By Angelyn
Sherrod
Hit me with
your best shot! No,
seriously, do it.
What’s the
target? No, not my
nose.
Compelling
openings.
Malice in Memphis, a mystery writers group located in Memphis Tennessee, will host the
first semi-annual 2018 Hit Me With Your Best Shot Writing Competition. This
award has been established to reward excellence in writing and to challenge
both seasoned and emerging writers to produce their best work.
In this
competition, we want you to grab us from word one . . . because
every word counts.
The first
sentence should compel the reader to finish the paragraph. You raise a
question. Hint at a mystery. Your reader finishes the paragraph and before they
know it, they’re at the end of the first page.
Pages keep
flipping by, the clock is ignored, the TV is silenced . . . the phone goes
unanswered.
Why?
It’s not
your complex plot. Nor your well-developed characters or story arc.
. . . that
comes later.
When a
reader sits down, opens your book for the first time, scrolls through the front
matter to
Chapter 1, they are looking to answer one question:
“Why should
I keep reading?”
That’s the
shot we want you to take.
The writing
competition opens March 1, 2018. The cost to enter is only $10. Send us the
first 300-500 words (No more. No less.) of a larger work e.g., short story or
novel, by 11:59pm central standard time May 1 2018. Malice will
complete first round judging In Memphis members.
We are
honored to have celebrated author, producer, Allan Gilbreath, founder,
publisher and managing editor of Dark Oak Press and Media,
as our final round judge. The top 5
finalists will be announced on the Malice in Memphis website by June 1, 2018. The first, second and third place winners will be announced on
or before June 15, 2018. Though
Malice is a mystery writers group, this competition is open to all fiction
genres. 1st prize:
$100 2nd prize:
$503rd prize:
$25 Plus, other
awesome prizes. As a bonus: we’re going to help you master compelling openings, tell you exactly
what we’re looking for. Each week,
throughout the contest period, we will submit posts on the Malice in Memphis
blog. You’ll learn the elements of producing a compelling opening, the Do’s and
Don’ts, tips and encouragement. Head on
over to http://maliceinmemphis.com for
complete rules and description of the submission process.
So, you’re
ready? I think so. Hit us.
___________________________________________________________________
Angelyn
Sherrod is an award-winning short story writer, lifelong reader and
storyteller. She has always been drawn to mysteries and thrillers because of
the innate themes of justice and righting wrongs. Therefore, it only seemed
natural to start killing off people in her stories: it's cathartic and oh, so
satisfying. Not to mention, it helps to maintain her sanity. You can step
into Angelyn's world of justice and fair play in the Malice in Memphis
Anthologies: Bluff City Mysteries, Ghost Stories, and Elmwood Stories to Die For. Also, look for the upcoming anthology, due Spring
2018: Malice MAY-hem. Angelyn's short story, THE GAZEBO won the 3rd
Place prize in Southern Writers Magazine's 2013 Annual Short Story
contest in the printed Short Tales. Check out her blog: Angelyn's Crimes of Passion (angelynscrimesofpassion.wordpress.com)
for other short stories and flash fiction, or follow her on Facebook
No comments:
Post a Comment