Natalie Writes On…

Four times a year, the Twisted Tournament challenges writers to write three stories over six days in three rounds. Round 1: writers have 72 hours to write a 500-word story based on prompts. Round 2: begins immediately when Round 1 ends, writers have 48 hours to write a 250-word story based on new prompts. Round 3: begins immediately when Round 2 ends, writers have 24 hours to write a 100-word story based on new prompts. Writers are placed in two groups – you compete against writers in your group and judge the stories from the other group.

The Rhyming Story Challenge is a creative writing competition open to writers worldwide. NYCM defines a “rhyming story” as a rhyming poem with a plot, or simply, a story that rhymes. There are three rounds, with new prompts delivered and a new story needing to be written for each round. Only the top stories from each round progress,

Natalie’s 400-word rhyming story, The Witch in the Wood, placed 8th in the final round! 1,597 authors entered the contest, 432 made the second round, and 56 made the final round.

Four times a year, the Not Quite Write Prize for Flash Fiction challenges writers to break the writing “rules”. Participants have 60 hours to write up to 500 words in response to 2 prompts and 1 anti-prompt.

Natalie’s micro-flash fiction story Laughter is the Sixth Stage of Grief was longlisted in the April 2025 round. 40 stories out of the 307 submitted were longlisted.

For the November 2025 Tournament, in the Cherryhoof’s Cavalry (Group 2 – 174 entrants) Natalie’s finishes were:

Round 1: 6th Place | Round 2: 1st Place | Round 3: 26th Place

Overall: 4th Place

For the August 2025 Tournament, in the Snagglefang Horde (Group 1 – 185 entrants) Natalie’s finishes were:

Round 1: 14th Place | Round 2: 15th Place | Round 3: 13th Place

Overall: 5th Place

Twisted Teams offers the perfect balance between individual creativity and collaborative success. Each writer crafts their own unique story (1000 words) based on specific prompts. Their teams assist in beta reading and polishing. Individual prizes are awarded for the best stories, and teammates earn prizes if someone on their team places.