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READ THE WINNING ENTRIES |
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Excessive spelling and grammatical errors. Everyone makes the odd typo, but there is no excuse for submitting work that hasn’t been properly proof read. If
you are not !confident in your language skills then you must enlist the help of someone who is! Take a look at this short video if you are unsure about proof reading. Not observing the rules. It really is vital that you thoroughly understand the rules before you hit the page. The biggest problem this year was the lack of titles. You must give your entry a title! It helps to hook the judge and a really good one will stick in the mind long after it has been read. We also had a couple of entries which exceeded the word count and several that did not start with the opening line. Talking of opening lines, this caused several writers a problem with continuity. The opening sentence was faithfully copied, stuck at the top of the page and then bore little relation to anything that came next! If you are given an opening line, (or ending line), it must fit seamlessly into the story. Originality is always a problem with supernatural stories. Too many writers relied upon the shock/horror tactic of drenching their story in blood and gore! There are only so many ways you can describe butchery and disembowelment and in all probability yours was very little different from every other story submitted! The real art of “chilling” the reader is done by creating atmosphere and making them confront their own worst nightmares through the fears and actions of the story’s characters. You don’t need to leave your pages needing a blood transfusion when you place the last stop. Our next contest is Tinsel Tales - an online flash fiction competition for 250 word festive stories. No opening line, just a fun, festive theme! Tinsel Tales Flash Fiction short story contest. |
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READ THE WINNING ENTRY |
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DON’T FORGET WRITELINK |
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