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A Review of "Winston the Wing Dog" by the judges
The fact that Zoe initially misunderstood the instructions for this contest, wrote two stories that were not eligible, and then wrote another story in only two weeks time deserves an award alone. And she wrote the best story out of all the contest entries we received!
As the judges were making their way through the list of entries, it was clear pretty quickly which story was going to be the winner. Everyone loved "Winston the Wing Dog". It ticked all the boxes for the S.P.A.T. Contest.
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"Are you sure this is the right number?"
The most important thing we looked for in the contest entries was that the author used the right format, and Zoe did this perfectly. Throughout the entire story, the two main characters, Neil and Connor, used three methods of communication: texts, phone calls, and speaking through a closed door.
Because the characters were unable to see each other, the emphasis of the scenes was put entirely on the words they used, making it the perfect dialogue story. Zoe used descriptions only when necessary to enforce this.
More importantly, it was easy to read! One character was on the left, the other on the right, and when they spoke out loud, she used quotation marks to remind the reader of that fact. There was never a moment when we were confused about who was speaking.
"Neil sent 23 photos."
"Connor sent 3 images."
The characters' voices were incredibly distinct and consistent throughout the entire story, bolstered by little touches like how many dog pictures they sent. Neil's texts were long-winded and included a healthy sprinkling of emojis throughout. Connor's responses tended to be short and to the point. Even without the text alignment, there would be no question about which character was speaking.
Phone calls were similarly formatted. Neil word vomits, Connor is the strong almost-silent type. In fact, if you were to do a word count side by side, we would not be surprised if the balance was 2:1 (or higher), and yet somehow both Neil and Connor feel fully developed.
All of Zoe's stylistic choices served to build two solidly constructed characters with unique voices. Neil comes off as bubbly, enthusiastic, and talkative. Connor feels very grumpy, reticent, and straightforward. Their personalities were so consistent, the judges' impressions of them all aligned.
"I left a surprise at your door."
The writers were given a list of eight prompts to use as inspiration. Although only required to choose one prompt, Zoe utilized two and did so seamlessly. She naturally intertwined the ideas, starting with one and introducing the other a bit later in the story.
We will not discuss which prompts were used in order to avoid spoilers, but rest assured: the climax of the story included a satisfying resolution to both plot lines, and we feel confident readers will agree.
"You should totally read it!"
The best thing about this story is how well it encompassed the feeling of the Literary Lounge as a whole. The heart of the story was about connection and specifically involved bonding over literature. (Okay, also a cute dog.) Neil shared his favorite book series with Connor, and this became a crucial part of the plot line. Neil's enthusiasm for his favorite author was palpable, and Connor could not help getting swept up in it. If this doesn't capture the zeitgeist of LL, we don't know what does.
We were all left wanting more. Zoe followed the guidelines as required, so this is by no means criticism, but yeah, we would have liked to see the characters meet face to face.
