Valkyrie

@Cia will be running the secret author contest. In the past there have been threads where people guessed who wrote what, but I don't think they were an 'official' part of the contest. I'm sure something similar will happen with this one as well. I agree that guessing the authors was a big part of the fun of those contests.

April is National Poetry Writing Month, so I thought it would be perfect timing to feature the poetry anthology then. I also chose the theme of Exploration in the hope that authors would decide to explore writing some poetry. I'm glad you feel inspired to participate!

Writing Events in 2023! We have an exciting lineup of writing events happening in 2023! We're still fine-tuning the details, so stay tuned for further information about each event. 4 months from now we're bringing you a Poetry Anthology - Exploration! All Submissions due Saturday, April 1 Many of the usual anthology procedures will still apply, but ask questions below, and we'll make sure the information is included in the Rules/Discussion topics posted soon! 7 months from now we're having a Secret Author Story Contest! All Submissions due Saturday, July 1 More info on theme and rules to follow soon, so make sure you follow the Site Fun and Games blog to learn more. But above all, it's a secret... so shh! 10 months from now we're having the Leap of Faith Anthology! All Submissions due Sunday, October 1 Stories between 1,000 and 20,000 words and poetry collections of up to five poems will be accepted, with most of the usual rules in effect (some may be subject to change). Anthology topics will be posted soon, as usual, but some posting guidelines or details may change so keep following the Anthology blogs and topics!

I really enjoyed this story, so much so that I'd love for it to continue! I'm glad that Jophiel found a haven with those like him and is now free from the abuse he suffered. I'm also curious about what form he will take once his magic has recovered. Thank you for giving us this wonderful holiday story!

I'm the same, although writing to a deadline tends to help speed things up a bit. Writing serials takes me absolutely forever though. Short stories I tend to start about a week before the deadline as well Or at least seriously start to work on them at that point. I may have actually started it months before

Here are links to the guidelines for last year's anthology, as well as an Anthology 101 FAQ. They can be found under the Anthology tab in the Writer's Circle Club. There may be some slight tweaks made for this year's anthology, but the bulk of it is still applicable. I will be posting the full guidelines within the next few weeks. Anthology stories cannot be previously published stories or chapters in a serial. That's great that you have one that fits the theme already! Maybe consider holding off on posting it and submitting it to the anthology instead, as long as it's a stand-alone story. Let me know if you have any further questions.

@Zombie What. Have. You. Done?

I'd like to extend a huge thank you to all who voted in the anthology theme selection survey. I'm pretty blown away by the turnout we received! It was quite a nail-biting race, especially in the beginning, but eventually a winner leapt ahead. So without further ado, here's the announcement we've all been waiting for... Leap of Faith Please remember that the link to the theme can be tangential - it doesn't have to smack you in the face, as long as it's in there somewhere. We want the anthology to be inclusive, not exclusive. Here is the link to a great blog post written by @CassieQ about writing to themes: Stories between 1,000 and 20,000 words and poetry collections of up to five poems are due to the proof team by October 1, 2023. It's never too early to start working on anthology submissions! I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with next year. Please stay tuned to upcoming blogs for further information about the 2023 Anthology - Leap of Faith!

Oh I already know that

Gary Busey as Gibbs.

I'm not sure whether or not to be offended by not being considered to save the future Earth, but I think I'll go with not offended because I don't want my ego to be compared to MrsG's Great start!

It's definitely not just you

I normally spend Christmas eve with my family, then wake up on Christmas and open my presents from the friends I exchange with, head over to my mom's for breakfast and prezzies, then go to my aunt's for dinner. Well, this year I got a double whammy which prevented pretty much all of it from happening. My area is completely shut down by that massive winter storm that hit a lot of the country. It settled in over the lake for almost two days straight, bringing 43" of snow along with hurricane force winds. It's finally died down, but we're still dealing with the aftermath, so there's a travel ban in place. With 4-5 feet of snow covering my driveway, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. Not that I could anyway, since I got the gift of covid this year. 😒 So the only tradition I was able to observe was waking up and opening my prezzies from my friends. I will celebrate with my family next weekend. I will spend this Christmas day in my Christmas kitty jammies, binge watch A Christmas Story, and sleep when the horrible sinus pressure allows me to. I hope everyone is able to celebrate as they usually do

It's also one of my favorite Mumford and Sons songs.

That's actually babble, but I would imagine it has the same origin.

I used the Google survey form so the results would be hidden. I want the reveal to be a surprise to everyone.

Happy Holidays! Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanza, Festivus, or something else, I wish you the best the holiday season has to offer! A large part of the US will be facing a pretty nasty winter storm this weekend, my area included, so fingers crossed everyone can still celebrate as planned. Thank you to all who have voted in the anthology theme selection poll so far. The poll will remain open until midnight EST on 12/27/22, so there's still time to vote if you haven't done so. I won't give any clues as to which one is currently in the lead, but will say it's a pretty close race! If you are unable to access the Google form, please send me a PM with your choice between: Too Soon, A Second Glance, Leap of Faith, Hidden, and Star Crossed, and I will record your vote on your behalf. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1BVqr8MUJjM1T21Ylro18ITkQ9R0_Kjvs5aImfpfzUr8/edit I will reveal the winning theme next Thursday, 12/29/22, so stay tuned!