hi everyone,
it's finally here. i can't express how sorry i am for how long it took me to post this. as i've said a few times, the last few months have been really really difficult and it never felt like a good time to do this because i wanted to be in a good place when i was reading the one shots and announcing the winners, but that never seemed to come around. so today, i am doing it anyway and if some of you can relate, it feels nice to accomplish tasks you've been putting off. i can't imagine how annoying/frustrating this has been from your end and i just want you to know i deeply value and appreciate your effort and the fact that you even entered means a lot.
reading your one shots, reading your notes addressing me, gave me a look into your vision of frank and lolita, and also yourselves. a total of 21 stories were entered, and 2 were deleted (i am so sorry if that was due to my delay in posting the results). each one was a gem. i am eternally grateful to have people like you, hundreds of you, who read this story and felt tethered to lolita and frank and cora and robin and lana and martha and akima, and you don't know this, but it made me feel less alone in my darkest moments. i am tethered to you too, the love you have for this story, and i am so grateful to read your words and to hear that i've inspired anyone at all is mind blowing. and i'm not just talking inspired to write--i'm talking about being inspired to hope for love, in whatever form, being inspired to look at yourself in a loving way, being inspired to speak about your experience with bullying or mental illness.
i also realized i, like, hate picking "winners" and ranking people because no one is better than anyone and i love everyone who participated in this little shenanigan. all your stories touched me, some made me cry, some made me gush, some made me laugh, and so many made me astonished at your talent. hearing about your experiences with abuse at school, seeing fellow people of colour and bengali people connect to the characters and the story, it has meant everything to me.
TO THOSE WHO DIDN'T WIN - please keep writing and sharing your stories, you are incredible in every way and i thank you for everything.
DETAILS ABOUT WINNERS
* since there weren't that many poetry entries, i have decided to look at them all on one scale. i didn't really look at them methodically or check off any particular criteria (exc. word count). i wish i could send all of you presents but i am broke...
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, i am telling you, check out these one shots and other works by these writers. you are truly truly missing out if you don't, i mean that completely. these people have immense talent, emotion, and potential as storytellers.
*・°☆.。.:*・°☆
THIRD PLACE WINNER - tied
"HUMAN" by kathynerd - an absolutely beautiful piece of writing, often abstract, traveling from generation to generation as two souls keep meeting.
"TURNING PAGE" by clqrkskent - i burst into tears the first time i read this one. bittersweet, bright and soft, but hurts like hell if you love frank and lolita together. absolutely worth the pain.
*・°☆.。.:*・°☆
SECOND PLACE WINNER
"THE TRUTH ABOUT CORALINE" by writingthewrong- - a story that touched me deeply and personally. an exploration into cora's mind, her struggle, her history and sexuality in a way that's raw, broken and beautiful. it hits you hard, makes you remember that frank wasn't the only person raised by an alcoholic father. this is cora's story.
*・°☆.。.:*・°☆
FIRST PLACE WINNER
"ZERO HOUR" by girlkind - an incredible, incredible piece of writing, hard to believe someone could put so much emotion and gut into something that's only a few thousand words long. feels like a whole story, characters are fleshed out so beautifully just within a few words, an absolute pleasure to read. a look into almost every character in tmol in a "before, during, and after" format.
*・°☆.。.:*・°☆
HONORABLE MENTIONS (IT WAS SO CLOSE I HATED DECIDING I LOVE YOU ALL)
(Aptly named) "TMOL ONE SHOT" by hopscotchgames
"FRANK-MENTARY MEMORIES" by chokehold
"REVERIE" by _heyorhi
"WHEN BATMAN MET SUPERMAN" by littledreamer786
please check out everyone mentioned above, as well as the stories of (i definitely will be):
moaningcaylen (really cool concept for their entry!)
last few thoughts: it has truly truly been an honour reading these beautiful works. i am honestly inspired by your writing, especially those of you who wrote from the perspective of the "side" characters. i wrote this story when i was 16 and focused on the central two characters most of all, and antagonized robin and lana and talia as they represented my own demons. however, as i grow i realize this story has become something bigger, and i owe it to all characters to write something three dimensional, solid, into people you can touch. i have learned a lot from this competition and most of all, i have learned how INCREDIBLY talented you all are, how your stories deserve recognition and love.
over the next few days i will sort out everyone's prizes and dm you all. some of you, if you are comfortable, will need to give me an address and depending on expenses and distance i may be able to mail you the poems/letters i will write you, as well as the first place winner's little gift from me! be sure to check out the one shot competition page again and refresh your mind on the details. hopefully i'm not missing anything or anyone.
special shout out to writingthewrong- for showing me so much kindness and helping out so much without asking, she actually messaged everyone and got people to update their entries with missing info and everything it was so so sweet!
again, thank you all for your love.
YOU ARE READING
The Misfortunes of Lolita
Teen FictionA/N: This is an unedited, significantly different version of the soon to be published novel by losangelesque aka L. Akhter. This draft was written when I was 15-18 years old and I highly encourage new readers to read the published version instead. F...
