June 2026 …
I recently started participating in NYC Midnight short story competitions. This is a range of competitions spanning 100 word micro-fiction stories; 500-word ‘Flash Fiction’ stories; to more traditional short stories. My primary reason for participating was that everyone who submits a story receives written feedback from at least three judges.
The unique constraints of this competition are threefold: a specified word, a specified action, and a specified genre – additional to the word limit and the time constraint of just 48 hours to write and submit a piece. The most daunting part was that the specified genre could be anything from romance, comedy or crime, through to ghost, horror, or sci-fi. I had no choice as to which genre I must write in! Those in the top ten of each group progress to the next level and receive new constraints for a new story.
After registering for the 250 word micro-fiction competition, but before its rules were assigned, I reflected on what I might write for all of the possible genres. The NYC Midnight website included broad descriptions about the features of each genre, as well as a vast catalogue of past submissions appearing in various forums and archives. The samples were not always those judged as the best, but at least they gave a flavour of what was expected.
As I researched these styles I came to realise that the structures of each story had a commonality. Every story needed to establish a setting, include an inciting incident, reach a climax, and have some form of resolution. Above all, the reactions of the characters had to be plausible and the story needed to be clear – all in 250 words.
I had never (intentionally) written a horror or a ghost story, so my challenge was to quickly understand the tropes. The genre assigned to me for the first 250 word competition was ‘comedy’. I often write humorous pieces, so this was not too daunting and I progressed to the second round.* The next genre assigned was ‘horror’. I submitted a story, but it was not sufficient to allow me to progress further. However, the feedback I received revealed that the issue was not that I had failed to employ horror tropes, but rather that creative writing fundamentals were not balanced: the story point of view, authentic feelings and reactions of the characters, the climax of the story, and an interesting arc – in 250 words. This feedback was like gold to me; a moment of epiphany.
Another genre I have recently been exploring is that of theatrical plays and, in particular, musicals. My talented wife, Monique Lisbon, has a vast catalogue of songs she has written and recorded over many years. For more than 20 years, she has collaborated with well-known producer Adrian Hannan of The SongStore. He has encouraged her to sing and write in a wide range of styles (or song genres); from her favoured piano ballads, to light jazz and rock… even rap, dance, and country & western! The result is a rich demonstration of her songwriting talents.
Early in our relationship, Monique shared her dream of having her songs featured in a stage musical.
So I wrote one.
While I’ve never written a musical before, I recognised that, like all genres, musical theatre has its tropes and common storytelling elements. Having Monique’s entire catalogue available removed a common challenge with musicals – the need to generate interesting songs to fit the story. Rather, my challenge was to write a story to fit a selection of songs. I was mindful that there also needed to be song variety – in tempo, lyrics and style, so that the audience does not get bored. A familiar constraint is writing dialogue with an economy of words to move the story forward. Above all, the whole story need to be performed within a maximum time period of two hours, including songs!
We have titled our completed script and collection of songs, After All. Monique has set up a simple website, and samples of the material are available through the website upon request. We have shared the script with some trusted friends, many of whom work in the theatrical or performing arts space, and the response has been very positive. We are under no illusion that the effort to get it performed on-stage will be easy, but we are forging ahead. (Watch this space!)
Writing a script for a musical was more than rising to the challenge of getting Monique’s songs on-stage. I saw it as an opportunity to write outside my comfort zone; to engage in an unfamiliar genre. Being prepared to write in unfamiliar styles encourages you to work hard to understand the essence of the story and the characters. If they are plausible, then the story will be engaging – no matter the genre.
* Footnote from David’s wife, Monique:
David is understating his achievement here. He came in the top 5% of nearly 3,300 entries!