Are you looking for something to kick-start your writing in 2019? Are you resolving to enter more competitions and get feedback? Do you like the excitement of a tight deadline?
If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these, the New York City Midnight Short Story Challenge might be just the thing to get you energised for 2019.
There are three rounds to the competition. In the first round you have eight days to write a 2,500 word story, to a given genre and prompt (time to get out of your comfort zone!).
If you make it to round two, there are three days to write 2,000 words using different prompts.
In the final round there are twenty-four hours to write 1,500 words.
Every story submission receives feedback from the judges, plus you can choose to post it on a special review forum to get feedback from other competitors.
There are cash prizes for the top ten winners, ranging from $5,000 to $125.
As you might expect, given the size of the prizes, this is not a cheap competition. If you register before 13th December (be quick!) it’s $45 and after that it’s $55 but there is a $5 discount if you post on Facebook or Twitter to help advertise the competition.
This is a competition with no time for procrastination. Why not ask Santa for the entry fee?
With thanks to Alison Jean Lester for recommending this competition during her Improv for Writers course . She took part in the competition last year with some success at progressing through the rounds.
Sally Jenkins 