Writing Contest (This is for you, Kamichi ;)

[KingstonDressage]

I was reading Kamichi's post about writing contests and became inspired.

Rules:
-All HWO rules apply
-Can be as short or long as you'd like
-Can be in poetry, passage, book, or haiku form
-For the sake of appropriateness, try not to get too deep into romance
-Be neat, try to correct grammar or format issues. (ex: .i likeh orses . I like horses.) (Commas are my pet peeve)

Entry:
Username:
Inspiration (if any):
Writing!:





I will be judging once at least 5 or more people have entered.

The prize is 10k for the #1 entry, and 5k for #2. The rest will recieve 2k for participation, depending on the amount of entries.

Have fun with this. Get creative!

[islandhill]

Entry:
Username: Islandhill
Inspiration: I worked with a horse in 2019. I trained him to do 2nd level dressage and jump 2'3". He went lame last year and had to leave...but I miss him every day. He helped my anxiety and he helped me more than I ever helped him...His name was Remedy.
Writing!: Poem

Let Go

I am stressed out about nothing...
Yet I think it's something.
When the world turns,
My mind churns.
When people cry,
Something inside me starts to die.
And no matter how hard I try,
I find myself unable to fly.

I find myself in the same place as I was before.
Trapped in a place needing something more.
Something to comfort me,
Something to make me feel free...
Even if it's just for a while;
I just want to be able to smile.

I never knew what it meant to be happy,
Until the day that I met Remedy.
He walked towards my figure,
Wanting more than a human could measure.
He wanted something more,
just like I needed before.

And just like that the things of this world,
All of a sudden didn't mean anything anymore.
I had found peace,
I had found my release.
The things of this world will come and go,
But if there was one thing I needed to know:
It's okay to let go.

[_Americanaa_]

Username: _Americanaa_
Inspiration (if any): Everyday life? None? Not sure.
Writing!: book
(All names, locations, etc have been changed due to privacy reasons)

Kooper. He was perfect. He had that sharp jawline. The brown, fluffy hair. A football player. Everything every girl wanted, but he was my bestfriend. I wanted, more than anything to be able to say 'Thats my boyfriend that just scored a touchdown' or 'Thats my boyfriend that just scored the winning point for us!' But life doesn't work like that.
"London!" Kasey called. I snapped back to reality.
"Yeah?"
"Your not thinking about Kooper, are you?" Kasey asked. I felt my face instantly turn red.
"I can't help it. He's so perfect."
"He's not into girls like you and I. He's into the girls who care more about their nails then their grades. You of all people should know that." I looked at Kasey and rolled my eyes.
"Girls," Mrs. Giannini yelled. "Please stop talking!" Kasey and I looked at eachother, then at our paper. I felt my face turn red as every single face in the classroom turned and looked at me. "Thank you." Mrs. Giannini said. I hated class. I hated people. I just wanted to go home and ride. Ride fast. Ride so fast that everything fades away. I looked at the clock. Two more hours of torture.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and slipped it under my desk. 2 new messages. I opened the first one, which was a reminder from the school. I opened the second one. It was from Kooper. Kooper never texted me. Never.
"Wanna cruise after school?"
I felt my jaw drop. The cutest guy at school...asking me to cruise? I couldn't believe it. Yes, he was my bestfriend, but we only talked in person. We never texted.
"Sure. Meet me at my locker?"
*Kooper is typing*
"No. Just come to my locker"
"Ok"
*Read 1 minute ago*
I slipped my phone back into my pocket. I watched the clock tick down. 3...2...1! The bell finally rang. I rushed out of the classroom. I shoved my books into my locker. I shut my locker and started walking across the school, to Kooper's locker. I was just about there when someone tugged on my arm.
"London?"
It was Kasey. I sighed. "What?"
"Are you okay? You seem mad."
"I'm just in a hurry, okay? Now leave me alone." I pulled away from her and continued walking.

"Hey London!" Kooper said as I walked up to him.
"Sup" I laughed.
"Ready?"
"Yeah, lets go. I've had enough of this place for one day."
"On God." He said as he lead me through the junior halls and out the door. As soon as I stepped outside, I felt the rain falling on my hair. I followed him to his car. It was shiny black. I opened the passenger door. As I sat in the seat, I inhaled the smell of the car. It smelled like fruit and something I couldn't quite identify. I watched Kooper toss his books in the backseat, as he got in the drivers seat.
"So where are we going?" I asked him.
"Not sure, we'll figure it out as we go."
He backed out of the parking lot. I watched him drive with one hand. His other hand rested on the armrest. I looked at the speedometer. "50...60...70...80...80" I counted in my head. "Kooper, aren't you going a little fast? The roads are wet."
"I can handle it." He said calmly
He turned on the radio, which instantly shook the car with the bass. I looked at him and smiled. He knew good music from bad music. He looked at me, "London, this is a bad idea. I think I should take you home."
"What? Why?"
"Its not you, its me. Whats your address?"
"Kooper. We're bestfriends. I've been around you a lot. Why can't we continue cruising?"
"Don't worry about it. Just give me your address"
"I'll just give you instructions, its easier for me."
"Alright." He turned up the radio even more. "90...100...110...120...130"
"Turn on this gravel road up here." I said. Just not loud enough.
"Kooper! This one!" We were almost past it.
"Gosh dang!" He began turning the wheel and slowing down. The tires spun on the soaked gravel, and pulled the car to the other side of the road. He tried correcting the car, but it pulled to far to the side. I saw panic rise on Kooper's face.

I blinked a few times. Trying to remember where I was. "Kooper?" I said, in barely a whisper. No answer. I slowly turned to see if he was beside me. He was. I blinked a few more times. I realized the windshield was missing a few pieces. I looked over at Kooper and saw that he had pieces of glass all over his face. "Kooper!" I began to cry. I tried un-buckling my seatbelt, but it was jammed. I let out a scream of frusteration. I began tugging at it, and finally it budged. I pushed against my door, and got it to open. I stumbled, and fell into the wet grass. I slowly got back up, and used the car as support, and walked to Kooper's side. I opened his door, which was tougher to open then mine. "Kooper?" I put my ear to his chest. Nothing. I pulled out my phone, which was very cracked.
"9-1-1. Whats your emergency?" The dispatcher said.
"My friend and I have been in a car accident. He's not breathing!" I started crying even harder.
"Ma'am. Please remain calm. Help is on the way. Have you began CPR?"
"No. I-I can't. His seatbelt won't un-unbuckle" I stuttered.
"Help is about 2 minutes away. Are you injured?"
My hands were shaking. I dropped my phone, and fell to my knees. I cried. Hard. I heard the sirens in a distance. They pulled up beside the car. Two of them came up to me and took my to the ambulance. Four of them went straight to Kooper.
"Does anything hurt?"
"Everything hurts. Is my bestfriend okay?" I asked, crying.
"We will determine that in a few moments. Do you feel like you broke anything?"
"No. I just want my bestfriend to be okay. Please."
The lady reached over to examine my arm. "I think you've broken your wrist. In two places."
"I don't care!" I cried. "Just tell me Kooper will be okay!"
"We can't promise anything. We need to focus on you right now though."
I fell back down to my knees and started crying again. Then everything went black.

I woke up in a recovery room. My wrist was in a cast. Kasey was sitting in a chair, on her phone. "London?" She said as she looked over at me.
"I-What happened?"
"Car accident. With Kooper."
Kooper. The event flashed back into my memory.
"Is he okay?" I asked.
Kasey stared at me. Tears began forming in her eyes. "London...h-he died. He had chemicals in his body that clashed with the accident. I-It wasn't go-goo-good." She stuttered.
I began crying again. "Its all my fault."
"No its not. He was doing bad stuff that no one knew about."
"Kooper would never." I was suddenly defensive.
"He did though."
"Your such a liar!" I screamed. "Kooper would never do anything like that!"
Kasey sighed. "Calm down, please, London your scaring me."
I began crying, Kasey came over to the bed and hugged me gently. "Its okay" she said to reassure me. "Everything is going to be okay. I promise"

The next few days were rough. Extremely rough. I stayed at home to recover. But I had to go back to school at some point. I carefully put on a hoodie and some sweatpants. I walked downstairs and found a new phone on the counter. It was from Kasey. I picked it up and logged into all of my social media accounts. 264 new notifications. "43 people tagged you in a post notifications, and more. I used my right hand and brushed my hair. I gathered my books, and began walking to school. I scrolled through the notifications. I clicked on one of the posts.
"@theOGLondon was in the car with Kooper when he died. Is she hiding something?" Another post said, "@theOGLondon possibly hiding info on the crash?"
I gasped. I didn't think people saw me get in the car with Kooper. Why would they think I have something to hide? As I walked into school, everyone stopped talking. They all looked at me. I kept my head down and headed to first period. Olivia put out her hand, and stopped me.
"I saw you get in the car with Kooper." She said.
I didn't answer.
"What are you hiding? What did you do?"
"I didn't do anything!" I yelled.
"Proof says otherwise..." She said plainly.

Part 2?

[Alyssa Davis]

Entry: Is this the title? Okay. "Ashes to Companionship"
Username: Alyssa Davis
Inspiration (if any): "I Fell in Love with You One Night in September" by Rook1e and "What a Wonderful World" by Kina Grannis and Imaginary Future.
Writing!: pa...ssage. Or is it book?

The world still clung to the sharp chill of winter, on that icy April day.

She made her way up the hill, leading the last horse of the Warrior Eye bloodline behind her. She looked over her shoulder, fighting the urge to cough, her lungs affected by the smoke. The wind bit at the tears running down her face as she watched her city, her kingdom, disappear, swallowed and sunken by flames.

She couldn’t believe their enemies would take it this far. How could they? What human could find it in themselves to take hundreds of thousands of lives, and take away the home of a child at the same time?

Questions flew through her mind. How was she the only one to escape? How was she to continue her life with everything she’d ever known destroyed?

And most importantly, was she still a princess if her kingdom was gone?

The scraggly yearling tromping along through the mud looked nothing like his powerful ancestors. His sire had been a phenomenal warhorse, and his mother had been a strong and intelligent riding horse, favored by the king for hunting parties. Both had sported glossy, dark coats, before they too, had fallen victim to the raging storm of embers and smoke.

This colt, however, seemed incapable of carrying a sack of potatoes. His coat was an odd, dull color, the color of a field after five years without water. He was ragged and unkempt. He was calm, nonetheless, and followed his mistress away towards the next kingdom.

The princess without a throne continued up the hill. Her ankle-high dress was already torn and covered in mud and ash.

Through bush and forest, though meadow and swampland, through sunshine and starlight, the girl and the colt walked. It was evident that both creatures had never been bothered with such a tremendous trek as they were attempting. Both were fatigued and itchy with sweat. The horse had no trouble with the concept of food, but the girl either had to ask of farmer’s wives or attempt to smuggle goods away under her dress.

The people living in this countryside were few and far between, and each observed the young woman and horse with blank expressions.

The princess and colt slept under twinkling stars and a shimmering moon. The country was peaceful and restful at night.

The two had become unlikely friends. The ugly colt and the lost princess were inseparable. Though several people asked to buy the royal horse, their offers were immediately declined. How could she? This little animal remained her comrade, his dancing ears warning her of possible dangers and his soft, furry coat comforting her of the loss of her homeland.

She feared nothing, for what more did she have to lose? The enemy of her kingdom probably assumed she was dead with her family. If they kept to the main road, they had no need to keep watch for hungry beasts. The girl and horse trudged on. Through rain, the two walked, through the aftermath of mud, they continued. They could not give up- the next kingdom was so close.

None of the people they encountered cared about them. They assumed the girl was homeless, and some even went so far as to make the assumption that the colt was stolen.

Now not only was the weather against them, but the eyes of the country-folk were, as well. The princess didn’t try to reveal her identity. Who would believe her? She had nothing to prove who she was, and she doubted anyone would care, even so.

On the eighth night of walking, at last, in the fading pink light of dusk, she saw the neighboring kingdom’s bleached towers soaring in the distance. Friends of her late father. Tears sparked in her eyes, remembering her family. She closed her eyes and clung to her little companion’s mane, burying her face in his matted hair. The colt (whom she’d come to call Des) turned and nuzzled her gently, asking if she had anything good for him to eat before turning and continuing to take deep, steady breaths.

The girl and horse, after so many steps, were finally there.

They finished their seemingly eternal journey under the full moon, embraced by their friends. They were safe at last.

5 years later

The princess without a crown sat upon her shining gold cream stallion, Des. The stallion’s ears flickered back, listening to the marching soldiers behind him. He’d finally become used to the fluttering banners high in the air.

Des led the armor-clad army up the hill that he, as a colt, had followed his fleeing mistress on a long and wearying journey. He of course, did not recall any of the events that had occurred when he was a yearling. But the rider astride his back remembered. She gently guided him towards the ash-ridden remains that had once been her home. The two survivors had returned.

The rows of soldiers came to a halt in front of the great iron gates that were covered with moss. A phoebe landed on a vine and twittered at them. The princess smiled. Before she had even arrived to revive her childhood home, life had already begun.

Note: Of course I'd put a horse in the story. I don't even know if it's good or not, it's what resulted of "I Fell In Love with You One Night in September" by Rook1e. Hope you enjoy. I liked writing it.

[KingstonDressage]

Username: _Americanaa_
Inspiration (if any): Everyday life? None? Not sure.
Writing!: book
(All names, locations, etc have been changed due to privacy reasons)

Kooper. He was perfect. He had that sharp jawline. The brown, fluffy hair. A football player. Everything every girl wanted, but he was my bestfriend. I wanted, more than anything to be able to say 'Thats my boyfriend that just scored a touchdown' or 'Thats my boyfriend that just scored the winning point for us!' But life doesn't work like that.
"London!" Kasey called. I snapped back to reality.
"Yeah?"
"Your not thinking about Kooper, are you?" Kasey asked. I felt my face instantly turn red.
"I can't help it. He's so perfect."
"He's not into girls like you and I. He's into the girls who care more about their nails then their grades. You of all people should know that." I looked at Kasey and rolled my eyes.
"Girls," Mrs. Giannini yelled. "Please stop talking!" Kasey and I looked at eachother, then at our paper. I felt my face turn red as every single face in the classroom turned and looked at me. "Thank you." Mrs. Giannini said. I hated class. I hated people. I just wanted to go home and ride. Ride fast. Ride so fast that everything fades away. I looked at the clock. Two more hours of torture.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and slipped it under my desk. 2 new messages. I opened the first one, which was a reminder from the school. I opened the second one. It was from Kooper. Kooper never texted me. Never.
"Wanna cruise after school?"
I felt my jaw drop. The cutest guy at school...asking me to cruise? I couldn't believe it. Yes, he was my bestfriend, but we only talked in person. We never texted.
"Sure. Meet me at my locker?"
*Kooper is typing*
"No. Just come to my locker"
"Ok"
*Read 1 minute ago*
I slipped my phone back into my pocket. I watched the clock tick down. 3...2...1! The bell finally rang. I rushed out of the classroom. I shoved my books into my locker. I shut my locker and started walking across the school, to Kooper's locker. I was just about there when someone tugged on my arm.
"London?"
It was Kasey. I sighed. "What?"
"Are you okay? You seem mad."
"I'm just in a hurry, okay? Now leave me alone." I pulled away from her and continued walking.

"Hey London!" Kooper said as I walked up to him.
"Sup" I laughed.
"Ready?"
"Yeah, lets go. I've had enough of this place for one day."
"On God." He said as he lead me through the junior halls and out the door. As soon as I stepped outside, I felt the rain falling on my hair. I followed him to his car. It was shiny black. I opened the passenger door. As I sat in the seat, I inhaled the smell of the car. It smelled like fruit and something I couldn't quite identify. I watched Kooper toss his books in the backseat, as he got in the drivers seat.
"So where are we going?" I asked him.
"Not sure, we'll figure it out as we go."
He backed out of the parking lot. I watched him drive with one hand. His other hand rested on the armrest. I looked at the speedometer. "50...60...70...80...80" I counted in my head. "Kooper, aren't you going a little fast? The roads are wet."
"I can handle it." He said calmly
He turned on the radio, which instantly shook the car with the bass. I looked at him and smiled. He knew good music from bad music. He looked at me, "London, this is a bad idea. I think I should take you home."
"What? Why?"
"Its not you, its me. Whats your address?"
"Kooper. We're bestfriends. I've been around you a lot. Why can't we continue cruising?"
"Don't worry about it. Just give me your address"
"I'll just give you instructions, its easier for me."
"Alright." He turned up the radio even more. "90...100...110...120...130"
"Turn on this gravel road up here." I said. Just not loud enough.
"Kooper! This one!" We were almost past it.
"Gosh dang!" He began turning the wheel and slowing down. The tires spun on the soaked gravel, and pulled the car to the other side of the road. He tried correcting the car, but it pulled to far to the side. I saw panic rise on Kooper's face.

I blinked a few times. Trying to remember where I was. "Kooper?" I said, in barely a whisper. No answer. I slowly turned to see if he was beside me. He was. I blinked a few more times. I realized the windshield was missing a few pieces. I looked over at Kooper and saw that he had pieces of glass all over his face. "Kooper!" I began to cry. I tried un-buckling my seatbelt, but it was jammed. I let out a scream of frusteration. I began tugging at it, and finally it budged. I pushed against my door, and got it to open. I stumbled, and fell into the wet grass. I slowly got back up, and used the car as support, and walked to Kooper's side. I opened his door, which was tougher to open then mine. "Kooper?" I put my ear to his chest. Nothing. I pulled out my phone, which was very cracked.
"9-1-1. Whats your emergency?" The dispatcher said.
"My friend and I have been in a car accident. He's not breathing!" I started crying even harder.
"Ma'am. Please remain calm. Help is on the way. Have you began CPR?"
"No. I-I can't. His seatbelt won't un-unbuckle" I stuttered.
"Help is about 2 minutes away. Are you injured?"
My hands were shaking. I dropped my phone, and fell to my knees. I cried. Hard. I heard the sirens in a distance. They pulled up beside the car. Two of them came up to me and took my to the ambulance. Four of them went straight to Kooper.
"Does anything hurt?"
"Everything hurts. Is my bestfriend okay?" I asked, crying.
"We will determine that in a few moments. Do you feel like you broke anything?"
"No. I just want my bestfriend to be okay. Please."
The lady reached over to examine my arm. "I think you've broken your wrist. In two places."
"I don't care!" I cried. "Just tell me Kooper will be okay!"
"We can't promise anything. We need to focus on you right now though."
I fell back down to my knees and started crying again. Then everything went black.

I woke up in a recovery room. My wrist was in a cast. Kasey was sitting in a chair, on her phone. "London?" She said as she looked over at me.
"I-What happened?"
"Car accident. With Kooper."
Kooper. The event flashed back into my memory.
"Is he okay?" I asked.
Kasey stared at me. Tears began forming in her eyes. "London...h-he died. He had chemicals in his body that clashed with the accident. I-It wasn't go-goo-good." She stuttered.
I began crying again. "Its all my fault."
"No its not. He was doing bad stuff that no one knew about."
"Kooper would never." I was suddenly defensive.
"He did though."
"Your such a liar!" I screamed. "Kooper would never do anything like that!"
Kasey sighed. "Calm down, please, London your scaring me."
I began crying, Kasey came over to the bed and hugged me gently. "Its okay" she said to reassure me. "Everything is going to be okay. I promise"

The next few days were rough. Extremely rough. I stayed at home to recover. But I had to go back to school at some point. I carefully put on a hoodie and some sweatpants. I walked downstairs and found a new phone on the counter. It was from Kasey. I picked it up and logged into all of my social media accounts. 264 new notifications. "43 people tagged you in a post notifications, and more. I used my right hand and brushed my hair. I gathered my books, and began walking to school. I scrolled through the notifications. I clicked on one of the posts.
"@theOGLondon was in the car with Kooper when he died. Is she hiding something?" Another post said, "@theOGLondon possibly hiding info on the crash?"
I gasped. I didn't think people saw me get in the car with Kooper. Why would they think I have something to hide? As I walked into school, everyone stopped talking. They all looked at me. I kept my head down and headed to first period. Olivia put out her hand, and stopped me.
"I saw you get in the car with Kooper." She said.
I didn't answer.
"What are you hiding? What did you do?"
"I didn't do anything!" I yelled.
"Proof says otherwise..." She said plainly.

Part 2?

I'm sorry I took so long to reply! (I forgot to subscribe ) This is ART. I think I might faint without a part two. Your writing, it's just, flawless! I need to know what really happened! Please!

[KingstonDressage]

Entry: Is this the title? Okay. "Ashes to Companionship"
Username: Alyssa Davis
Inspiration (if any): "I Fell in Love with You One Night in September" by Rook1e and "What a Wonderful World" by Kina Grannis and Imaginary Future.
Writing!: pa...ssage. Or is it book?

The world still clung to the sharp chill of winter, on that icy April day.

She made her way up the hill, leading the last horse of the Warrior Eye bloodline behind her. She looked over her shoulder, fighting the urge to cough, her lungs affected by the smoke. The wind bit at the tears running down her face as she watched her city, her kingdom, disappear, swallowed and sunken by flames.

She couldn’t believe their enemies would take it this far. How could they? What human could find it in themselves to take hundreds of thousands of lives, and take away the home of a child at the same time?

Questions flew through her mind. How was she the only one to escape? How was she to continue her life with everything she’d ever known destroyed?

And most importantly, was she still a princess if her kingdom was gone?

The scraggly yearling tromping along through the mud looked nothing like his powerful ancestors. His sire had been a phenomenal warhorse, and his mother had been a strong and intelligent riding horse, favored by the king for hunting parties. Both had sported glossy, dark coats, before they too, had fallen victim to the raging storm of embers and smoke.

This colt, however, seemed incapable of carrying a sack of potatoes. His coat was an odd, dull color, the color of a field after five years without water. He was ragged and unkempt. He was calm, nonetheless, and followed his mistress away towards the next kingdom.

The princess without a throne continued up the hill. Her ankle-high dress was already torn and covered in mud and ash.

Through bush and forest, though meadow and swampland, through sunshine and starlight, the girl and the colt walked. It was evident that both creatures had never been bothered with such a tremendous trek as they were attempting. Both were fatigued and itchy with sweat. The horse had no trouble with the concept of food, but the girl either had to ask of farmer’s wives or attempt to smuggle goods away under her dress.

The people living in this countryside were few and far between, and each observed the young woman and horse with blank expressions.

The princess and colt slept under twinkling stars and a shimmering moon. The country was peaceful and restful at night.

The two had become unlikely friends. The ugly colt and the lost princess were inseparable. Though several people asked to buy the royal horse, their offers were immediately declined. How could she? This little animal remained her comrade, his dancing ears warning her of possible dangers and his soft, furry coat comforting her of the loss of her homeland.

She feared nothing, for what more did she have to lose? The enemy of her kingdom probably assumed she was dead with her family. If they kept to the main road, they had no need to keep watch for hungry beasts. The girl and horse trudged on. Through rain, the two walked, through the aftermath of mud, they continued. They could not give up- the next kingdom was so close.

None of the people they encountered cared about them. They assumed the girl was homeless, and some even went so far as to make the assumption that the colt was stolen.

Now not only was the weather against them, but the eyes of the country-folk were, as well. The princess didn’t try to reveal her identity. Who would believe her? She had nothing to prove who she was, and she doubted anyone would care, even so.

On the eighth night of walking, at last, in the fading pink light of dusk, she saw the neighboring kingdom’s bleached towers soaring in the distance. Friends of her late father. Tears sparked in her eyes, remembering her family. She closed her eyes and clung to her little companion’s mane, burying her face in his matted hair. The colt (whom she’d come to call Des) turned and nuzzled her gently, asking if she had anything good for him to eat before turning and continuing to take deep, steady breaths.

The girl and horse, after so many steps, were finally there.

They finished their seemingly eternal journey under the full moon, embraced by their friends. They were safe at last.

5 years later

The princess without a crown sat upon her shining gold cream stallion, Des. The stallion’s ears flickered back, listening to the marching soldiers behind him. He’d finally become used to the fluttering banners high in the air.

Des led the armor-clad army up the hill that he, as a colt, had followed his fleeing mistress on a long and wearying journey. He of course, did not recall any of the events that had occurred when he was a yearling. But the rider astride his back remembered. She gently guided him towards the ash-ridden remains that had once been her home. The two survivors had returned.

The rows of soldiers came to a halt in front of the great iron gates that were covered with moss. A phoebe landed on a vine and twittered at them. The princess smiled. Before she had even arrived to revive her childhood home, life had already begun.

Note: Of course I'd put a horse in the story. I don't even know if it's good or not, it's what resulted of "I Fell In Love with You One Night in September" by Rook1e. Hope you enjoy. I liked writing it.

Incredible! Lovely story! Your grammar is also on point. ( I'm a grammar FREAK! )

[Alyssa Davis]

Entry: Is this the title? Okay. "Ashes to Companionship"
Username: Alyssa Davis
Inspiration (if any): "I Fell in Love with You One Night in September" by Rook1e and "What a Wonderful World" by Kina Grannis and Imaginary Future.
Writing!: pa...ssage. Or is it book?

Incredible! Lovely story! Your grammar is also on point. ( I'm a grammar FREAK! )

Thanks! I'm also really sensitive about grammar. I appreciate it!

[honeybunny]

Entry: A Refurbished Cowgirl
Username: honeybunny
Inspiration (if any): Not any specific inspo for this story, just a book series I've been working on bit by bit (Both PG and Mature rated versions) but inspo draw from real life and country romance novels. Don't worry there is a TON of horses. Just not yet.

Note: Please ignore grammar mistakes this is a full book (First chapter below) that is currently in first draft and has yet to reach complete editing stages, but I did some clean up on it for submission here.

Writing!:

Randall had been everything a woman would want. He was ridiculously handsome, tall and slim with jet black hair and beautiful blue eyes that could melt even the hardest heart. He'd been my everything, and I'd truly believed we'd last forever. But one tiny slip of paper changed it all. He'd left when it mattered most, left me and our child alone. So I did what I had to do. I packed my few belongings into my rusty old Ford and started off for Wyoming, and hopefully a new life.

I'd been driving for three days, stopping only to sleep at rest stops along the way.
I clutched the steering wheel with one hand, my other hand resting protectively on my belly, I glanced at the map spread beside me on the seat. With any luck we'd reach our destination in about 15 minutes.

I turned my eyes back to the road and patted my belly gently.
"Ok kiddo. We're almost home to the ranch. Now remember, we're just staying with your uncle until I can get a job and I have enough to rent an apartment. Got it?" I smiled as I felt my baby kick against my hand, almost as if protesting the arrangement. I was glad my brother, Jackson, had invited us to come home but I also felt guilty for once again becoming Jackson's problem. You see, Jackson had raised me after our parent's had been killed in a car accident when I was 13 and he was 20. Now I was 23 and he was 30, but as far as he saw it I was still his baby sister he needed to take care of.
I chuckled at the irony, "I guess I still do need his help after all, but I can't stay too long. I'll need a house before the baby is born at least and I definitely want to be supporting myself."

Suddenly there, just off the highway, was the familiar old ranch gate with the arch that said "Rainbow River Ranch" painted in white. I turned off the highway, pulling through the open gates and driving down the narrow winding driveway until we reached the last bend and the house came into view.

It was just as I remembered it, a large sprawling ranch style home painted the most obnoxious shade of azure blue possible surrounded by a short white picket fence and apple trees decorating the yard.
Pulling up to the parking pad I shut off my truck and yawned before slipping down from my truck to stretch. I started to stretch my arms towards the sky but before I could I was suddenly swooped off my feet into a giant bear hug.

"DESI! You're home! Thank God you're safe!" Jackson practically shouted in my ear, squeezing me as hard as he could, before carefully setting me down again and looking me over at arms length.
I smiles happily up at my brother, his short cropped mouse brown hair peeking out from under the familiar sweat stained cowboy hat, his green eyes smiling down at me.
"How was the drive? Any car trouble?" He looked down at me, his expression worried.
"Nope! Everything was pretty smooth and I made good time!" I replied, tapping my old truck's side affectionately.
Jackson smiled and grabbed a couple suitcases from the bed, "Well I'll get these inside while you get your sea legs back. Come on in when you're ready." I nodded and leaned against the bed of my truck, eyes closed, inhaling the sweet ranch air.

"Desi?" A rough, warm voice broke through my bliss. I opened my eyes and nearly froze when I saw who had spoken. Standing before me was a tall, incredibly handsome man. His eyes were a warm, almost golden brown and his dark brown hair curled around his neck and forehead, one loose piece plastered temptingly against his chiseled jaw.
"Jesse!?" I blurted out, a flush coming to my cheeks. But without even asking I knew exactly who he was. Jesse Nash, my brother's best friend and the boy who'd first broke my heart.
Believe me when I say he was one of the last people I had wanted to see on my return to the ranch.

(Part 2 ? Jesse's POV)

[omgisabel]

I was reading Kamichi's post about writing contests and became inspired.

Rules:
-All HWO rules apply
-Can be as short or long as you'd like
-Can be in poetry, passage, book, or haiku form
-For the sake of appropriateness, try not to get too deep into romance
-Be neat, try to correct grammar or format issues. (ex: .i likeh orses . I like horses.) (Commas are my pet peeve)

Entry:
Username: omgisabel
Inspiration (if any): Once I had a boy tell me that I try too hard, that I do everything I can to please him. It was degrading at the time, but the worst part was he wasn’t wrong.
Writing!:

dollface

i have a wooden face- attached to a wooden body decorated with black lace

though once carved from life, life is what it is without. and since i am wood, i am lifeless throughout.

the timber was once ornate with an abundance of leaves, alive and changing with the season’s themes

but soon as seasons change and spring begins to grieve, bitter snow falls and death i shall receive



I will be judging once at least 5 or more people have entered.

The prize is 10k for the #1 entry, and 5k for #2. The rest will recieve 2k for participation, depending on the amount of entries.

Have fun with this. Get creative!

[Phoenix--Rising]

Working on my entry rn!