A talk with the editor
Gabriel Thomas ’24 sits down with Writing Center intern Nicky Benya to discuss an upcoming event:
Q: What is the Franken-stories event?
A: A scary story writing contest from the Writing Center…just in time for Halloween! We’re hoping to give writers a chance to take a break from academic writing and write a refreshing, short scary story.
Q: How do I know what to write?
A: You just swing by the Writing Center and collect the three different elements to the prompt, trick-or-treat style. Each table has some candy, of course, and bowls containing characters, like “Sunflower” or “A scatterbrained professor”; settings, like “Holden elevator” or “Mythical tunnels under the dorms”; and limitations, like having to write the story through text messages or basing the story around an I.S. experiment gone wrong! And if you don’t like what you picked, you can always pick again!
Q: How long should the stories be?
A:Only a paragraph or two, no more than 350 words. This activity is supposed to be a fun mental break, not anything super mentally taxing!
Q: How do I submit my story?
A: There will be a link to the submission portal on the prompt sheets. A QR code to the submission form will also be on the Writing Center windows. Prompts will be available in the Writing Center from 5 p.m. on Oct. 27 to 10 p.m. on Oct. 31, and submissions close at 11:59 p.m. on Halloween! The winner will be announced the next day.
Q: Who chooses the winners?
A: The students! Everyone will get a chance to read the stories and vote for their favorite. Physical copies of all the stories will be in the Writing Center, and a QR code to the digital document will be located on our window. Once you’ve read through the stories, the link to vote will also be up on our window! Then you just vote for your favorite! And don’t worry, the stories will be made anonymous. People will only know which story is yours if you want them to!
Q: What should writers do if they have any more questions?A: Swing by the Writing Center or email Nicky (nbenya@wooster.edu)! We look forward to reading your spooky short stories.