you had figured it out. Maybe instead of all of us trying to interpret Thorn's rules, we should just make up our own. Rule 1 – write something. Rule 2 – Thorn gives us a prize. Think anyone else would go along with this?

  • Mac Eagan

    $8,000 for 8 comments. $1,000 per comment. I'm in a generous mood. Send me $500 and I'll say something nice about whatever you write.

  • http://www.awordwithyoupress.com/ Thornton Sully

    I would! We just had a trophy made by artist Chris Maher. We may have a contest to decide what the trophy is for! I promise to post it's phot in the next few days.

  • http://www.awordwithyoupress.com/ Thornton Sully

    The problem with that, is an hour later you feel like writing another submission.

  • Peggy R. Dobbs

    I doubt it , even though he put his cute little sticker on your reply to me an hour ago. He knows I can't let this pass. Most of us are already addicted to following The Pied Piper or is it Simple Simon? (I did not say Simple Sully, it has not ring to it.) He would probably come back with something like:
    If you play on the grounds of my school,
    He who pays the mortgage makes the rule.

  • Star5fallonmyheart

    …Can I send homemade sugar cookies in lieu of pay?

  • Mac Eagan

    Has anybody noticed how many comments have been posted just on the contest introduction? I guess we're all practicing for when the stories start coming in.

  • http://www.awordwithyoupress.com/ Thornton Sully

    Wimps! this should not be tuff! A lot of stories get at least six replies. The whole idea is to get people coming to the site to join in the fun, and to enlarge the circle of people who comment. Diversity is a good thing!

  • http://www.awordwithyoupress.com/ Thornton Sully

    Send me a freeze-dried Southern dinner, and I will grace you with more details!

  • Peggy R. Dobbs

    No more details! I've already written my story, just have to do a little whittling off about 500 words. Be careful about encouraging all the comments. Remember what happened to Brian Harrison's pirate story? As far as the chicken, you'll never find any as good as Chick-fil-A, not even mine. Now, chocolate pie? That's another story! pd

  • Jamie

    :) Misquoted

    I still love that one though

  • Jamie

    Yes, I'm still here!

  • Pingback: Take it on the chin

  • Pingback: A cautionary tale

  • Pingback: Starry starry night

  • Derek

    Maybe they bite their nails?!

  • Derek

    Of Cassius – he thinks too much; such men are dangerous!

  • Derek

    Clothes. The clue's in my novel sample under featured writers…

  • Derek

    Apparently not!

  • Mac Eagan

    My wife says I can't have anybody else's sugar but hers. (I'm happy with that.)

Newer Comments →