#278: All Apologies with Daniel Penny

Don’t forget to use the hashtag #ReedsyApology when sharing your writing (and potentially be featured on our social accounts)!

This week, we're running a takeover in collaboration with Daniel Penny. The winner of this contest will not only be awarded $250 — they’ll also receive a special bonus prize: personal feedback from Daniel himself. For your chance to get insight from one of Reedsy’s very own, read on! Here's Daniel:

Hi writers,

My name is Daniel Penny. I’m a writer and editor who specializes in literary fiction and nonfiction. You can check out my Reedsy profile here. With a stint in The New Yorker’s fiction department and many years as a freelance journalist and critic, I’ve read a lot of stories about characters who treat each other poorly. For me, what’s often more interesting than the conflict itself is the aftermath: how characters move forward — or don’t — from the hurt they’ve caused.

We all know that apologies can be difficult. Who wants to admit error, humble themselves, or ask for forgiveness? And it can be just as hard to let go of a grudge when an apology comes too late. Sometimes, we even find ourselves apologizing when we’re not sure what it is we’ve been accused of. Will your characters be able to set aside their egos and cop to what they’ve done wrong, or will they double down and admit nothing?

This week, I’m offering up five writing prompts that ask you to consider the dramatic (and comedic) potential of having to say sorry.

Special Update: The Results

Daniel Penny's top three picks for this takeover were: 1) "Santa, The Hitman?" 2) "Words I've Waited For" and 3) "The Anger Dragon"

Here's what he had to say about the winning story: "The winning story is the improbably titled 'Santa, the Hitman?' I was drawn in by its sad sack narrator whose dying father reveals how he had been earning a living when he wasn't working as a mall Santa. The vivid language playfully riffs on familiar images from 'The Night Before Christmas' and the funeral meeting with dad's old colleague delivers an unexpected payoff. While I'm not normally a fan of Christmas spoofs, I found this one did a nice job of playing with the idea of Santa as a useful mask for a much darker occupation."

Congratulations to contest winner Mary Butler and the runners-up, Alexis Araneta and James Scott!