Catfight Promotion

Story by Josie Raniga

Promotion by Amy Kim and Asana Yano

Do you feel lost in life? Or something you worked so hard for is just dismissed as a stupid dream to others?

 If so, “Catfight” by Josie June HIS Writes 5th place winner is the perfect story to guide you. The story follows the compelling narrative of Mia Cortez, a young high school boxer, facing a breaking point in her dream. Mia has been determined with her dream, or that is what she believed. Until she finds herself cornered by casual criticism and sexism from her peers. And even from her father, she is overwhelmed with pressure. Because of this, Mia starts to doubt herself. Was this what she truly wanted? “Catfight” is more than just a sports narrative; it's an emotional journey and a call to action to find our own purpose. 

The true conflict for Mia isn't the opponent in the boxing ring, but it is with herself. Mia has been living in suffocation, placed upon others and never for herself. Josie, throughout the story, illustrates this through the character of Taylor, a classmate who dismisses Mia's dream and dedication. But the main reason for Mia's isolation comes from Mia's father, who constantly pressures Mia into goals that never seemed like a choice for Mia, highlighting how the people closest to her often control Mia's choices and mindset show how she has never done her dream for herself. Josie successfully built this complex conflict masterfully by stacking up this everyday pressure until Mia finally reached her breaking point. Instead of showing an actual physical conflict, even being a story about boxing, she builds something even more powerful by having an emotional conflict. 

Josie doesn't just tell but shows the struggle of Mia through her writing. Instead of saying that Mia is slowly becoming exhausted, she uses phrases like “sweat and blood washing down the shower drain and the painful feeling of new bruises forming over old ones”. This makes the story more intriguing to readers and more deeply connected to Mia as a character. Another pattern of language that Josie uses is the rhythm of words to build up excitement and tension. For example, in one of the boxing practices, a dialogue from the father says, “One, two. Faster next time.” This helps readers visualize the image of the tension and pressure of the workout even more than just straight up telling the readers. By writing the story this way, Josie grabs the attention of the readers and makes you feel every emotion and pressure alongside Mia. 

Ultimately, Josie Raniga’s “Catfight” is much more than just a narrative of a girl in a boxing ring. It is a compelling exploration of the resilience and defiance of Mia. By positioning Mia between the pressure from her father and societal skepticism, Josie captures the internal conflict required to claim one’s identity in detail. In a world that consistently attempts to define the limitations of others’ ambition, “Catfight” delivers a powerful message that true courage comes from fighting against approval for their own terms.

Don’t miss this emotionally gripping short story, “Catfight”, written by Josie Raniga. It is available to be read on the HIS WRITES’ page :)