Win $200 in Short Story Contest

A Short Story Contest with Cash, Publishing, and Feedback Want to get your short story published? Mezzo Magazine has asked TheNextBigWriter to help it find a special story to publish in their September 2009 debut issue. The challenge of this competition is to create a short story that has the right ingredients to be featured in Mezzo Magazine’s September issue. So what is Mezzo Magazine looking for? In their words: “The stories we publish are intelligent and creative but with no pretence of intellectual aspirations. We want to enjoy the read, not study the text. We appreciate edgy and irreverent writing that makes us see, hear and be in the story. Our editors use their judgment, and review the following elements to score your submission. Opening lines – Does the beginning make you want to read more? Plot – is there a continuous thread of suspense? Setting – Are the sensory details effective? Voice and Tone – Is the narrative voice consistent and unobtrusive? Conflict – Are the stakes and the conflicts surrounding them clear? Dialogue – Is the dialogue natural sounding? Is it easy to read? Resolutions – Does the story have a satisfying ending?” The subject is your choice, but no stories with excessive gore, violence, profanity, hate or discrimination. The story should be a minimum of 1,000 words but under 3,500 words. Contest submission deadline: June 30, 2009. ~ Signing off and sending out cyber hugs.

~ by Courtney Vail on May 26, 2009.