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In this monthly newsletter, we share tips for our writers, as well as any important news or updates, and announce the winner(s) of the previous month's contest for the best overall story of the month.
Helpful resources:
We collect all of our important tips for success in the community in our Treasure Trove of Tips, Reminders and Guidelines. If you're looking for writing tips and help with improving your writing craft, be sure to check out our catalog of fiction writing tips.
Topics in this newsletter:
- Topic of the Month: "Show, Don't Tell"
- Winner(s) from the June Contest!
- July Contest
- Find Us on Discord
- Delegate to The Ink Well / Follow Our Curation Trail
Topic of the Month: "Show, Don't Tell"
The "show, don't tell" advice is something you will hear in writing classes and writing communities wherever you go in the world. And writers the world over attempt to master this skill. It's not easy! But it is a very worthy pursuit.
The reason it is worth your time to build this skill is because it will immediately and dramatically improve your writing.
This is because instead of telling the reader what your character feels, you show the reader — kind of the way a movie shows the experiences and emotions of the characters. And we all know how immersive a movie can be.
Here is an example of the difference between telling and showing when writing about characters and their experiences.
Telling:
Cheryl felt sad. She had been very sad since the day her boyfriend broke up with her, and all she wanted to do was cry.
Showing:
Cheryl studied herself in the mirror, at the listless eyes that looked back at her as if searching for answers. She applied lip gloss and remembered with a pang the feeling of Jared's kiss. Two whole months had passed, yet the memory of their breakup was like a big gray storm cloud, forever hovering over her.
Notice how the "showing" version provides details that illustrate her sadness instead of just telling the reader about it. This helps readers to better see and experience what she feels.
For more information, see our Show, Don't Tell article in the Catalog of Storytelling Tips.
We hope this is helpful!
As always, if you have questions, please visit the "ask-theinkwell" channel in our Discord server. But note that we do not tolerate pleading or arguing with our admins.
Winner(s) from the June 2025 Contest!
Thank you to everyone who participated in our June fiction contest by writing stories for our fiction prompts throughout the month. If you submitted a story for any of our weekly fiction prompts, you were automatically entered into the monthly contest.
In addition to our winner of the month, we have selected several honorable mentions.
Our Winner!
Our top story of the month for June, 2025, winning a prize of 20 Hive is....
@litguru, with his story, The Night Market.
Curator's notes:
This is a story in itself, but I do believe it could be developed into an incredible novel. For a short story, he hints at things that aren't fully revealed or explored. Just go read it! This reader was hooked from start to finish! It soars as the author immerses us fully into Rod's world as he explores the off-road trails on his treasured bicycle. The step change between genres is cleverly and seamlessly handled, from the relatable to the fantastical! The characters are wonderful, and the layers the author adds to the story are magical and intriguing. Litguru hints at so much more in the conversations between characters, but we want to unwrap it all; the stories behind the story, and the lives behind the characters, and of course, to understand so much more about the night market and perils and excitement that feed its atmosphere. Really excellent writing.
Congratulations, @litguru!
Honorable Mentions
The following stories were also in the running for best stories last month, with excellent storytelling!
- @kristabel123: Quiet Want
- @riya2020: The Uber Trap
- @edith-4angelseu Ogbanje Alert
- @lailawrites: Oregano
- @popurri: Messages to Leave
- @wrestlingdesires: Benny's New Sitter
- @marriot5464: Christmas Switch
Well done, writers!
July Contest!
As a reminder, you are automatically entered into the contest of the month by writing and posting a fictional story in The Ink Well anytime throughout the month. There is no prompt for the monthly contest. So keep writing for our weekly fiction prompts and keep giving your stories your best effort!
Contest Rules
Participate in one or more of our weekly fiction prompts (or write any fictional short story in The Ink Well) before the end of the calendar month.
Post a link to your story in a comment on the prompt that inspired your story, if applicable.
Use the #fiction tag as well as the #inkwellprompt tag (if applicable) on your post.
Please remember that we have rules around violence, rape, blood, and physical abuse. See The Ink Well rules, and our article describing The Ink Well Stance on Violence.
If you have questions, please visit the "ask-theinkwell" channel in our Discord server.
At the end of the month, we will announce our winner of the month and our honorable mentions, and the winner will receive 20 Hive.
Hint: We are looking for a high-quality story. Don't rush. Remember the important skills we always talk about — great settings, good character building, strong dialog, and a good story arc that resolves well in the end.
And finally, we recommend using our tips in the article Help for the Grammatically Challenged to identify errors in your story before posting.
Good luck!
Find Us on Discord
Our Discord server is a great place to chat with other community members about the craft of writing.
Please pop into our Welcome channel, read our guidelines for conduct, and then feel free to interact with other community members or ask The Ink Well Team a question in the #ask-theinkwell channel.
Discord invitation link: https://discord.gg/Bng7mMsaQj
Delegate to The Ink Well / Follow Our Curation Trail
Want to support our community, our contests, and our rewards for great quality content? See the table below. We have made it super easy. Thank you, thank you, thank you! We have a goal to continue increasing the support we give to our wonderful, hardworking and dedicated authors!
You can follow our curation trail by going to our hive.vote curation trail page and clicking the follow button.
We welcome delegations! These support our community in many ways, including helping us to provide support to quality content creators through curation and contests.
@jayna, @felt.buzz, @carn, @itsostylish, @agmoore, @ricardo993, @marriot5464, @marcybetancourt, @marlyncabrera, @stormcharmer, @iamraincrystal, @preparedwombat, @gracielaacevedo, @timix648, @samsmith1971, @jackdeathblack, @josemalavem, @generikat, @mineopoly, @hazmat, @kingsleyy, @popurri, @nancybriti1, @marynn, @rinconpoetico7, @nathy33, @iyimoga, @captainman, @kachy2022, @morey-lezama, @evagavilan2, @mrenglish, @funshee, @amiegeoffrey, @balikis95, @rukkie, @raymondpeter, @tomiajax, @stuartcturnbull, @monster-hunter, @gertu, @mosin-nagant, @beauty197, @beckyroyal, @perfect20, @zaeema, @estilodereba, @rare-gem, @jjmusa2004, @ricurohemi28, @benwesterham, @artofkylin, and @shakavon.
We invite lovers of creative writing to visit The Ink Well, a Hive community run by @jayna, @gracielaacevedo, @yaziris, @itsostylish, @samsmith1971 and @agmoore.
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