Enter Our New Contest, ‘Horror: Told in 100 Words’ to Earn Some Cold Hard Cash and Publication!

A quick editor’s note: Tim Meyer, longtime HNR contributor and kick ass author of multiple critically acclaimed novels will be spearheading this contest, and I cannot possibly thank the man enough! We owe Tim a very serious debt of gratitude, as running a contest of this nature isn’t the comfy walk in the park some may believe. There’s a lot of hard work that goes into an event of this nature, and the fact that Tim was eager to step up to the plate says an awful lot about the man!

 

HORROR: TOLD IN 100 WORDS

Contest/Anthology

Okay, folks! Here’s the skinny. Flash fiction is pretty hip nowadays and we want to see who can come up with the most creative horror story using 100 words or fewer. Sounds fun, right! Right?!?!

So first thing’s first—the theme. This contest/anthology will have a dual theme. The first is Creation. The second is Destruction. All stories touching on these two topics will be accepted. Doesn’t matter what it is. Get creative!

The following is an example of a Creation story:

Her innards writhed as what felt like molten lava slithered through her. Closing her eyes, she screamed. A slimy mess punched its way out, into the arms of a naked man standing before her. He held it, murmuring sweet sounds of affection. He wiped the green sludge off its forehead, staring into worlds far beyond its tiny, seed-like eyes.

“You did well,” the thing using her husband like a sock said, unable to avert its eyes from the monstrosity in his arms. “But this is only the beginning. We have more to make.”

Helplessly chained, the woman screamed.

This not-quite-worthy tale clocks in at 98 words, while Fredric Brown’s classic flash fiction piece “Knock” is only 17. It doesn’t matter how many words under 100 you use, as long as it pertains to those two topics and it’s creepy, it qualifies.

Here are some basic guidelines and incentives:

HOW IT WORKS: We will be accepting stories from now until the end of September. At the end of the submission period, TEN (5 from each theme) stories will be chosen and posted to HNR’s website. There will be two weeks of voting where readers can weigh in. They will ultimately choose the winners.

WHAT’S THE PRIZE? (AKA. WHY BOTHER DOING THIS?): Both winners will receive $50 via Paypal. The 10 best runner-up stories will also earn note with each author having their names featured on the front cover of the anthology (if applicable).

HOW DO I SUBMIT?: Email us at hnr100wordssubmissions@yahoo.com. Please put your story title and author name in the subject, along with the theme (STORY TITLE – AUTHOR NAME –CREATION/DESTRUCTION). You can attach a word doc, ODT file, or PDF, or put your story in the body of the email. Submissions open from July 20th to September 30th. (Note: if you wish to participate in the contest, but don’t wish to have your work published in the anthology, please note in your submission, thank you!)

ANTHOLOGY: Depending on the amount of submissions, we will most likely publish the best stories in an anthology. We’re shooting to publish 50 from both themes, but that’s contingent on the amount and—more importantly—quality of submissions. Contributors will be provided an e-copy as payment.

HOW MANY STORIES CAN I SUBMIT?: You may submit one story from each theme. Send stories in separate emails please.

CAN MY DOG SUBMIT A STORY?: Um, if your dog is capable of such a thing and has his/her own email address/Paypal account, go right ahead!

WHO WILL SELECT THIS TOP TEN THAT EVERYONE IS VOTING ON?: HNR Creator/Editor Matt Molgaard, Author/HNR Contributor Tim Meyer, and modern monster maestro and Samhain Publishing standout Hunter Shea.

IF I WRITE A STORY THAT’S 101 WORDS, WILL I BE DISQUALIFIED?: Mmmm, yes.

GOT ANY TIPS?: Be creative. Be haunting. Write something that will make the reader think long after your 100 words are up.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS?: Feel free to shoot us an email at hnr100wordssubmissions@yahoo.com with the subject QUESTION.