Our friends at STRW are running a flash fiction contest this month – it’s a great way to sharpen your flash skills for our forthcoming QSF contest in April. The details:
Last week, we told you that November was National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo as its called and gave you all the links to the contest and the details. It goes on every November each year. Its for you or anyone who actually had the thought “hey, I wonder if I could write a story”. Write…50,000 words. In one month. Chart your progress. Meet tons of people on line just like yourself. The end goal? To complete a novel by 11:59 PM on November 30.
Well, maybe that’s daunting for some. And for others, a tad too late to get started this year.
So last week we came up with STRW FFWriMo. Starting today, write a Flash Fiction story. That’s flash fiction. You have until the end of November. That’s midnight, November 30th to get your flash fiction story into us.
What is Flash Fiction? Generally speaking its any fiction under 1000 words, although even that seems to vary with definitions. Its micro fiction. Here’s a couple of articles to help you all out:
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Flash Fiction: What’s It All About? | The Review Review: I liked this one. It gave excellent advice on writing, tips on how to be concise. Definitely check it out.
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Flash What? A Quick Look at Flash Fiction – Writing-World.com! Again more wonderful advice on how to use that red pencil and cut the extra wordage out of your story.
Earlier our reviewer, Paul B, read and reviewed Flight: Queer Sci Fi’s Third Annual Flash Fiction Contest (QSF Flash Fiction #2), an excellent anthology of flash fiction for science fiction lovers and those who love the short story format. Flash Fiction, while not new, is steadily gaining in popularity and here is your chance to try your hand at writing a flash fiction story of your own.
STRW FFWriMo Contest
What to write about? Last week I said we would choose topics but I’m throwing that out the window based on recent events. I’m leaving the subject matter up to each writer. It can be contemporary, science fiction, horror, supernatural…its up to you. It must be LGBTQIA. And it must be Flash Fiction. You must be over the age of 18. Those are our only restrictions other than the time restraint. Have your story in by midnight, November 30, EST.
Prizes: $25 Amazon gift card for the one chosen by our guest judge, and for the first 5 ppl getting in their stories $10 gift cards (their choice Amazon or Dreamspinner Press). Rights to these stories remain with the authors.
Again here are the rules for STRW FFWriMo:
- Can be any topic and any genre as long as its LGBTQIA.
- Must be flash fiction (under 1000 words, presumably 300)
- Story must be finished and into us at scatteredthoughtsandroguewords@gmail.com by midnight, November 30th EST.
- The author must be 18 years of age or older.
So now get writing. You can do it. Inspiration isn’t far away these days. I can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with. And with the authors permission, we will see if they will let us give all of you a look at it too.