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Sunday, 20 September 2015

October Short Fiction Contest


For this month's contest image I've decided to go for something a little more whimsical and not so overtly dark!

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 November 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 October 18th 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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30 comments:

  1. Voinks23 September 2015 at 12:00

    Unusually,this picture did not immediately inspire me, but then the characters took over, and wrote the story with their usual quirk.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hina Tabassum27 September 2015 at 13:57

    The picture just won't sow for some reason. What should I do now?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michael Brookes27 September 2015 at 14:29

      Try a hard refresh of the page by pressing CTRL+F5 - otherwise here's the direct link to the image: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2GnBsR0SyWA/Vf73IfeWkFI/AAAAAAAAC6k/JFScIzO4CwU/s320/Ball_lightning.png

      Delete
  3. Unknown1 October 2015 at 10:14

    Hi - I've just sent through my entry - The Earnest Discussion.
    Cheers and thanks
    Tim (apologies if posted twice!)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous2 October 2015 at 11:49

    Hi. I love the idea of writing a story based on a picture. I've just sent my story, "The fight for independance" and I can't wait to read how others have interpreted the picture. Thank you. Cathy

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous2 October 2015 at 15:19

    Hi, thank you for posting this challenge, it was a lot of fun! I've just sent my entry "The Sign".

    Sarah.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Max Torps4 October 2015 at 15:43

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Max Torps4 October 2015 at 16:55

    I've just submitted my entry, The Battle For Science! Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Mileva Anastasiadou5 October 2015 at 15:47

    I have just entered the competition too with my story, "The Fall". Thanks so much for the inspiration.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Jonathan11 October 2015 at 17:07

    I've just submitted my entry, too. Thanks for the opportunity!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous13 October 2015 at 15:23

    Entered. Thanks for running the comp. Nice image - reminded me of Tintin and the seven crystal balls.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Amresh Srivastava13 October 2015 at 19:13

    Challenging picture. Emailed my story " Women's Fireball"
    Waiting for the result. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Chad Lutzke17 October 2015 at 23:12

    I've submitted mine, Michael. Thanks for the opportunity. Best wishes to those who have submitted.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Rose17 October 2015 at 23:37

    I'm in. First of 12 entries. I need the discipline of a monthly deadline and I need to practise my writing.

    Thanks Michael!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Cathleen Townsend18 October 2015 at 07:19

    I've submitted mine--The Progress of Science. Thanks for doing this. I had fun writing it. :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Cathleen Townsend18 October 2015 at 07:27

    Also, I've looked for a 'contact me' form and didn't see it, so I'll put it here.

    As a thank you for doing this, would you like an interview on my blog? It's at cathleentownsend.com if you want to see the kind of interviews I do, and my contact form is here: http://cathleentownsend.com/about/contact-cathleen-townsend/.

    No worries if you're not interested, of course. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michael Brookes18 October 2015 at 10:26

      Thanks for entering Cathleen and I've sent you a message through your blog concerning the interview.

      Delete
  16. G. E. Smith19 October 2015 at 03:40

    Sunday, October 18, 2015

    Mr. Brookes,

    I've submitted my story titled "Acting Up With the Devonshire Brothers" for this month's contest.

    Thanks for reviewing my work.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Michael Brookes19 October 2015 at 19:49

    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Jakof Filipov9 February 2016 at 16:14

    http://shortdiaryfromhell.blogspot.rs/2016/02/where-humans-stink-one-cannot-sleep.html

    ReplyDelete