writer’s digest

Two Free Writing Contests

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Hey all 🙂

I came across these nifty “Your Story” writing contests on WritersDigest.com and thought some of my fellow authors might be interested! The competitions are free to enter and seem to pop up every couple of months.

The ones linked here both have photo prompts, and the images are VERY interesting (to say the least, LOL!). The picture for #97 is especially striking and inspired me to start writing immediately.

One of the things I love about contests with prompts is seeing the amazing variety of ideas people come up with. A hundred authors can look at the exact same picture and each person will imagine a completely different story. Also, prompts are pretty awesome for anyone who’s currently in a writing slump. So, if you haven’t written for a while and need something to get the juices flowing, or even just need a break from your current project, these contests may be the thing to help.

Anyhow, go check them out! Who knows? Maybe you’ll get inspired like I did :).

Your Story #97

Directions: Write a short story of 650 words or fewer based on the photo prompt.

Deadline: April 8

Your Story #98

Directions: Write the opening line to a story based on the photo prompt.

Deadline: May 27

Best of luck, and have fun! 🙂

~Gretchen

 

Writer’s Digest Writing Competition: Be an Early Bird!

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I don’t know whether it’s the possibility of awesome prizes, the pressure of a looming deadline, or simply the rush of competition, but nothing lights a fire under my inkwells like a good writing contest. If you feel the same way, you might want to check out the 82nd Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition. The top prizes are cool (money, exposure to agents/publishers, writing-related discounts, etc.), the entry fees are reasonable, and there are ten different categories to choose from: memoir/personal essay, genre short story, mainstream/literary short story, magazine feature article, rhyming poetry, non-rhyming poetry, stage play, television/movie script, children’s/young adult fiction, and inspirational writing.

Intrigued? Click here for more details on this reputable and long-running contest:

http://www.writersdigest.com/competitions/writers-digest-annual-competition

If you decide you might like to enter, the best advice I can offer is to enter something that’s absolutely your best work (duh), and to enter it EARLY. I don’t have a huge amount of contest experience under my belt, but I’ve spoken to a fair share of writers who do (including the winner of the EBONY Writing Contest), and they all strongly emphasize one thing: the earlier you enter, the better. The fees are lower if you enter your manuscript by the early bird deadline (May 6, 2013), and – more importantly – the readers are in a better mood. Now, I’m sure every single reader in every single contest is trying his or her best to view each story objectively, but they are only human, and the fact is you’re just not gonna be as enthusiastic about reading manuscript #9,976 as you were about reading manuscript #4. By #9,976, the excitement has died, your eyes are starting to blur, and Times New Roman font has become strangely nauseating.

So, make sure your manuscript is #4. Or, better yet, #1. Get up early and catch that worm! Give yourself the best possible chance to wow the judges in this fun and wide-ranging contest…And who knows, maybe that worm will turn out to be a trip to NYC to meet your future agent!

Best of luck!

-Gretchen

Flash Fiction Contest and Novel Suspense

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Attention Short Story Authors –

Flash Fiction Chronicles, a blog devoted to the art of short-short stories, is having their fifth annual String-of-10 Flash Fiction Contest. The basic idea: they give you ten prompt words, and you have until this Saturday (Feb. 9th) to write a very short story (250 words or less) that seamlessly incorporates at least four of the ten words. There is no cost to enter the contest, and the prizes include money, publication, t-shirts, books and other cool stuff. Each author can enter up to two stories. I entered last year, and had a total blast writing my story! It’s a great mental challenge, and a great workout for your author muscles. So, why not give it a shot?

You can find the rules, prompt words, links to past winners and all other relevant info here:

http://www.everydayfiction.com/flashfictionblog/string-of-10-five-flash-fiction-contest-begins-now/

Have fun!

Also, for those who dig writing longer works, I came across this nifty article with tips on how to really crank up the suspense in the first fifty pages of your novel. The author gives clear, easy-to-understand advice, followed by numerous specific examples of how to apply that advice to your book. It’s great stuff, so go check it out:

http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/how-to-raise-the-stakes-in-your-first-50-pages-of-your-novel

-Gretchen