Our first writing challenge is in the books, and I’m sitting at my desk feeling grateful, inspired, and excited. We asked for work along the theme of “Monsters We Made”—that is, the monsters of our own making and how they haunt us today. It was a pleasure to see how writers explored these themes across different genres and forms; flash fiction, poetry, and microessays were all represented, from writers who answered the call to lean into the headlines, not away from them.
This project is very personal to me. When I joined Glossy Planet, I wanted to create a space where writers could feel compelled to turn their doomscrolling fixations into art—something that grounded me back in 2020 when the world stopped, and again this year, as every “Breaking News” headline feels like another step closer into chaos. It was validating to see just how many writers across the globe stepped up to the challenge with gusto. Submitting your work is a radical act. It’s a choice to share something carved from a piece of yourself, to put your voice into the world and trust that someone is listening. I can’t thank our submitters enough for trusting us with their writing.
Several writers noted in their cover letters that they came out of a hiatus to write and submit their work, which, wow—what an absolute honor. As someone who was once in a seven-year writing hiatus, coming out of that space and putting pen back to paper is difficult as hell, and I’m deeply moved to know that our little lit mag’s writing challenge helped ignite that spark.
Here are some quick notes:
- We received submissions from every continent with the exception of Antarctica.
- Some of the recurring themes included smartphone addiction, racism, overconsumption, fascism, and hubris.
- Our reading period continues through Oct. 25, and we’ll begin sending notifications soon after.
- We will publish a shortlist to recognize the titles of pieces that lingered with us.
- Our third, second, and first place winners will be announced the final week of November and published on our website.
I also wanted to share some comments from our stellar reading team:
“The quality of writing and complexity of ideas in the submissions was astonishing. It made decisions difficult but in the best possible way. My tip to future submitters would be ‘read the guidelines carefully and consider how your piece answers the prompt,’ because you don’t want to disqualify yourself by sending work that’s off-topic.” – K Roberts
“We had a lot of really creative, passionate, and sometimes shocking submissions! Some of the most impactful pieces stayed with me because of their in-depth specificity. If you want to write about something big, go small. Big themes, like racism, climate change, and mental illness management, become more relevant when we focus on intimate details and their impact. The stories where something specific happened to the characters, or poems that highlighted a singular theme and its influence, made me look at my own feelings as they relate to these issues. Those are the pieces that moved me!” – Ashley Huyge
“Given the state of our world, created by the monsters we have made, I was expecting to read many bleak pieces. I was pleasantly surprised, however, to see how many people used dark humor to tackle some of the serious issues that plague our society. During dark times, it can be cathartic to find humor in our situation and remind ourselves to laugh, especially when that becomes increasingly difficult. It was fun to witness how writers were able to tackle important issues in a playful way.” – Teagan Summers
“I am so impressed and excited by the submissions I have read. In such a strange time, it’s so comforting to find community in writing about the monsters that we’ve made. I can’t wait for next month’s writing challenge.” – Ashley Anderson
“My number one tip for writers would be to really identify what makes their vision, and by extension their writing, unique. I read multiple submissions about social media/scrolling and many of them used surprisingly similar metaphors, details, and/or format. Lean in to what is weird or different about how you experience or interpret or think about a subject. It’s noticeable when you do! Also, if the piece isn’t on theme, we will notice. We are generous with interpretation but theme matters. Don’t forget that.” – Melissa Witcher
“This month’s submissions were diverse, personal, profound, and unapologetic in their reflection of the context and chaos we’re currently living through. I found the most exciting pieces to be those that embodied the messiness of humanity and the multiplicity of the modern world—writers that found poetry in everyday darkness and challenged oppressive powers through humour, experimentation, and lyricism. The submissions I passed on tended to lack specificity, they either spoke to an experience in a way that felt overly familiar or tried to speak to too much without digging into any topic deeply enough for me to connect with.” – Hayley Clin
Our next challenge opens November 1, and you can add it to your calendar now.
Until then, happy writing!
Rebecca Paredes
Editor, Glossy Planet
