An update from our thirty-seventh Writing Workshop A summary of the workshop held on Saturday March 20, plus some of the output published below This week Stone Soup Contributor Madeline Kline, 13, led a workshop on antiheroes in which she taught us that antiheroes are captivating because of the relatability of their flaws. To begin the workshop, we discussed the qualities that distinguish an antihero from a hero, such as honesty vs. dishonesty, bravery vs. cowardice, and integrity vs. selfishness. We learned that the difference between an antihero and an antagonist is that an antihero is a flawed protagonist with good intentions, whereas an antagonist is a character who stands in the way of the protagonist, often using the worst qualities of the antihero against them. We also learned about various categorizations and examples of antiheroes, such as antiheroes who become heroes (Phil Conners from the movie Groundhog Day), antiheroes who become villains (Coriolanus Snow from the prequel novel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes), tragic heroes (Othello), and comic heroes (Greg from Diary of a Wimpy Kid). When Madeline finished her lecture, the students set to work on creating some of the inspired writing you can find below. The Challenge: Create a character who is one of the types (comic, tragic, becomes a hero, becomes a villain) of antiheroes we discussed. The character can also be an antagonist. The Participants: Ismini, Hera, Rachael, Leo, Olivia Z, Reese, Sophia, Lindsay, Pranjoli, Anya, Eve, Sadie, Peri, Helen, Julia, Lucy R, Sierra, Liam, Anna, Sage, Simran, Lina, Elbert, Madeline S, Margaret, Alice, EMi, Yasmine, Olivia S, Emma B, Jonathan, Charlotte K, Ava, Samantha, Nami, Kaidyn, Angela, Michele, Charlotte, Enni, Noa, Dora, Nova, and Grace Z. Peri Gordon, 11Sherman Oaks, CA Wicked Moods Peri Gordon, 11 “You already got your prize, Miss Aler.” “Did not, I put it back because…the bag was stained,” I lie. “Come on, I need another one.” The lady handing out the betting prizes gives me a suspicious glance but hands me the sack of gold anyway. “I didn’t see you put it back, Samantha,” she says warily. I roll my eyes at her, snatch the bag, and say, “Thanks for doing your job.” When I was born into the kingdom of Darlaway, I didn’t take long to start talking, and my first word was, “fight.” I fight to get what I want every day, and if I have to fib a bit in the process, so much the better. If everyone else is weak because they don’t know how to fight back, I hope, for their sake, that they get that straightened out. I hide my second load of gold with the first one in my little stash, which is hidden in a bush outside my house. The bush, a rich green color that matches Darlaway’s flag, is thick enough to hide the hoard so it won’t be found by a nosy parent. Soon, though, I hope to need a bigger bush. Inside, my sister is bawling, as usual. I want to cover my ears, tell her what a bother she is, and go to my room, but then Mom will know I’m in one of my “wicked moods,” as she calls them. I tried to explain to her once that sometimes I feel like fighting and will take it out on just about anyone. She told me to control my hostility. Mom and I are very different. Well, I get punished when I’m in a “wicked mood.” That’s why I bend down and stroke my sister’s soft hair. There’s a part of me that loves my sister and wants to keep her safe, and there’s another part of me that wants to teach my sister to be like me (which won’t exactly keep her safe), and there’s one last part of me that hates the little crybaby. I can feel all three at the same time, but for all Mom knows, I can only feel one at a time, so I make her think it was the first. I think it worked—Mom gives me a proud grin, and even my sister’s tears stop for a second. Enni Harlan, 14Los Angeles, CA The Finish Line Enni Harlan, 14 Dad always parked his car way on the other side of the street, past the black asphalt and closer to the row of violet flowers that dotted a neighbor’s fence—an unlucky neighbor, probably, to have only been able to snag a home right next to the busiest street in the neighborhood. The one that loops past that old bus stop stained with graffiti and under the bridge with the train Mom never lets me take. It’s unsafe, she always says. Too many people. Too many bad people. Did you know, there was a kid who went missing on Friday? Did you know that on Thursday there was a shooting across the street, right at Target? That Target? Yes, that Target. The one I bought glue from last Tuesday? Yes. Last Tuesday. That Target. It’s not safe enough, Aila. It’s not safe enough. Everything’s unsafe to my parents. I think it’s stupid. I wish they’d stop lecturing me about safety—what do they think I’m going to do, start talking to strangers? I take the bus now, anyway. It’s not like I have another choice. But there was a time where we didn’t take the bus. There was a time—okay, I’ll stop talking like I’ve been around since the ‘30s. This was six years ago. I was seven—or maybe six. I don’t remember at this point. My brother Max and I always raced to the car to see who’d get there first. He’d take one path, I’d take the other, and we’d meet up, panting, by the pot of purple flowers. Then, sometimes in the winter, the car window would be all fogged up; back then, I used to think fairies brought the dew overnight. And usually it’d clear up by noon. When I got to the car first, I’d squeak my
Stone Soup Magazine for young readers, writers, and artists
The Gone Series, Reviewed by Sita, 12
The Gone series by Michael Grant was a very gripping, fun, and entertaining read, and despite it not being for the faint of heart, I would recommend it to just about anyone—which is why I find it so odd that the protagonists are not the characters that make it so riveting, but rather the villainous antihero, Diana Ladris. First off, the premise of the first book in the series, titled Gone: Sam Temple’s world is altered forever when everyone over the age of fifteen in his town, Perdido Beach, disappears. Soon, though, things start getting very weird: some animals in Perdido Beach are adapting unexpectedly: snakes have wings, coyotes are intelligent, etc., and some, although not most, of the kids inside Perdido Beach are changing, too, getting powers only seen in comic books. The protagonists (the good guys) are Sam Temple, his crush, Astrid Ellison, Sam’s best friend Quinn, and a boy named Edilio, who Sam quickly makes friends with in this strange, strange world. And as the book progresses, the bad guys, or at least the guys that make a few of the good guys suspicious, come to light: Caine Soren and his schoolmate, Diana Ladris. Throughout the series, the good guys are portrayed very clearly as good people, nearly flawless, while the bad guys are horrible people, with few redeeming qualities. One of the greatest changes that the children of Perdido Beach face are the rising tensions between those who have powers, called the “freaks,” and those who do not, called the “normals,” and because of this conflict, it seems to carry a certain similarity to the X-Men, especially since the good guys, like Professor X, believe in peace between freaks and normals, while the bad guys, like Magneto, believe that freaks are superior. And so the Gone series can be explained as like the X-Men, but with a more clear line between good and evil, right and wrong. While you can be sympathetic towards Magneto, it is nearly impossible to be sympathetic towards Caine, and while some of Professor X’s actions, and many of Wolverine’s, can be questionable, the way in which the Gone series is written makes it very clear that Sam and Astrid are unquestionably moral and good. A unique exception to this rule is Diana Ladris, who works with Caine as a “bad guy.” But as the series develops, it becomes clear that she struggles with the moral implications of some of her more questionable actions, and that although she acts evil, she would very much like to be good, if only she could be. She feels guilty for her actions, and makes sure Caine doesn’t go too far out of line with his agenda. This makes her an incredibly interesting character, and, at least for me, is one of the best things about reading Gone, as she mixes evil actions with good intentions, or instead a very ‘do what needs to be done’ mindset. Diana Ladris is Gone’s strongest link and one of the most enjoyable characters, full of sarcasm, wit, and an incredibly ambiguous moral compass. Fans of the X-Men, Stephen King, and/or the book Lord Of The Flies will love the Gone series, but most of all, they will love Diana. Gone by Michael Grant. Katherine Tegen Books, 2014. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process!
Book-Writing Contest 2021
Get your book published by Stone Soup! Stone Soup is thrilled to announce that we are accepting submissions for our annual book contest. This year, we plan to accept two books for publication–one novel or short story collection and one book of poems. However, we do consider all submissions for potential publication. Contest Details Genre: Fiction (novel, novella, short story collection) or Poetry. Length: For fiction submissions, the minimum length is 20,000 words. For poetry submissions, the minimum length is 40 pages. There is no maximum word or page limit. Age Limit: For this contest, we will accept manuscripts written by those age 14 or under. Deadline: Monday August 16, 2021 11:59 p.m. (Pacific Time). Entry fee: $15.00. Submissions of multiple manuscripts by the same author are accepted but you must submit each as an individual entry and pay the fee each time. Results and Prizes: We will select two winning manuscripts—one in fiction and one in poetry—to be published and distributed by Stone Soup in both print and ebook forms, available for sale on Amazon, in the Stone Soup store, via our distributors, and advertised along with the rest of our books to libraries and other vendors. We will also name a handful of finalists. Publication: We will consider all submitted work as part of the contest for potential publication in the magazine or as standalone volumes. Previous Submissions: If you submitted to last year’s contest, and have substantially revised your manuscript in the meantime, you are welcome to resubmit it this year. Submission Fee: The submission fee is important to us; it helps us defray the costs of the contest and of producing and publishing the two winning books. However, if the submission fee represents a financial hardship to your family, please write to editor@stonesoup.com. Submissions: All entries must be sent to us before the closing date via our Submittable portal, here. Questions? Please visit the Book Contest FAQ here. If you question isn’t answered there, you may post it to this page and we’ll get you an answer as soon as we can! We reserve the right to select no winners in a given year.
