Tall tales and happy endings

Today, The Moorpark Acorn reveals the winners of its inaugural fiction contest.

More than 20 entries were mailed or e-mailed to The Moorpark Acorn. Many authors evidently took a hint from the contest announcement's advisory: "Make it sci-fi, drama, adventure, romance," as most of the stories fell into distinct categories: extraterrestrials, death, loss, old age and transcendent love. Other popular themes were murder, dogs and food ("If I could change one thing, I'd rid the world of bad food").

In the adult division, Amul Pandya, 26, took first place with his story of an unexpected discovery with a heartwarming twist. He told his story in exactly 100 words, the maximum allowed.

Jasmine Sankaran, 13, took first place in the 18 and under category. Jasmine's piece featured imaginative simile, action and adventure, and was an instant favorite of the judges.

The judges would like to encourage all the contest participants to continue their writing endeavors, polishing and crafting their work.

The persistent writer can find any number of publishing opportunties. Local writers' clubs offer occasional contests.

Students in the local schools can ask their teachers to provide them with more creative writing opportunities. High school pupils can join together to create a campus newspaper. The city library could provide a venue for local scribes to present their material to the public, either through a publication or readings. Writer's Digest magazine provides tips and publishing outlets for authors ready to share their work with the world.

As for this contest, stories by Pandya and Sankaran won. Now the pleasure of reading goes to you, our readers.

The stories and author bios are featured on page 23.