Prompt: Holiday Spirits
Last date to submit: December 15
Winner will be announced: Just before Christmas, 2016
Submit your short stories based on the writing prompt above. Sometimes the prompts are a few words, sometimes a sentence, sometimes it's more straight forward. Whatever it is, be creative with it, don't play to what you think I want to read. Write the story that is begging to come out based on your idea.
General Rules:
Anything unnecessarily graphic or crude will never be chosen as a winner. (i.e. no torture porn, no kids stuff - you know exactly what I mean, and no fan fiction. Be original.) Write with purpose and direction. If it's artfully done, it will be considered. If you're just being mean, a bigot, or using shock for the sake of shock value, the story will be deleted.
Stories don't have to be outrageous and "pushing it." They can (and should be) sweet, touching, happy, sad, or encompass all of the human emotions we feel. Surprise yourself. If you do, you'll probably surprise us with something moving and insightful.
Due to the amount of submissions we receive, I may not be able to give feedback on every story that comes my way - or by way of my guest editors.
If you get published, you'll receive an email with the publication date. Once the link goes live, share it on social media! You've earned the right to brag.
Should any of the stories be considered for an end of the year "Tales from the Asylum" anthology, we will reach out to you directly with terms. And yes, you will be paid. Not a lot. Writers and editors are poor. We do it for the love - and not the creepy E. L. James love.
Paste your story directly into the field below. Keep it short story length, so no novels or novellas, or movie/television scripts, no one act plays. You can experiment with form, but know that the tightest stories will take it. Spell check, grammar check, look for plot holes or unnecessary scenes. If I can predict the ending, a reader probably can too. Just saying...
Inmates, welcome to the Asylum. Have at it!