Random Acts of Crime Short Fiction Contest

http://www.crimeandsuspense.com/

Here is the Crime and Suspense ezine's first writing contest! 

This is a bit of an unusual contest, in that it may ask you to step out of your comfort zone by letting someone else define the basic parameters for your story.  But it is my hope that this will stretch the participants, by forcing them to take a path other than the easy, well-trodden one. 

The Rules:

• Upon entry, you will be given a story starter with the parameters for the story.  All the story starters are different and randomly generated.  A typical story starter might read thus:

 A crime mystery where a pair of sweat pants plays an important part.  One of the main characters must be a bus driver, and most of the activity takes place in a vacant warehouse.

• The entry fee is ten dollars U.S. (US$10), to be paid through PayPal (see below).
• You must use the story starter as given for the basis of your entry in the contest.  You are allowed latitude as to exactly how to use it, but any story which does not conform to the story starter will be disqualified, and the entry fee forfeited.
• You may make the crime a murder, a theft, a forgery, embezzlement or whatever suits your fancy, as long as it is a true CRIME.  (Read that as "a felony.")  Stealing a set of shoestrings from the five-and-dime doesn't qualify.
• If you don't like the story starter you receive, I am sorry.  No substitutions or "trades" are allowed.  If you wish, you may enter a second time (if there are story starters remaining) and use the new story starter, but you will have forfeited the original entry fee by doing so.
• All entrants must be subscribers to the Crime and Suspense ezine.  (It's a free subscription, so that shouldn't stop anyone!)
• Your entry must be submitted by the deadline date, electronically, as an .RTF file or a .DOC file, attached to an email.
• Your entry must be formatted as stated here:
• Your email must have the story starter clearly stated in the body of the email.
• Your email must have your first and last name, and the pseudonym you wish to credit with the story, if any.
• No identifying marks, name, email address or any other distinguishing feature may be in the story document itself.
• Your story starter must be at the top of the first page of the story document, verbatim as given to you.  You may ONLY use the story starter you have been given upon entry.  There are only twenty-six story starters, and no two people will have the same one.
• Your story may be no shorter than 1,000 words and no longer than 1,500 words (not including the story starter at the beginning).  Falling outside these word limits will disqualify the entry and forfeit the entry fee.
• The submitted story must be your own original work, never before published in electronic or hardcopy form.
• First and Second Place winners give their permission for their work to be published in Crime and Suspense, as noted in the Submission Guidelines.  Submission of your entry signifies that you have read and agree to these Submission Guidelines.
• The absolute deadline for submitting your entry story to the contest is Midnight, Eastern U.S. Time, on January 15, 2006.
• The winners will be announced through the Crime and Suspense ezine not later than March 1, 2006.
• The exact amount of the prize to be awarded will be determined by the number of entries, but the First Place winner will receive 50% of the total entry fees.  The Second Place winner will receive 25% of the total entry fees.  The maximum total number of entries possible is twenty-six, so the maximum First Place prize would be $130, and the maximum Second Place prize would be $65.
• The decision of the judge(s) is final.  Go here for the judging criteria.

PLEASE NOTE: In the sad event that at least five entries are not received, the entry fees will be returned to the entrants, minus the PayPal handling fees but with our apologies.

 

How do I enter?

Enter your name and email address in the form below, then click the PayPal button to be taken to a page to pay the US$10.00 entry fee.  

After making this payment, I will send your story starter to you at the email address you have given.