Author Topic: PseudoPod Flash Fiction Contest V Rules and Other Horrors  (Read 49515 times)

Bdoomed

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A special Flash Fiction contest portal will open on Submittable at midnight EDT on 8/15 and close at midnight on 9/15. If the portal disappears, submissions are formally closed and will not reopen.



In order to be a valid submission to the contest, each story must adhere to the following rules:

1. The story must be no more than 500 words long, not including its title. Do not use the title to skirt around the word count. Word count will be determined using Google Docs.  

2. The story must adhere to the general Pseudopod submission guidelines. Most importantly, it needs to be a horror story; other genres, including science fiction and fantasy, are discouraged. As a general rule, we will take a very liberal view of what constitutes horror, but authors should note that past experience shows that stories which attempt to skirt the genre restriction tend to fare badly in the voting.

3. The story must be original and previously unpublished. Stories will be posted on a members-only portion of the forum, so first publication rights will not be spent if your story does not win.

The person submitting the story must be the story's author (or acting for the author with express permission) and hold full publishing rights to the story. A story that is derived from a previous published work in another format (i.e. not a short story) is fine (assuming doing so isn't in violation of copyright, obviously).

If you are not sure whether your story counts as published or not (for example, if an earlier version has appeared on your blog but nowhere else), please write (PM or send a query to brian@escapeartists.net with the subject line "QUERY") and ask before submitting. Please do not submit stories that have been entries in a previous Escape Artists contest.

4. The story should be submitted in its final form, as the author intends it to be read by the voting public. We may or may not allow minor typo corrections if those slip in, but as a general rule, we will not allow authors to submit changes to stories, especially not after submissions are closed.

5. Each author may submit only one story.

6. Entries in the contest will be judged completely anonymously, with all authors on equal footing regardless of whether or not they are already published elsewhere or if they have any association with EA. In the interest of transparency, the following people have access to the submission portal, and can see the names of authors (and therefore are prohibited from participating): Graeme Dunlop, Shawn Garrett, Alex Hofelich, Brian Lieberman, and Dagny Paul. Note that staff on EA's other podcasts, and other forum moderators, have no access to this information and may choose to participate if they wish.

Included the body of the submission should be the title and the text of your story. Any byline will be stripped when the stories are posted in the contest, and will be revealed when either the story fails to advance, or ultimately wins. Feel free to request a pseudonym for the byline, but we will need a legal name if you win for prize purposes.

Please blog, tweet, email, send postcards, telephone, summon demons, and otherwise get the word out.
« Last Edit: August 08, 2017, 03:36:04 PM by Bdoomed »

I'd like to hear my options, so I could weigh them, what do you say?
Five pounds?  Six pounds? Seven pounds?


Ronan

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Reply #1 on: August 18, 2017, 12:19:39 PM
The Podcastle competition isn't even over yet and I'm already excited about this one.

Repealed!


shawnproctor

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Reply #2 on: August 24, 2017, 03:33:36 PM
This is a lot of fun. Like writing Cthulhu's name on a grain of rice.



Schrodingrr

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Reply #3 on: August 31, 2017, 10:29:10 PM
Just submitted my entry! Can't wait!  ;D

This sentence serves no purpose, so you don't have to read it if you don't want to.


Glass_Figurine

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Reply #4 on: September 04, 2017, 01:07:54 PM
Submitted! I'm excited about this one.



Chicken Ghost

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Reply #5 on: September 05, 2017, 12:46:26 PM
Next contest will be 250 words. 



Bdoomed

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Reply #6 on: September 06, 2017, 11:30:29 AM
Next contest will be 250 words. 
Interesting, I wasn't aware of that.

I'd like to hear my options, so I could weigh them, what do you say?
Five pounds?  Six pounds? Seven pounds?


hollyberry29

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Reply #7 on: September 06, 2017, 12:28:07 PM
Entered, fresh off the PodCastle FFC, haha. Here we go again! Good luck writers!!



Chicken Ghost

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Reply #8 on: September 06, 2017, 02:26:35 PM
Next contest will be 250 words. 
Interesting, I wasn't aware of that.

One after that will be 0 words.  It will be very competitive. 



Thunderscreech

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Reply #9 on: September 06, 2017, 03:17:36 PM
Next contest will be 250 words. 
Sweet Christmas. 

Welp, we survived the drop from 750 to 500.  Maybe we'll weather this too. 

"For sale: Baby shoes, partially digested."

Hey, maybe I can make aggressive limits work for Pseudopod after all.



Bdoomed

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Reply #10 on: September 06, 2017, 06:48:50 PM
Take a look at my previous work in the poll threads for past PP contests. Gaze deep into the abyss.

I'd like to hear my options, so I could weigh them, what do you say?
Five pounds?  Six pounds? Seven pounds?


Bdoomed

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Reply #11 on: September 06, 2017, 06:49:06 PM
AND DESPAIR.

I'd like to hear my options, so I could weigh them, what do you say?
Five pounds?  Six pounds? Seven pounds?


Not-a-Robot

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Reply #12 on: September 06, 2017, 06:50:58 PM
Next contest will be 250 words. 
Sweet Christmas. 

Welp, we survived the drop from 750 to 500.  Maybe we'll weather this too. 

"For sale: Baby shoes, partially digested."

Hey, maybe I can make aggressive limits work for Pseudopod after all.

Ha!

How about this one.

"The ever-shrinking word count: True horror."



Not-a-Robot

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Reply #13 on: September 06, 2017, 06:53:30 PM
AND DESPAIR.

Oh Bdoomed, king of kings, ye mighty.



starktheground

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Reply #14 on: September 12, 2017, 02:49:01 PM
So excited for this contest again! I had so much fun last time I did it.

Now, I just have to cut another 250 words ...



Feverwood

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Reply #15 on: September 12, 2017, 05:41:04 PM
There is a unlimited word count but you may only use each character once.


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Feverwood

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Reply #16 on: September 12, 2017, 05:45:54 PM
Or

Without hesitation, repetition or deviation write about the creature you struggle not to become for one minute; GO!


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FireTurtle

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Reply #17 on: September 12, 2017, 06:45:40 PM
**Wanders off after something shiny sometime in early August. Returns and finds horror upon horror - three days to write new flash.

“My imagination makes me human and makes me a fool; it gives me all the world and exiles me from it.”
Ursula K. LeGuin


hwaffle

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Reply #18 on: September 13, 2017, 02:04:51 PM
Not much of a horror writer but mine is in! Is it bad that I'm hoping for less submissions than the last round? That was a LOT of submissions, ha.



prestond

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Reply #19 on: September 14, 2017, 02:12:41 AM
I'm in. Looking forward to a big, horrifying slush-pile!



JohnAMcColley

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Reply #20 on: September 14, 2017, 03:46:18 AM
The fantasy one that just finished was my first Escape Artists contest, but I'm back for round two. Hopefully my horror game is at least as good as my fantasy game. Let's scare some people!



Black Dahlia

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Reply #21 on: September 14, 2017, 09:36:35 AM
My flash is in. Look forward to reading everyone's stories. Good luck, writers!



CaseySE

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Reply #22 on: September 14, 2017, 05:08:09 PM
Submitted my flash story. Looking forward to reading all the others!



Obleo21

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Reply #23 on: September 15, 2017, 01:55:57 AM
Done! I normally hang out in the flying castle, and now the magical theater (CoW) but this is my first trip down in the mire...



ACreamer

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Reply #24 on: September 15, 2017, 02:45:58 AM
And submitted.
« Last Edit: September 15, 2017, 02:55:47 AM by ACreamer »