Earlier this month, I announced my entry into the Fall Frenzy Contest. It felt nice to be back into a writing rhyme, specifically, writing short pieces, just for the thrill of it. And while the results of that contest are still pending, I was pleased with my work, so I decided to enter a Fall Poetry contest with the Institute for Children’s Writers. After getting that sent off, I polished up my final piece for the 12th annual Halloweensie contest (but my very first)!

Here are the rules for Halloweensie: write a 100-word Halloween story appropriate for children (children here defined as 12 and under) using the words slither, treat, and scare (in any form of the word).

Here is my entry:

On Halloween night

Try as I might

I simply have nothing to wear.

A ghost that says, “BOO!”

Clearly won’t do

This ratty old sheet has a tear.

A wicked old witch

With a wig that would itch 

My cackle is not worth a treat. 

A slithery snake

Would be easy to make

But I’d rather walk on two feet.

A werewolf could scare

And howl in the air

But I wanna be something pretty.

On Halloween night

This fits just right!

I’m a princess doing the griddy.

Ok, so be honest? Are you familiar with the griddy?

I took a leap of faith ending the poem with this word because not everyone may know what it means. For those who know, it’s cute, fun, and relevant to today’s kids. If you don’t, it may leave you with a big ‘ole question mark, which is never great for the reader.

Also, as someone who loves to rhyme, I struggle with the validity of rhyming pretty/griddy. While the sound is the same, it is NOT a perfect rhyme. In this case, will it matter? It seems that only time will tell. I diligently avoid ‘almost’ or ‘near’ rhymes in my writing practice. But somehow, this one worked for me!

It’ll be a few more weeks before I hear the results of the three contests I entered this October.

But I’m happy to be writing again.

And I know that no matter what happens, time spent writing is never wasted🙂