Genre Wars. I love it. Via Yat Yee we discover that the Literary Lab is throwing a contest, and you’re invited. Submit your 1 – 2,000-word short story in any genre to the wizards at the lab, and win a chance to be included in their anthology (Oooh, magic word), and be republished on their blog. Rules and Details here. And you’ll love the Genre Wars button. It made me laugh. Especially that bit about vampires…
Another fun contest comes from our friendly bloggers and writers of speculative fiction. Every year the Bulwer-Lytton challenges wretched writers to reproduce that thrillingly horrible first line, It was a dark and stormy night (which wouldn’t have been half so bad without the rest of the paragraph. Yikes). This year, The Spectacle is giving you a chance to do it up right for a chance at a free book and a book card to Powell’s. A opening scene — spooky, suspenseful, succinct. Wordy writers need not apply, ’til they’ve tighten things up a bit.
Finally, ALICE MCDERMOTT, for those of you in the know, is judging the Inkwell 12TH Annual Short Fiction Contest, with a deadline of October 31st. Big prize, small reading fee… and I can think of a short story or two I’ve read recently (BROAD HINT, WRITING GROUP) which would qualify. Check it out.
Challenges abound!
One of the best things about the Write Against Racism project at Bowllan’s Blog at the School Library Journal is meeting new authors. Just One More Book interviews the indomitable Rukhsana Khan.
Finally, my thought du jour:
I wasn't in the know, but now I am, thanks to you. Love Alice McDermott. Will be brave, will submit.
Cool–thanks, you two, for the leads! Though, again, here we are with the 5,000 word thing….cripes.