It’s Halloweensie time!!!! If you haven’t participated in Hallooweensie, you don’t know what you’re missing. You can participate by posting a story or you can participate by reading the stories that are posted, Easy, huh?
Susanna Leonard Hill is the brain behind Halloweensie. And, don’t worry . . . her brain is not from some random jar like Frankenstein’s brain. Her brain is organized. Her brain thinks up easy rules. And her brain thinks up teeny, tiny 100-word stories for examples. Her brain encourages your brain to come up with your own story.
All you have to do is follow these simple rules I copied from Susanna’s website:
Write a 100 word Halloween story appropriate for children (title not included in the 100 words), using the words pumpkin, broomstick, and creak. Your story can be poetry or prose, scary, funny or anything in between, but it will only count for the contest if it includes those 3 words and is 100 words (you can go under, but not over!) Get it? Halloweensie – because it’s not very long and it’s for little people 🙂 (And yes, I know 100 words is short but that’s part of the fun and the challenge! We got nearly 80 fantastic entries last year so I know you can do it!) Also, you may use the words in any form – e.g. creak, creaky, creaks, creaking, creaked. No illustration notes please!
There are prizes, too! All the details are HERE on Susanna’s website. I will post her link again after my story so that you can head on over and read all the other fun Halloweensie stories.
My entry comes in at 98 words.
HG (Haunted and Ghostly) TV
Ex-Scream Makeover: Ghost Edition
Harvest moon, inky night.
Haunted house, shivering fright.
Owls perched on broomstick limbs
hooting dreary, daunting hymns.
Broken windows, shambled shutters
framing ghostly flits and flutters.
Groaning porch, creaking rocker.
Vvvv-elcome mat, tarnished knocker.
Moaning greeter at the door,
“Enter. View our ghost decor.”
Darkened bedrooms, shrouded beds.
Tombstone pillows, piled for heads.
Dingy closets, chains and clothes.
Empty shoes in mildewed rows.
Dripping faucet, rusty sink.
Grimy mirror, phantom wink.
Wilting, weedy flower bed.
Rotting pumpkins, weathered shed.
Morning light, nearly here.
Soon the moon will disappear.
Floating host, wailing “O-o-o-o-O-o-o-o-O-o-o-o!”
A spooky way to bid adieu.
Head on over to Susanna’s place. It’s only haunted during Halloweensie season and it’s not all that scary. Just click HERE.
Very clever!
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Penny, you have too many comments here…it took FOREVER to scroll down to leave mine…you’ll just have to get rid of some. 🙂 😉 🙂
Woo-hoo! Awesome rhyme (of course…this is Penny’s work) and love love love the title and story…HGTV…too funny. 😉
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Only you could come up with this amazing story. And that title? AWESOME! This is what i’m talking about. You know how to bring the funny. Ex Scream makeover is a Major hoot. So well done. So very well done. Glad I dropped by.
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Pam, you are so sweet! I’m so glad you like my story! I’m glad you dropped by, too 🙂
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I just found his, Penny. I didn’t think you entered. It’s rhythmic and fun to say aloud. Great language too. I adore it.
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Thanks, Robyn! There are so many entries that I’m afraid I missed some, too, even though I tried to read and comment on them all. What a great contest!
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Ha, This is certainly AMAZING writing. You are the queen of rhythm and rhyme, Penny. I don’t get HGTV here or on internet. But I love the H & G magazines, and our equivalent show. (You could always take up Real Estate in your free time 😉 You know how to sell a house) lol. A winner for sure!
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Thanks, Diane! Can I have a crown and everything? It can be my costume!
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Hi Penny, Great Story Poem, the sounds never stopped coming!
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Thanks so much for reading my entry. Happy Halloween!
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I’m such a big fan of the original HGTV, but Ex-Scream Makeover: Ghost Edition blows that show out of the water. What a great idea, and so much fun to read!!
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I think it should become a new series on HGTV 🙂 Thanks for coming by!
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Great imagery, and I like the vvvv-elcome mat line. 🙂 Good luck!
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Thanks so much, Christie! Happy Halloween!
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Ooooh I love your poem. It’s not just onomatopoeic, but touches (pardon the pun) on all the senses. I san see the illustrations that might go with it. Also, and this may seem an odd compliment but bear with me, in a way it reminds me a little of early Berenstain Bears like the Bears Alamanac (which was a huge influence on a young me).
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I’m going to have to find the Bears Almanac. Sounds fun! Thanks for stopping by.
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Penny, I’m working on onomatopoeia poems with third graders right now. I especially liked all of the sounds in stanza 4!
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I’ll bet your third graders are having fun with onomatopoeia poems! Kids really love sound words. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
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Love this! What terrifically spooky imagery (ghost decor, ha).
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Thanks for coming on the tour 🙂
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Loved it from the get go: even the title was awesome!
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Thanks so much! I appreciate you coming by for a read 🙂
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That was so much fun to read. Clearly you have been watching a lot of HGTV! You are so great with rhyme!
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Yes! Love HGTV, and I’m sure it’s popular among ghosts, too! Thanks, Darshana 🙂
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What a terrifically creepy mood you’ve painted, Penny! I especially love the owl on the broomstick limb, hooting dreary hymns (and the rotting pumpkin and vvvelcome mat–you are so clever!)
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Thanks, Buffy.
I don’t know if you remember this in the Garage. It was REALLY long and I cut it down for Halloweensie. So your comments from way back then helped me, too!
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So cleverly done! Great visuals too.
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Thanks so much! I’m hoping you can picture the ghostly tour.
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Great imagination!!! Groaning porch and tombstone pillows! Including the floating host . Love it. Had me laughed out loud 🙂 thank you for sharing.
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Thanks for coming by. Glad it made you laugh 🙂
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WOW, Penny! What a fabulous spooky poem! And your use of language is just terrific! I was going to pick out a couple lines I especially liked, but there are so many I’d just end up copying and pasting your whole story! 🙂 I’m so glad you were unable to resist the temptation of Halloweensie! 🙂
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It has been another really fun Halloweensie, Susanna! Thanks for all you do.
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I vvvant a vvvvelcome mat! LOVED this, Penny! Great job!
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I know! Me too! I think they should sell them at the ghostcery store;-)
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Gorgeous word choice and rhythm Penny. I loved the Velcome mat. You can’t read that without having to say it out loud:) Now I vill be talking like a vampire all day.
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Vats vhat I vanted! (My readers talking vampire sounds great!)
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Imagery out the ying-yang! Vvvvelcome mats, what a hoot, Penny! BOO! :0ooo
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Thanks, Donna! Seems the vvvvelcome mat was a hit! I wonder if they come with vampire coffins?
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I wish I had the energy to do our house up like this one! Loved the way you used Susanna’s words (“broomstick limbs”!)
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Thank you, Wendy! I used to really fix up my house and yard when my son was young. Now I’m a boring old witch!
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Creeptastic imagery, Penny. Brava!
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Thank y-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o, Joanna!
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Penny, I love, love, love this concept and your description is awesome! You paint a spooky picture, for sure. The title had me laughing out loud!
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Thanks, Carrie! I was hoping the title would lighten the spooky mood! Glad it had you laughing!
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Super fun! That’s a haunted house I DON’T want to see in HD! Good luck!
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Thanks! I’m glad you and Cupcake dropped by. I had a line in there that Cupcake would’ve liked but my word count was too high. Here it is:
Ghostly dog—tag reads “Fred”
rolling over, playing dead.
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GAH! RIP, Fred. 🙂
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I really love this poem! Well done!
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Thanks so much! I appreciate you stopping by.
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O-o-o! SSsscary good! Loving the tombstone pillows, Penny! May have to make one for my husband. It’s our anniversary!
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Thanks, Julie. I think you should make one for your husband. If he’s like my husband, he’s *dead* tired when he gets home from work. Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! I crack myself up!!!
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Penny, This is terrific! Good luck in the contest. 🙂
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Thanks, Robin!
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Made the little hairs on the back of my neck stand up! Spoookily wonderful!
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I’m always happy to give folks a little scare in the month of October!
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so much fun, well done Penny.
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Thanks for coming by, Cecilia!
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Oh, Penny, I love the way you write. This was wonderful! Excellent job!
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Thanks, Cheryl! I appreciate you coming by!
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You write poems with such ease. This one seems to float!
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I’m glad it floats! I toy with the words a lot before I send them out to be read. I dug this one up from a few years ago and polished it up yesterday. (And cut a couple hundred words 😉 )
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Ha! I LOVE this one. It is so cute and clever. Good luck in the contest.
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Thanks, Rosi!
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“O-o-o-o-O-o-o-o-O-o-o-o!” I especially love the Vvv-elcome mat. Vvvonderfully spooky scene! Great job, Penny.
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Thanks, Iza! I think it bites that they don’t sell Vvv-elcome mats in October, don’t you?
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Fantastic post, Penny! And congrats on your soon-to-be book! Woo Hoo!
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Thanks, Nancy! I’m very excited about my book! Can’t wait until August 🙂
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OMG, Penny! This is amazing! 🙂 AMAZING! I love it!
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Thanks, Carrie! I’m hoping to get a series on Haunted and Ghostly TV.
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