Writer’s Digest Short Short Story Competition 2023

 

Enter Now!  Deadline: 12/15/22. Writer’s Digest’s competition for short fiction. Send them your best...in 1,500 words or fewer. This competition is currently open for submissions.

DEADLINE: DECEMBER 15, 2022

They’re looking for short fiction stories! Think you can write a winning story in 1,500 words or less? Enter the 23rd Annual Writer’s Digest Short Short Story Competition for your chance to win $3,000 in cash, get published in Writer’s Digest magazine, and a paid trip to their ever-popular Writer’s Digest Conference!

• Prizes
• How to enter
• Preparing Your Entry
• FAQ
• Pricing and Deadlines
• Easy to follow PDF

Prizes

One First Place Winner will receive:

• $3,000 in cash
• Their short story title published in Writer’s Digest magazine’s September/October 2023 issue
• A paid trip to the Writer’s Digest Annual Conference, including a coveted Pitch Slam slot

The Second Place Winner will receive:

• $1,500 in cash
• Their short story title published in Writer’s Digest magazine’s September/October 2023 issue

The Third Place Winner will receive:

• $500 in cash
• Their short story title published in Writer’s Digest magazine’s September/October 2023 issue

Fourth through Tenth Place Winners will receive:

• $100 in cash
• Their short story titles published in Writer’s Digest magazine’s September/October 2023 issue

Eleventh through Twenty-Fifth Place Winners will receive:

• A $50 gift certificate for writersdigestshop.com

How to Enter

• All entries must be submitted online. Entries must be accompanied by the required judging fee. They accept PayPal or credit card payment for the required judging fee. Entry fees are non-refundable.
• All entries must be in English. Only original works that have not been published (at the time of submission) in print, digital or online publications will be considered. Self-published work in blogs, on social media, etc. will be considered. Writer’s Digest retains one-time nonexclusive publication rights to the winning entries to be published in a Writer’s Digest publication.
• All entries must be formatted to 8-1/2 x 11 or A4 paper. All manuscripts must be double-spaced. Entry files should not include name, address, and phone number in the upper left-hand corner of the first page since that information is collected on the form.
• BE SURE OF YOUR WORD COUNT! Entries exceeding the word limits will be disqualified. Type the exact word count (counting every single word, except the title and contact information) at the top of the manuscript.
• Due to U.S. Government restrictions we are unable to accept entries from Syria, Iran, North Korea, or Crimea.
• For more information visit their  Preparing Your Entry Page or their  FAQ page.

Writer's Digest at Amazon

 

Elements of Fiction: Narrator

Elements of Fiction: Narrator

 

The narrator is the story teller. The main character in the book can also be the narrator.

 

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Elements of Fiction: Style

 

 

 

Elements of Fiction: Style

Style includes the multitude of choices fiction writers make, consciously or not, in the process of writing a story. It encompasses not only the big-picture, strategic choices such as point of view and choice of narrator, but also tactical choices of grammar, punctuation, word usage, sentence and paragraph length and structure, tone, the use of imagery, chapter selection, titles, etc. In the process of creating a story, these choices meld to become the writer's voice, his or her own unique style.

For each piece of fiction, the author makes many choices, consciously or subconsciously, which combine to form the writer's unique style. The components of style are numerous, but include point of view, choice of narrator, fiction-writing mode, person and tense, grammar, punctuation, word usage, sentence length and structure, paragraph length and structure, tone, imagery, chapter usage, and title selection.

 

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Elements of Fiction: Theme

 

 

Elements of Fiction: Theme

Theme is what the author is trying to tell the reader. For example, the belief in the ultimate good in people, or that things are not always what they seem. This is often referred to as the "moral of the story." Some fiction contains advanced themes like morality, or the value of life, whereas other stories have no theme, or a very shallow one. re and when the story takes place.

 

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Elements of Fiction: Setting

 

Elements of Fiction: Setting

Setting is the locale and time of a story. The setting is often a real place, but may be a fictitious city or country within our own world; a different planet; or an alternate universe, which may or may not have similarities with our own universe. Sometimes setting is referred to as milieu, to include a context (such as society) beyond the immediate surroundings of the story. It is basically where and when the story takes place.

 

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Elements of Fiction: Plot

 

Elements of Fiction: Plot

The plot, or storyline, is the rendering and ordering of the events and actions of a story. Starting with the initiating event, then the rising action, conflict, climax, falling action, and ending possibly with a resolution.

Plot consists of action and reaction, also referred to as stimulus and response and has a beginning, a middle, and an ending.

The climax of the novel consists of a single action-packed sentence in which the conflict (problem) of the novel is resolved. This sentence comes towards the end of the novel. The main part of the action should come before the climax.

Plot also has a mid-level structure: scene and sequel. A scene is a unit of drama—where the action occurs. Then, after a transition of some sort, comes the sequel—an emotional reaction and regrouping, an aftermath.

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Elements of Fiction: Character

Elements of Fiction: Character

Characterization is one of the five elements of fiction, along with plot, setting, theme, and writing style. A character is a participant in the story, and is usually a person, but may be any persona, identity, or entity whose existence originates from a fictional work or performance.

Characters may be of several types:

• Point-of-view character: the character by whom the story is viewed. The point-of-view character may or may not also be the main character in the story.
• Protagonist: the main character of a story
• Antagonist: the character who stands in opposition to the protagonist
• Minor character: a character that interacts with the protagonist. They help the story move along.
• Foil character: a (usually minor) character who has traits opposed to those of the main character.

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