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Sunday, 21 June 2015

July Short Fiction Contest

John Tenniel [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
For this month's image I've taken inspiration from one of my favourite stories - Lewis Carroll's 'Through the Looking Glass'. I found this rather curious sketch for the story which I thought would be an ideal image for this month's contest. What do you think the girl is seeing through the looking glass?

As always the stories can be of any genre. They just have to be inspired by this month's image and no more than 500 words.

Entry to the contest remains free and there are prizes for the three winners. I will also feature any of the stories that don't win but I believe are worth showcasing on this blog.
  • First prize is a £50 Amazon gift card or PayPal prize
  • Second prize is a £20 Amazon gift card or PayPal prize
  • Third prize is a £10 Amazon gift card or PayPal prize
The money for the prizes come out of my own pocket, although I do make a little from advertising on this blog. So if you see something of interest then feel free to click on the links and purchase away! If you haven't tried my books yet then check them out at the top of the page, as well as buying a good read you'll be helping this contest.

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 August 1st 2015.

As with everything in life there are a few rules:
  • Only one entry per person.
  • The story must not be longer than 500 words.
  • Closing date for submissions is July 26th 2015.
  • By submitting the story you grant me a non-exclusive license to post the story on this blog. I do ask that I post it here first.
  • You also grant me a one time non-exclusive license to include the story in an e-book release.
  • The judge's 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. Great stories deserve great readers!

As well as comments section below you can chat about this competition 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!




If you've started your own thread or discussion somewhere about this month's competition then let me know and I'll add the link to this page.
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45 comments:

  1. Anonymous21 June 2015 at 20:29

    lol got to give it a go :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Garth Simmons26 June 2015 at 15:30

    Hi there

    Just submitted a story... I submitted one earlier this week but I think the one I've just submitted is more appropriate for the image as it's about the traversing of dimensions whilst the first story I submitted was only very loosely, if barely at all, connected. Anyway if you can scrap the first submission as the 2nd is more appropriate. It is called Crystallax.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Garth Simmons26 June 2015 at 15:32

      The 2nd commission is called Crystallax I mean. That's the one I'd like to keep submitted.

      Thanks x

      Delete
    2. Michael Brookes26 June 2015 at 17:53

      No problem - thanks for entering.

      Delete
  3. David29 June 2015 at 06:41

    This was great fun to do. Can't wait to enter July's competition.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous29 June 2015 at 07:34

    I woke up at 2am with an idea in my head about a story for this month's competition and couldn't get back to sleep until i'd written it down. I've just tweaked it and submitted it. Another interesting picture. Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  5. Richard Horsley30 June 2015 at 21:12

    Well this was a different experience for me. I write science fiction, and despite my usual thought process, a completely different genre / idea presented itself. So I ran with it. Variety is good, and I really enjoyed writing this piece. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Martyn Bardsley2 July 2015 at 15:56

    I heard about this on Lave Radio's excellent Dataslate. I usually write sci fi, so this was a welcome opportunity to dabble in another genre. It was fun, I wish I'd known about it earlier!

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  7. Unknown5 July 2015 at 17:54

    Thanks for another great prompt. Submitted my entry - my first writing in ages! - and now I'll tweet and Facebook. :)

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  8. Allen Stroud7 July 2015 at 18:49

    Submitted. Good luck folks.

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  9. Chad Lutzke11 July 2015 at 18:25

    Submitted. Thanks again for the opportunity, Michael! By the way, there's a chance my story went through twice...if at all. Let me know if you didn't get it (Doppelganger).

    ReplyDelete
  10. Unknown12 July 2015 at 06:33

    This was good fun! Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  11. ZZleeZZ13 July 2015 at 14:10

    Heard about this in the Dataslate podcast (thanks Alan). My tame author friend Richard Horsley entered and then bullied me into doing the same.
    First complete piece of fiction I have ever written.
    What could possibly go wrong?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michael Brookes13 July 2015 at 17:42

      Congratulations on completing your first work of fiction - there's no turning back now :-)

      Delete
  12. Val Portelli (Voinks)13 July 2015 at 19:29

    Thanks for the inspiration. I've completed the entry form but couldn't find a 'submit' only a 'publish' button so I'm not sure where it will end up!
    Bring back quill pens I say! Now there's a thought; got to go, another story needs writing. :D

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous13 July 2015 at 21:56

    I'm in! What a lot of fun! Thanks for this contest!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Michael Brookes13 July 2015 at 21:57

    Thanks Tisher.

    ReplyDelete
  15. T.L. Barrett14 July 2015 at 04:20

    I just submitted. What a fun contest! Just what I needed to get me typing madly away again. Thank you so much for doing this. Travis

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous15 July 2015 at 13:11

    Entered for the first time in ages. Thanks again for running the comp.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Unknown17 July 2015 at 06:58

    Thanks for the opportunity as ever

    Best wishes
    Andrew

    ReplyDelete
  18. misha19 July 2015 at 09:59

    Help! Have I submitted my "Right Royal Bake-Off"? I entered everything and then it disappeared.

    ReplyDelete
  19. misha19 July 2015 at 10:01

    Have re-submitted. Hope this one gets to you as it's a fun competition.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Charles Riffle19 July 2015 at 19:45

    I put in my story. Very interesting subject. A lot could be done with it. I went with a horror/suspense approach because mirrors are just plain creepy. Lol.

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  21. Unknown20 July 2015 at 18:56

    Submitted. Excellent prompt. Can't wait to read the others.

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  22. Lauren Gunter25 July 2015 at 17:26

    Mine's in. Late as usual. :)

    ReplyDelete
  23. G. E. Smith26 July 2015 at 00:27

    Saturday, July 25, 2015

    Mr. Brookes,

    I've submitted my story for July's story contest. Thanks for reviewing my work.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Jillian26 July 2015 at 21:29

    Submitted :) Thank you!

    ReplyDelete