Finally, a story contest that plays to my strengths as a writer: short attention span and love of despoiling classic works. Enter submissions by May 30 and write a one-line sequel to your favorite books. I went with Sentimental Education, since I read it recently and it’s good. I entitled the sequel “The Death of Sentiment.”

In the distant future, Frederic, realizing that he was somehow no longer a French dandy, but instead a heavily-armed cyborg knee-deep in gristle, shrapnel and unidentified limbs, accepted that the time for idleness and romance had passed—now it was time for payback.