I’m very excited to enter Susanna Leonard Hill’s Halloweensie contest this year. I’ve been loving writing challenges lately. Thank you Susanna Hill for organizing this competition. Read more about Halloweensie here: https://susannahill.com/blog/

Prizes include PB MS Critiques from the talented Vivian Kirkfield, Parker Klostermann, Carrie Finison, Teresa Robeson, Lydia Lukidis, Kirsti Call, Ellen Leventhal, and Heather Gale.

The challenge:

• Written for kids
• No more than 100 words 
• Contains the words skeleton, creep, and mask 
• Tells a complete story

I really like how my story turned out. Limiting to 100 words was a challenge, but that’s good practice. A lot of great recent picture books are low on word count. I watched a wonderful 12X12 workshop called Mine the Gaps with Hannah Barnaby recently where she discusses the importance of allowing room for the illustrator. Let me know how you think I did.

TRICK OR TROLL

One Halloween, after eating all their candy and the wrappers too, three billy goats decided to cross a troll bridge for more. 

“Our skeleton costumes will scare that troll,” said the two eldest.

“Boo!” The troll ran under the bridge.

But the youngest didn’t like being scary. “I’ll just creep across quietly.”

He tried to slink. He tried to crawl. He tried trotting on tiptoe. But the troll heard him every time.

“Wait!” he thought. “Everyone likes candy.”

“Want to come too?” he asked. “You don’t even need a mask.”

“Yes!” the troll replied. And they crossed the bridge together.