#306 Form, Fabulous Form! with WOW

This week, we’re running a takeover in collaboration with our friends over at WOW! Women on Writing. The winner of this contest will not only be awarded $250 — they’ll also receive a special bonus prize: a free entry with critique into WOW’s Summer 2025 Flash Fiction Contest, which awards $1,350 in cash prizes! Here's what they have to say about their takeover:

Hello, writers!

Angela and Melanie from WOW! Women on Writing here. At WOW, we’ve had the pleasure of running a quarterly flash fiction contest for almost twenty years, with a different literary agent as our guest judge each season. In all that time, among the myriad stories that cross our desks, we’ve noticed that unique forms really catch the attention of our judges. Stories, after all, can encompass a large range of exciting arrangements and shapes.

Whether it’s using a tasting menu to tell the story of a dinner date gone awry, a game show that reveals an extramarital affair, or a one-sentence flash that amplifies the breathless fight scene of a home-invasion robbery, form can strengthen your theme and add resonance to your story. (By the way, all of those were actual fabulous forms of previous WOW contest-winning stories!) Plus, when we borrow a new form for our story, it can be oddly liberating — leading to fresher, more original writing.

This week’s prompts invite you to play with form. Give these prompts a spin today to WOW your readers with an unforgettable approach to narrative. Write on!

Special Update: The Results 🏆

WOW's top pick for their takeover was "Threads Left Unread" by Alexander Valsamis. Here's what they had to say about it: "We’ve chosen Alexander Valsamis's 'Threads Left Unread' as the winner of our Form, Fabulous Form contest! It's a fantastic example of how form propels story. The forward momentum of emails and calls, whether delivered, deleted, or unsent, work to reveal the suspenseful backstory of the character's love affair, one that one person wants to pick back up but which will not spark again. The mysterious ending of the last unsent message leaves the story in the hands of the reader and brings power to the title. It was fun to eavesdrop on the story evolving between these two characters and watch the threads unravel. What a gripping read!"

Congratulations to contest winner Alexander Valsamis and the runners-up, Aeris Walker and Annalisa McMorrow! They'll all be given a special prize from WOW: a free entry with critique into WOW’s Summer 2025 Flash Fiction Contest!