We Otter Do It: I Won a Flash Fiction Writing Contest!

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Guys! I won a contest! *squeaks*

I’m really excited to announce that I won the fan-voted Fellowship of Fantasy Mythical Doorways flash fiction Writing Contest! I can’t believe it, and little Gavin the otter and I are so grateful for y’all’s votes!

The contest was to write a 500 word or less story, opening with “The door creaked open …” I won the adult section, and the winner of the 15 and under category wrote an amazing story too!

FYI, flash fiction = a short story of one thousand words or less. Or, in this case, 499 words, which is how long “We Otter Do It” is — and you can read the whole thing on the Fellowship of Fantasy blog where it’s being featured today! 🙂 Along with the other winning story, which is fantastic. 😀

So drop by to meet a little otter secretary named Gavin. 😉 And leave a comment here or there to let me know what you think! ^_^

We Otter Do It

by Deborah O’Carroll

The door creaked open. A tall, wobbling stack of parchment pattered into the room on little furry paws. At least, that’s what it looks like when your otter secretary comes into your office carrying the mail.

I’m a respectable young man and a magician, and nobody would believe me if I told them my life is tyrannized by an adorable otter.

Read the rest at fellowshipoffantasy.com

P.S. Oh, and the writing contest was a publicity thing to celebrate the release of a Fellowship of Fantasy short story anthology which released last week, Mythical Doorways, featuring stories by Jenelle Leanne Schmidt, H.L. Burke, and nine other fantastic authors. You can get the ebook free online in some places (I think Amazon is currently being difficult but it’s 99 cents there at the moment and might be free again). Anyway, I’m reading it now and enjoying it. And it’s unrelated to the contest, except in both having doorways. XD

P.P.S. This is the first time I’ve won a writing contest and I’m SO EXCITED. It’s got me floating in the clouds! AWK.

Thank you for reading! ❤

40 thoughts on “We Otter Do It: I Won a Flash Fiction Writing Contest!”

    • Eep, thank you so much! 😀 And… there’s not currently, but I fell so much in love with these characters/this world in jut 500 words that I might someday revisit it and write something else similar! 🙂 So many things to write. XD Anyway, thank you so much for reading! ❤

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    • Thanks! The little otter and I appreciate it! ^_^
      (Oh, you’re so welcome! Yep, flash fiction is just a super-short short-story. 🙂 So your stories ARE short stories, just also more specifically flash-fiction. :D)

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  5. Positively delightful. Such a charming little snatch of fiction. The only thing I was wishing was that when the otter signed the magician’s name, we could have learned the actual name of the protagonist. But that is a very very minor quibble for a lovely piece of writing.

    Congratulations! I’m so glad you won!

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  7. AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU WON YOU WON YOU WONNNNN! But OF COURSE you did. Your story was the cutest, funnest things EVER. AND YOU WONNNNNNNN!!!!!!!! I AM SO ECSTATIC. I just…SLDKJFLKDS:LJKFL:DKSJFL:KJ YOU WON! *THROWS ALL THE CONFETTI AND SHOOTS FIREWORKS AND MAKES GIANT CAKE AND HUGS LITTLE GAVIN AND YOU*

    YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  8. Congrats on this, Deborah!!!
    I’m super glad you get to have this experience!! 🙂 And I also think Gavin’s story should be continued.

    Though, I think it might work great to have them as actually side characters/side story; like, fit them in on a world that you’ve already got working… and cut to this, then cut back. Later on, cut to them doing something, then cut back.
    Just snippets of their journey, as side characters.. .and then at the big finale when you need a “magician appears and gives wise advice, but is over-committed and your MC’s need to go on the quest by himself.” BOOM!!! You’ve got your plot point covered, and Gavin and his employer can show up at the victory parade, and smile, and then look a little harried because this was yet another even that Gavin over-booked them for. 😉

    I think that would be the pitch-perfect use for these two characters. 🙂

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    • Thanks so much! 😀

      I’m definitely considering doing more with Gavin and his magician someday. I have SO much else to write at the moment, though!

      Haha, I love your idea — that is so fun. XD Thanks for sharing that! (Laughing at the idea that they shouldn’t even be at the victory parade because overbooked. XD)

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  9. CONGRATS ON WINNING!!!! How exciting! ❤ Your story is so adorable and funny, and I just love your writing style! I need to read a full-length novel from you, Deborah. Someday. Please? 😉 ❤

    God's blessings! *hugs*

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  15. The story is so good!!! I’ve come to accept that I am simply not capable of writing flash fiction–too little space for me to work with–but you knocked it out of the park. And, most importantly, you wrote something that is both fun and funny. It seems to be a rule of thumb with most short fiction that the shorter it is, the darker and creepier it has to be. But you went in the totally opposite direction from that and *nailed* it. I’m very impressed. And I want more with these characters now. XD

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    • Thank you so much! Flash fiction is definitely hard, and I can’t usually manage it well myself, but occasionally a piece just “fits” it somehow. Ohhh, I hadn’t ever thought about it, but I think you’re right! A lot of flash fiction is definitely dark. And I don’t really go for dark. XD Anyway, thanks!! (Erm… I may do more with them someday, if I can ever get past all the WIPs on my plate currently. *bangs head against desk* But I kind of want more with them myself, so it makes me happy when people ask for more!)

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      • I feel like they need an entire series, and spinoffs, and merch. XD Maybe that’s overdoing it on my part. But I do love them.

        I think some people feel like they have to make short stuff super-dark in order for it to pack enough of a punch, or be relevant, or something? Which is silly, IMO. I’ve read lots of light-hearted short fiction that I really loved.

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        • Duly noted, thanks! XD

          I’ll admit that the other bit of flash fiction I wrote was technically probably “horror” — or, at least, it was based on a nightmare I had, and it’s probably the only super-creepy thing I’ve written (even had a scary ending, kinda…) but its point was more to make me not scared of the dream anymore (which worked) and less to specifically write something to scare people. XD But YES, I much prefer fun things! 🙂

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