I have been submitting short stories into creative writing competitions for more than a decade. They are a great way to keep creativity flowing, and experiment with various writing styles and techniques. I usually aim to enter one competition a month, although this year I have entered far less: I have been writing a memoir with a deadline of December 2019.
I am pleased to announce I met that deadline, despite an array of personal events that demanded my attention and time. This manuscript is now cooling off in a drawer, awaiting the wrath of red ink at the end of January.
With no projects in the pipeline I return to creative writing competitions. Choosing a 500 word piece of flash fiction, I enjoy weaving a simple plot around a solitary unnamed female protagonist. I’m having fun after the laborious slog of 60,000 words.
A few days later, happy with my entry, I prepare to submit. Eagerly ticking off the submission guidelines: word count tick, Times New Roman 12pnt double space tick, theme tick, must not include violence cross. I made a monumental rookie error. Always read the full submission guidelines thoroughly.
This shouldn’t have happened, and I had no time to correct it. So I am revealing this embarrassing error to remind all you writers, always read the full submission guidelines. I have filed my short story as an epic submission fail, but great fun to write.
Happy writing in 2020.
