The WEbook editorial staff has read and considered each monster carefully—inspecting its appearance, considering its origin, questioning its motives—and we’re now ready to announce the winners. It was a great pleasure getting to know each of the monsters, so as always, thanks to everyone who submitted to this challenge.
Another huge thanks to everyone who offered their comments on a submission (or, in some cases, many submissions). We feel community feedback is one of the most valuable aspects of the challenges, and love seeing such a high level of engagement.
Without further adieu, here are the winners. As promised, we’re catapulting each of them into a world of fame by highlighting our favorite aspects of the submission. Remember us when you're rich beyond your wildest dreams.
Hungry Like the Wolf by TheUlminator
Why it was picked: The writing quality blew us away. TheUlminator took a generic premise and scene (teenager getting mauled by a monster) and pumped a stunning amount of life into a short space using unique descriptions and phrasings. Our two favorites: “the wolfish form battering-rammed Alice into the cement” and “…its prison-bar ribs surfacing then receding with each labored breath.” Of all the scenes, this one felt the most alive and clear to us. Bravo!
The Plague Doctor by krymsonkyng
Why it was picked: A lot of submissions described a human that behaved like a “monster.” We singled out krymsonkyng’s creation because he expertly blurred the monster/human line with the description in the fourth paragraph: “The oil-slicked robes that bound the creature in his own world, the pointed mask that hid his humanity away from the black death, from the back of his hood to the tip of his cane all were stretching and contracting with every step.” This made us step back and do some thinking—in a way, aren’t we all stretching and contracting with every step? Aren’t we all wearing some kind of mask as we walk through the dark alley of life? Crap, is everyone a monster?! Nooooooooooooo...
The McDonald's Monster by OdinofAzgard
Why it was picked: The image of a monster roaming from playpen to playpen is inventive, funny, and a bit, well, touching. We felt sympathy for the monster when we thought of him alone, forlornly sniffing the dissipating smell of French fries in the ball pit. We really did. Not so much when he was doing the whole child-eating thing. But we like having mixed feelings about monsters. Love/hate, for the win. We also felt this story might legitimately get a child to finish their Happy Meal in earnest, and that’s power you can’t buy.
A Dog And His Girl by SirKeystone
Why it was picked: In a scene of just under 400 words, SirKeystone offered an idea that could easily be turned into a novel. It has setting, back story, conflict, and a robot side-kick. This was one submission we desperately wished would continue for many more pages. So…turn it into a novel and send it to us. Please.
The Pulsing Tone Beetle by CT_Vincent
Why it was picked: Because it made us think seriously about sleeping with earmuffs on. One member of the WEbook staff might actually have made it a habit. Just to be safe, you know? In all seriousness, though, reading this one really gave us a visceral reaction and really left an unpleasant image in our brain. Hopefully nothing in our ears.
Why it was picked: Stand-alone scenes of dialogue are always risky, but maluspudor pulled off this one with skill and grace. Not only was the dialogue believable, but the scene made us smile. Moreover, it really touched on the monster creation process in general—everything kind of escalates and gets bigger, crazier, and scarier. And then you have a real monster, whether it exists or not. Think on that.
Congratulations to all of the winners! You will receive your PageToFame coupon shortly via direct message.The next challenge has been up and running for a few weeks, but there’s plenty of time to enter if you have not yet done so. Head over to the Dragon Slaying Challenge to get started. There are a lot of dragons out there begging for a literary death.
—WEbook
