Patting Myself on the Back

Being proud and happy that something I started in our writing group continues on 9 years later!

Photo by Julia Taubitz on Unsplash

I’m still on the mailing list for my Texas writing group, Keller Writer’s Association, even though I’m now far away and unable to attend the monthly meetings. And when I got the newsletter for January from the new incoming president, I have to admit that I ended up doing a proud little happy dance around the office.

And I had a huge smile on my face for the rest of the afternoon.

I was thrilled to see that something I brought to the group in 2018 is continuing on, nine years later! It’s a monthly 53-word story contest that I borrowed from an online publication.

I’m trying not to dislocate my shoulder as I’m busy patting myself on the back. But seeing that this tradition continues on for another year filled my heart with joy. The old cliché ‘pleased as punch’ — yep, it applies to me here.

Back in 2018, I was the new incoming president for the year and …

You know, instead of explaining it all, I’ll share what I wrote about it at the end of 2019, for our annual anthology. This was reprinted again in the 2024 anthology.

Author image

Here’s what I wrote:

Is it even possible? Can you write a story in 53-words? Prime Number Magazine, from Press 53, proved that it can be done. Their monthly 53-word story contest premiered in 2010, and each month they’re still inundated with entries.

I discovered the monthly contest, written to specific prompts, in 2017. I’ve submitted sever entries, but haven’t won. The competition is fierce. Yet, I continue submitting for two reasons.

First, it’s fun. It’s quick and easy. For a few days, I muse over the prompt and get an idea of where I want to go with my short (short) story. Once I sit down to write and edit, I’m generally done in less than an hour. Most of the time goes to the editing process, because my first draft is typically way over the word count. Then I end up within a word or two, so I need a little more tweaking to gt it to the exact number of 53-words. But in that little bit of time, I have a finished product. I send something off and feel good about accomplishing a writing goal. One item checked off, as opposed to the current book in progress which is taking onths…and months…and sometimes years to complete.

Second, what this contest revealed is that writing short requires different skills. I can’t use 300 words to paint the scene. I can’t use meandering dialog to help make a point. In writing, every word counts, but especially in this brief snippet. Tighten, tighten, tighten. This is a good practice technique for a skilled I needed to fortify.

When I became president of Keller Writer’s Association in 2018, I was thinking about some ideas to bring to the group. I wanted to encourage regular writing. I wanted to have an activity that could enhance our writing techniques. I wanted something that the group could work on individually, yet work towards a common purpose. I thought that the 53-word story idea might be something the group would enjoy. When proposed at the first meeting, everyone seemed enthusiastic about it and thus began our foray into our own monthly writing contest.

Participation is optional. Some months we have two entries. Some months almost everyone present has something to share. Many members, being the human creatures that we are, compose their little tale within the last 48-hours before the meeting. Amazingly, some of the winning pieces were written the night before or even the morning of our meeting.

It’s been fun to see where the word prompt leads us. While occasionally some accounts head towards a similar destination, most often we’re all amazed at the diversity our creations display. We’ve delved into the past, been taken to the future, seen mother deer’s caring for their young, been taken for a stroll through lands far away. We’ve laughed at some and were brought near tears by others. As the end of our second year of the 53-word stories draws to a close, we feel like we’ve flexed a writing muscle — we’ve dabbled with a technique that strengthened our craft, but more importantly, we’ve gotten closer to each other through this process.

The 53-word contest that I submitted many pieces to (thought never accepted …sigh.) still continues on. There’s no payment for the winners, but you get published in their monthly publication and get a free book.

Here’s the information if you’d like to check it out and give it a shot yourself.

Our FREE Monthly 53-Word Story Contest

It’s free, it’s fun; the winner gets published in Prime Number Magazine and receives a free book from Press 53. Be sure to subscribe to our email updates for free. You’ll receive an email on the first day of each month with our winning story and the prompt for our next contest.

Open to writers around the world who write in English

Congratulations to Our Winner for December 2025

Last month we received 440 53-word stories from writers around the world!

[embed]53-Word Story Contest - Press 53 Our Prompt for January: By the modern definition, a single horse can produce roughly seven horsepower on a sustained…www.press53.com