Sunday 24 August 2014

September Short Fiction Contest

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons Author - Shubi

Welcome to September's Short Fiction Contest here on The Cult of Me. We've had a few scary faces for recent competitions so I thought I'd pick an image of something a little more mundane - a scary book! Only kidding - it doesn't have to be a scary book. Remember that the stories for the contest don't have to be any certain genre, it's well written stories I'm looking for, not whether they fit into a particular genre bucket.

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 payment
  • Second prize is a £20 Amazon gift card or PayPal payment
  • Thirds prize is a £10 Amazon gift card or PayPal payment
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 October 1st 2014.

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 September 20th 2014.
  • 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 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. 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!

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.

55 comments:

  1. Looks like a great picture this month! I tried to accept your invitation to the event on Goodreads but for some reason my acceptance wasn't "accepted"! :p

    Lisa Dee

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  2. This happened to me too on Goodreads, I tried to accept but it didn't accept me either.
    Love the PIC, I might be able to do something with this one Michael, I don't get any inspiration from the scary pics.

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    1. No problem and I hope you do find inspiration from this picture.

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  3. Wow, been a bit since I did this. I forgot how much fun these are to write.

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  4. This will be my first submission to your monthly competitions, Michael. I've already completed the first draft and look forward to the editing and submission. Great image to work from.

    Thanks for the incentive to do this.

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  5. Gregg Chamberlain26 August 2014 at 21:26

    michael... just to clarify a point... do the stories have to be scary?

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    1. No - they can be any genre. They just have to relate to the image in some way.

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  6. Hi, Michael. I just threw my story "First Things" your way. Thanks for hosting this!
    F.M. Scott (pen name for Scott McClung)

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  7. Submitted. Good luck to all!

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  8. Submitted, Thank you Michael

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  9. Submission sent. Good luck to all and thanks to Michael for running the competition. :-)

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  10. I submitted! Thank you for this!

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  11. Thanks for providing the inspiration! I submitted.

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  12. Just sent my submission. Interesting picture!

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  13. Entry submitted! Thanks for the opportunity!

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  14. Tough picture this month, managed to find inspiration eventually though!

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  15. Just sent through my story 'Affirmative Action' - spent a lot of time whittling it down to hit the word count limit, and it still ended up being exactly 500 words.

    Great prompt!

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  16. I've submitted my story Michael. This is my first attempt..lol!
    But I always say, it's not winning that matters, that's a bonus, it's taking part that counts.

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  17. Submitted. As always, thanks again for running the comp.

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  18. Thanks, as always, for this contest! I think I'll actually be writing a book on this topic - It was a great one! - Sierra

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  19. I've submitted my entry now. I'm really pleased with it and may develop it further.

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  20. I've submitted. Thanks for the opportunity and your generosity, Michael. - Evan Guilford-Blake

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  21. I've submitted my entry, thank you for an inspiring image! :)

    Sarah

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  22. I've entered...hope it's not too late! :-)

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  23. I subbed a story about a week ago - just forgot to comment! :-) Hope you like it.

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  24. A great image! :) I've submitted my entry. The word count is just under 500 words, but it may appear as if there are more - I had four scenes and used asterisks to indicate scene breaks. Hope that's okay and that the asterisks don't count as words. :)

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  25. Thanks for another opportunity, Michael!

    ~Chad Lutzke

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  26. Just submitted an entry for this month, thanks Michael.

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  27. Sorry, forgot to title my story. It's called 'Detailed Account'.
    Thanks
    Andrew C-K

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