Sunday 22 September 2013

October Short Fiction Contest

Welcome to the latest monthly short fiction writing competition here on The Cult of Me. Every month I post a new picture and you can then write and submit a short story (with a maximum word count of 500 words). At the end of the month I will pick the winners and announce them on this blog.

The winner's stories will be available here (and promoted across KUF, Goodreads, Twitter, Facebook and Stumbleupon and anywhere else I can) and you'll also have a link to your blog or website displayed alongside your story if you win.

Winning stories will also be compiled in a collection later in the year, proceeds from the sales of that collection will be used to help fund the prizes for this competition.

The winners will also receive an Amazon gift card:
  1. First Prize is a £50 gift card
  2. Second prize is a £20 gift card
  3. Third prize is a £10 gift card
Details on how you can enter are provided below and I'm looking forward to reading your entries!

Image courtesy of Simon Howden / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
With Halloween only a few weeks away and perfectly timed for the end of this month's contest it was tempting to pick a traditional Halloween style, but where's the fun in that! Although you still have something spooky to play with I think that there's more scope for a variety of interesting stories and I'm already looking forward to reading the entries.

I'd like to thank everyone who entered September's short fiction contest, I'll reveal the winning stories next weekend.

Please make sure to check your story for typos before submitting. I don't mind a few errors, but my enjoyment of a story is diminished if I have to wade through too many.

I'll post the winning entries by November 1st 2013.

As with everything in life there are a few rules:
  1. Only one entry per person.
  2. The story must not be longer than 500 words.
  3. Closing date for submissions is October 20th 2013.
  4. By submitting the story you grant me a non-exclusive license to use it. I'll only post the winning entries.
  5. You also grant me a one time non-exclusive license to include the story in an e-book release.
  6. The judges decision is final.
Use the form below to enter your submission. After you've submitted please leave a comment on this page stating that you have submitted. And please help spread the word. I'm working to make this a regular feature so I need readers for the stories as well as entrants.

OCTOBER'S SHORT FICTION IS NOW CLOSED, SEE THE LINK IN TOP RIGHT OF THE PAGE FOR THE LATEST CONTEST.
 
As well as comments section below you can chat about this competion in any of the threads I've listed below. If you don't know the sites then entering the competition is a good way to introduce yourself. Note that these sites are not affiliated with the competition in any way!

KUF: http://www.kuforum.co.uk/kindleusersforum/thread-13760.html

Goodreads (UK Amazon kindle Forum group): http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/977021-michael-brookes-horror-science-fiction

Kboards: http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,152168.0.html

If you've started you're own thread or discussion somewhere about this month's competition then let me know and I'll add the link to this page.
Posted by at

26 comments:

  1. Sandra22 September 2013 at 21:00

    So I was chatting with a friend about this. But we aren't clear on the subject. Is it the plan to write something spooky or write something about the image portrayed above? Doesn't have to be Halloween, but just doom and gloom or something?

    I'm sorry if I'm asking a weird question, haha. Just want so clearity as I don't do competitions that often.

    Sandra

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michael Brookes23 September 2013 at 07:30

      The story just has to be based on this month's image at the top of the page.

      Delete
  2. P.B. Cannon26 September 2013 at 01:00

    Hello, Michael,

    Yeah, it's me again! :-D I've submitted my entry for October. I was trying my darnedest to do a horror story but for some reason, when I studied the image and sat down to write, horror just wouldn't happen. Oh well. Anyway, thanks again for the opportunity. If nothing else, I got more practice at writing a short.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michael Brookes26 September 2013 at 07:41

      No worries, it doesn't have to be a horror story :-) Thanks for entering!

      Delete
  3. Unknown26 September 2013 at 05:06

    Could you add a link or maybe clarify the liscences you mentioned.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michael Brookes26 September 2013 at 07:42

      By entering you simply grant me permission to post the story on my blog and use it in an anthology.

      Delete
  4. Unknown27 September 2013 at 22:36

    Great picture! I have just submitted my entry.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Unknown7 October 2013 at 12:14

    Another great picture. Entry submitted, good luck everyone.

    ReplyDelete
  6. solutionmonger7 October 2013 at 15:34

    Thought the contest photograph was evoking and provoking

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michael Brookes7 October 2013 at 15:53

      You can take it in many directions, ideal for this type of contest.

      Delete
  7. Anonymous7 October 2013 at 20:10

    500 words is a challenge. I've sent a story in.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Unknown9 October 2013 at 00:08

    Entered!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Michael Cairns10 October 2013 at 18:55

    Hi Michael
    I mentioned it on Goodreads, but just to be sure, I've submitted to this one.
    cheers
    Mike

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous14 October 2013 at 14:52

    My tale is entered. Didn't do the Halloween theme though so I hope that's okay. In a way my story is a true one. Here's wishing myself luck. I loved the winning entry for September. You're working us hard.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous16 October 2013 at 11:47

    Just submitted my entry. It was great fun to write.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michael Brookes16 October 2013 at 13:09

      Nice, I'll look forward to reading it - thanks.

      Delete
  12. Anonymous17 October 2013 at 19:57

    A very haunting image, I had so many ideas it was hard to know what to go with!

    Submitted my entry, good luck to everyone!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Unknown18 October 2013 at 08:55

    Thanks for the opportunity.

    Andrew C-K

    ReplyDelete

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