Susanna Leonard Hill's annual holiday writing contest is special to me, as it is the first writing contest I entered when I began participating in writing contests last year. I didn't win a prize in the contest, but I did win the enormous satisfaction of writing a children's story in 250 words, posting it for the world to see, and virtually meeting many talented writers, including one whom I am now incredibly lucky to have as a critique partner. (Yay, Dana!) By participating, I also felt like I'd met* Susanna Leonard Hill, a kidlit legend, and she was as kind as you can imagine a published author of children's books to be.
*Met = I emailed her with a few questions about the contest and she replied incredibly promptly every time. (Yes, I emailed a very busy published writer and host of a huge contest in which hundreds of people participate, several times. Sorry, Susanna. Thank you for ALL you do for children's writers!)
I'm excited to be participating in the contest again this year and so thankful for the opportunity to interact with and learn from other children's writers. The story I wrote, An Extraordinary Elf, is below. You can read all of the contest entries here. And, you should! They are THAT GOOD.
Thanks for stopping by! May your holiday season be merry!
An Extraordinary Elf
By Becky Kimbrough
249 words
Elliott studied the sign and grinned:
Santa’s Spectacular Snow Day!
Greatest Gift Wrap!
Swiftest Snowballs!
Tallest Tower of Tasty Treats!
“An elves’ day of holiday contests,” said Elliott. “Maybe I can win them all!”
The other elves laughed.
“Your efforts are always over-the-top, Elliott. You are exceptionally…extra. Remember when
you overflowed the whipped cream machine?”
I’ll show them. Elliott frowned.
Whoosh! He raced to Snowball Stadium.
“My extra-icy snowballs are super-speedy.”
Fling! Zoom! Crash!
“Ice-packed snowballs are too swift,” Elliott sighed.
Whoosh! He dashed to Christmas Kitchen.
“With extra fudge and frosting, my treat tower will be the tallest!”
Elliott’s tasty tower shot up in no time.
“Just one more brownie.” He balanced precariously.
Wobble, wobble, crash!
“What a mess!” Elliott’s lip quivered.
“But there’s still time for gift wrapping glory.” He dragged an enormous bag of glitter to Gift
Wrap Grotto.
Phew. Elliott huffed.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
The contest ended as he arrived.
“Oh no! I didn’t win a single contest.” Elliott sniffled.
“Don’t cry, Elliott,” said Santa. “We added an extra contest this year. The Over-the-Top
obstacle course is starting now.”’
Elliott looked up to see Reindeer Games Racetrack strewn with glitter, ice, and walls of fudge.
“Gobs of glitter? Slippery snowballs? Foothills of fudge? I’ve been practicing for this contest all along!”
Whoosh! With ten speedy scrambles, ten careful climbs, and ten jaunty jumps, Elliott zoomed through the course in two minutes!
“Ho-ho-ho! Our winner is Elliott, an extraordinary elf,” Santa bellowed.
Elliott’s grin was extra-wide.
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