Pen & Ink

Hello readers, today I have a special announcement for you that you probably weren’t expecting. I’m hosting a short story contest!

I’m super excited about this, and I’ve been thinking about it for a while now. Now it’s happening! I think this will be lots of fun.

So, what kind of short story contest is this? Good question. For each short story, you will have to try to use this prompt:

Some things could change, but this could not. I knew this fact from the very beginning, but somehow it always had a way of escaping me.

You can use this prompt as the theme for the story, the opening sentence, or anywhere in your story. You also don’t have to use this sentence, you are welcome to make variations of it too. Just make sure to keep the overall idea of it in your story. If somehow the prompt escapes you and it doesn’t make it inside your story, that’s okay. I understand how that happens sometimes, so your story will still have a chance at winning, even if it doesn’t have the prompt in it.

Pretty easy, right? And guess what, there will be prizes too! Keep reading to find out the rules, prizes, and other.

Rules

• Your submission must be under 1000 words.
• Your story must be written between now and the time the contest ends, so no re-using stories you’ve already written.
• You are welcome to have any editors, beta readers, or anyone else give feedback on your story.
• When your story is completed, you can submit it by emailing me on my Contact Page.
• It would be preferable for you to write your story in Google Docs and then share the link with me, but if that won’t work for you, you can either copy and paste your story in the contact form, or we can work something else out.
• Absolutely no swearing or even hinting at swear words in your story. You may say “he cursed” if you need to, but nothing else.
• Violence is permitted, but try to keep it at a minimum and don’t use gory descriptions.
• Nothing at all inappropriate, extremely dark, or bad. Your story needs to be appropriate for a person of 12 to read. If you’re unsure if your story fits these requirements, please contact me and ask.
• Try to follow the prompt as best you can.
• One submission per person.
• You may publish your story elsewhere (blog, magazine, etc.), but only after the contest is over.
• Try not to tell me anything about your submission before the contest is over, because I want to do this completely without bias.
• IMPORTANT: Please submit your story BEFORE JULY 20th. The winners will be announced soon after, so please make sure to submit it by then.
• Most of all: HAVE FUN!

Okay, there you are. The rules. Remember, I have the right to refuse your content if it doesn’t fit within these guidelines.

Prizes

Now for the fun stuff: the prizes. Here’s what you will get if you win:

First Place

• Your story published on my blog.
• A personal critique of a story you’ve written (or partly written). Any length of story is welcome.
• A guest post on your blog (or an optional guest post on mine, if you don’t have a blog).
• An interview. (Yes, I’ll be interviewing you!)
• A customizable, hand-drawn map of your fantasy world, drawn just by me! (Or you may sub for a hand-drawn picture of three of your characters, although I’m not sure my drawing skills will be the best on that.)

Second Place 

• Your story published on my blog.
• A guest post on your blog (or an optional guest post on mine, if you don’t have a blog).
• A customizable, hand-drawn map of your fantasy world, drawn just by me! (Or you may sub for a hand-drawn picture of two of your characters, although I’m not sure my drawing skills will be the best on that.)

Third Place

• Your story published on my blog.
• A customizable, hand-drawn map, drawn just by me! (Or you may sub for a hand-drawn picture of one of your characters, although I’m not sure my drawing skills will be the best on that.)

So those are the prizes! I can’t wait to see who wins! If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below or contact me via my Contact Page. And remember, the deadline is July 20th, so please make sure to submit before then. Thank you all!