Thanksgiving Writing Contest

Jeff's class members are welcome to enter the first Thanksgiving Short Story Writing contest. Stories must be at least 1,000 words long and not exceed 5,000 in length. The topic is, of course, Thanksgiving. Student entering must be in Jeff's Creative Writing class. Deadline is Monday, November 24. Final copies must have been proofread for spelling and grammar. Prizes will be cheap AND disappointing, but not as cheap and disappointing as usual. The winning entry will be copied 5,000 times and dropped over Washington D.C. and the suburbs by helicopter (not really), but we will offer it to some publications (reasonable entry fee will be covered).

A wonderful time of the year where families gather in bucolic settings to munch turkey and stuffing and recount tales of days gone by. Only that story has been told. Take inspiration from a past Thanksgiving that may have been "different". It could have been extra inspiring or disappointing. The gathering may have missed a beloved member, or added one for the first time. Change perspective- has anyone ever done a story of Thanksgiving from the perspective of the turkey? What about from the views of vegetarians? Immigrants celebrating their own first Thanksgiving?
Most importantly, use your creativity. The first Thanksgiving on the Moon... what might that be like? Maintaining gravity is crucial lest cranberry sauce float up your nose! What about scrapping together a dinner when living in another land, a land where it is not observed? There are all kinds of settings and challenges associated with this most American of holidays. Find one. Good luck!