Cheryl King Writes Things
My new coloring books feature 50 unique designs created for teachers, dyslexics, writers, book lovers, and introverts. They are all available on Amazon, or from right here on my website (in the Books section).
“I don’t need an alarm clock. My ideas wake me.” — Ray Bradbury
My Works in Progress
Middle Grade Fiction
This was a story I started writing about 20 years ago after being inspired by the first Harry Potter. Then I hit a wall made solidly of writer’s block. Now that I’m revisiting it so many years later, it could use some updating.
Nonfiction
I am working on a book for reading teachers that will contain charts and forms for all things progress monitoring and tracking reading data. Hopefully a very useful resource for reading specialists, interventionists, dyslexia specialists, and teachers.
YA/
Dystopian Fiction
I’m brainstorming and outlining for a new project! It’s kind of dystopian/time travel, and I’m so excited about it that I’ve decided to draft at least 50,000 500 words of it during the month of November for NaNoWriMo23.
You can read about it here.
Other Projects
The Writer’s Games 2024:
From The Writer’s Workout
The Writer’s Games have ended. Here’s what I did:
Results: Event 1 — fourth place for “Thirty-seven Minutes of Joy”
Event 2 — no placement for “Unlikely Heroes”
Event 3 — Oops. I missed the submission window for this one.
I couldn’t find inspiration.
Event 4 — I turned something in for this event, but it did not place.
Event 5 — I ran out of spoons and didn’t submit a story for this event.
NYCMidnight:
Flash Fiction Challenge
Round 1: I had to write a 1,000-word political satire taking place in a retirement home
and including the object a coupon. Y’all, this one was so much fun to write!
Results: My story, “Woke Women of Wickisham Way,” got 6th place, which is a great showing.
Round 2: I had to write a 1,000-word ghost story taking place in a berry patch and including the object a shawl.
Results: Sept. 11
500-Word Micro Challenge
Round 1: I finally got historical fiction as my genre, and I went back to 1800s Hawaii.
Results: No love for this story.
Summer Nanofiction Battle
I submitted a 250-word sci-fi western!
Results: My story, “High Moon,” got an honorable mention but did not advance to the Final Showdown.
Writers Weekly 24-Hour Short Story Contest
I submitted a 900-word story about an unexpected find with devastating effects.
Results: My story didn’t place.
In the most recent competition, I had to write a 500-word story
including the word table and someone stealing something,
and I had to break the “avoid purple prose” rule.
Results: No love for my story.
So excited about this one! I wrote a 3,000-word drama that I can’t wait to share.
Results: End of October
150-word Contest
I had to write in the “weird fiction” realm, which I’ve never done before.
Results: October 10
Submitted my 42-word story with a 42-character title and a 42-word bio for publication.
Accepted for publication! It will be included in the horror category.
Check out updates on the book’s progress here: https://www.facebook.com/42stories/
Furious Fiction:
500-word challenges on the first Friday of every month, and it’s free to enter.
Press 53:
53-word story challenges every month, free to enter.
“Literature is strewn with the wreckage of men who have minded beyond reason the opinions of others.”
Virginia Woolf
Why is everyone so fragile?