Under Purple Clouds Challenge Winners

Magical realism seems to be where so many of our writers shine. And it's no surprise why. A great writing prompt gives writers the ability to use their imagination while keeping the writing grounded. Magical realism is so special because it lets us exist in both the magical realm and the real world. We have the weighty comfort of reality to help define our story while exploring the freedom that magic offers.

And then there's the aspect of writing a first chapter. They say that writing the middle of a book is the most difficult part, which usually means writing a first chapter is somewhat of a simpler task, though, we all know how difficult writing can be no matter where you are in a story. Still, there's something about a first chapter and all of the potential it holds that allows us to really pour our hearts into it. We're not yet afraid of running out of ideas, we're not slogging along, trying to come up with the next scene. With first chapters we're fresh, excited, able to put that electric feeling of creation down with a vague, thrilling knowledge that the story will continue, somehow, but that's not our concern, not right now. For now, it's about building a world, introducing characters, setting the stage for what will come. How deliciously fun it is!

Here are the winners of the Under Purple Clouds Challenge. You can check out the full list of winners HERE.

$1,000 Grand Prize Winner

R. J. Rani for Muriel's Second Hand Book Emporium

Heavy leather and cloth bound volumes with thick, cracked spines stood in an array of faded colors. The shelves were older too, and they leaned against each other as though they were whispering secrets from the pages they carried.

There are certain writers who dose us with a potion the moment we start reading their words. We were immediately drawn into R. J. Rani's world, Auntie Muriel's world, Eva's new world. Bookstores and libraries are magical on their own but imbue them with some actual magic and, well, we've all seen The Pagemaster (right? right?!). From the title to the swirling, curling, beautifully render sentences, there's just something right about this story. Its premise is good, strong, filled with promise, but it's the writing itself that really takes center stage. Sentences are often short, declarative, yet filled with mystique. The real and the magical are intertwined deftly, no explanation needed, this is simply the world we are in. There's a fine mist that exists over this entire chapter, friendly shadows, scary dreams, kindly Samara (or is she?) with some...thing looming on the horizon. Possibilities, as many as books in her new shop. That's what kept us reading. The ability to create a believable, lovable world so quickly with the slightest threads of tension tinkling like spider's webs. That ominous feeling clouded out (for now) by the fun of discovery.

We loved this opening chapter and simply can't wait to see what comes next. Congratulations, R. J. Rani!

$250 Second Place Winner

Sonia Heidi Unruh for Ana's Home

“I think,” Julia said after a time, “you have lost something really important to you, and you can’t let out how you feel about it.” She paused, giving her words room to breathe. “I think you want to remember what it’s like to really belong. I think you want to be somewhere that feels like home.”

And here, in second place, a more serious take on the prompt. Ana is in a home for girls with nowhere else to go, left without a note, without anyone to speak for her. And she engages in some odd behavior. Nothing sinister, nothing dangerous, but she won't speak, she won't divulge. She will draw, though, at night, at midnight, black suns. She will take in the world through her quiet eyes and in return give back a nightly picture. Is she drawing something she has seen before? Is she giving us a premonition? And, of course, Julia, new to the home, a perfect literary receptacle for this odd child. Not yet jaded by the daily rigors of managing so many parentless girls, she is still keen to see, to help, to love. She is ready to take Ana's word, to take Ana's ride...

We've written before (even in this post!) that tension is what keeps us turning pages. This story had a low thrum of tension throughout. It was subtle and quiet, so that when the last moments of the chapter hit, we were all in, ready to burst into the next part of this story. That's skilled writing. That's great magical realism. Congratulations, Sonia Heidi Unruh!

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