"Short stories are designed to deliver their impact in as few pages as possible. A tremendous amount is left out, and a good short story writer learns to include only the most essential information." --Orson Scott Card

WRITE IT NOW: SHORTS W.I.N.NERS!

December 1, 2005

A note from the judge:
 
I truly enjoyed reading these stories.  What a wealth of talent is out there!  There were more good pieces than awards.  I could've included more Honorable Mentions, but I decided to limit those to three in each category.
 
I judged each story on the basis of originality, strong characterization, voice, clarity, feeling,  and humor.   In every case I asked if the story did what it set out to do.  I also looked for stories that were not didactic or moralizing, that did not try to tie up everything with a big bow, and that were appropriate for their audience' s level of sophistication, interest, and emotional depth.
 
Although I could not give awards to all of the good stories, I want to encourage everyone to keep writing--and submitting.  Good luck to you all!
 
Marilyn Singer
 
And the Awards Go To...
 
Young Readers
 
1st Place:  "We're Not the Same at All!" by Jean Reagan, Salt Lake City, Utah
2nd Place:  "Moon Ranger 7" by Sara Francis Fujimura, Gilbert, Arizona
3rd Place:  "Baby Bear's Revenge" by Valerie Ipson, Mesa, Arizona
Honorable Mention:  "Corn Holler Aliens" by Janet E. Gill, Seattle, Washington; "Megumi's Gift" by Debbi Michiko Florence, Schenectady, New York; "Fish Live in Tree Houses" by Rachel Seydlitz, Irmo, South Carolina.
 
"We're Not All the Same at All!" is a perfect story about two kids trying desperately to figure out what they have in common--fresh and funny, it works because of the quirky details.  It's also especially appropriate for the age group.
 
"Moon Ranger 7" has a lot of heart and avoids sentimentality, which is the downfall of many stories, particularly those featuring disabled characters.
 
Although I'm not completely certain that "Baby Bear's Revenge" is for the younger set, it is a well-done spin-off parody of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears."  Actually, I think folks old and young would enjoy it.
 
 
Mid-Grade Readers
 
1st Place:  "The Girls of Colbey Junior High" by Caroline Downs, Bowbells, North Dakota
2nd Place:  "Hold the Onions" by Robin Bridges, Gulfport, Mississippi
3rd Place:  "Purple Sock" by Laurie Calkhoven, New York, NY
Honorable Mention:  "Proof of Angels" by Tracy Holczer, La Crescenta, California; "Sunflower Summer" by Sundee T. Frazier, Renton, Washington; "Don't Bug Me!" by Donna Gephart, Jupiter, Florida.
 
How delightful to read a story that captures those first moments when a boy notices...girls!  "The Girls of Colbey Junior High" does that and makes the reader laugh, too.
 
It's hard to write a successful fantasy about wizards and dragons, especially a humorous one, in light of HARRY POTTER.   "Hold the Onions" does succeed because of the unique milieu of these particular wizards--a hamburger joint!
 
"Purple Sock" is a classic adolescent girl geek vs. mean girl story.  What makes it rise above others of that ilk is the strong voice of the protagonist and her enjoyable lack of ethics!
 
 
Young Adult Readers

1st Place:  "Get the Door, It's Dominique!" by David McGinnis Gill, Wilmington, North Carolina
2nd Place:  "Angel in the Whirlwind" by Melinda Cordell, Savannah, Missouri
3rd Place:  "This Is Jane" by Sarah Stevenson, Modesto, California
Honorable Mention:  "In & Out" by Lindsey Taylor Leavitt, Audubon, Pennsylvania; "Speaking Human" by Lisa Gomez Maakestad, Arlington, Texas; "Letters from Bobby" by Kathi Baron, Oak Park, Illinois.
 
When was the last time you read a great Girl Vs. Satan yarn?  Well, "Get the Door, It's Dominque!" featuring a potty-mouthed heroine, a demon, and a Cadillac as main characters, is one!  Dominique, come on in!
 
Carl Jung, a visitation by an angel, Bible study, rape, suicide attempts--these are elements that could so easily push a story over the top, or off the deep end.  But they all meld in "Angel in the Whirlwind" to make a compelling, moving, and intense tale.
 
An irritating and endearing protagonist, Jane has the heart and soul of an editor, and, we writers appreciate her.  The voice is original and the story is one that hasn't been overworked.
 
Special mention:  "Barefoot" by Jaime Lin-Yu of Jersey City, New Jersey. This is a truly well-written story, but it is really for adults and not teens.  It feels like NEW YORKER material. 
 
Grand Prize Winner:  A difficult choice because all three first place winners are SO good.  But my choice is "We're Not the Same at All!" because I wouldn't change one word of it.
 

Congratulations to all of our Write It Now: Shorts! W.I.N.NERS! The Mid-Grade and YA stories will now be forwarded to publisher Miriam Hees at Blooming Tree Press for inclusion in their upcoming anthology, tentatively set for publication late next year. The Young Reader stories will be shared with the editors of children's magazines where they're most likely to fit (Highlights and Cricket among them).

Well done, everyone! Check back here for updates on our W.I.N.NERS. As we hear back from them, their good news is shared here on SmartWriters.com. And look for something really special coming up with the 2006 Write It Now! Competition - it's revolutionary!

SmartWriters.com is thrilled to announce the W.I.N.NERS of our first ever Short Story Competition. Come see, here on the December Journal page. Congratulations to all the writers who entered for putting your work out there, and a big "Well done!" to the writers of the stories that won.

SmartWriters.com is thrilled to announce our newest writing competition:

Write It Now: Shorts!

If you write short stories for children and young adults, you know how hard it is to get your work seen unless you're a published novelist whose reputation can help sell an anthology. Except for a few magazine markets, there really are very few options for talented short story writers. Because our Write It Now Competition has been extremely successful in helping new writers get their work in front of the editors who helped launch their careers, we want to do that for short story writers, too!

Three Categories:

Young Adult Readers, ages 15+       Word limit: 8,000
Mid-grade Readers, 11 – 14             Word limit: 5,000
Young Readers, ages 7 – 10            Word limit: 2,500

Enter complete short stories up to the word limit for each category.

Entry Fee: $10 per short story manuscript.
Entry Deadline: October 31, 2005.

Download your Entry Form here: .doc or .pdf (coming soon)
 
Formatting Your Entry

• If entering by regular mail, send THREE copies of each entry and include an official entry form for the entry (not each copy). Staple each copy, then paperclip the copies together with your entry form and entry fee. Only one entry form is necessary. 
• Do not put your name on your manuscript itself. Only the title.
• Indicate the Category and Age Range at the top left corner of your manuscript. 
• Put your Word Count at the top left, too, under the Category/Age Range. 
• If entering by email, please follow the directions on the email entry form at SmartWriters.com.
• Entries should be double-spaced with standard margins, Courier or Times New Roman 12 pt font. Please respect the word limits for each category. 
• Please do not enclose a SASE. Manuscripts will not be returned. It completely negates the blind judging to include a SASE with the finalist entries sent to our judges. 
• If you want to know your manuscript arrived safely, include a SASP.
• Mark the outside of your envelope: W.I.N. SHORTS Entry Enclosed.

The Rules

1. All entries must be the original, unpublished work of the author entering the work. 
2. The competition is open to authors and illustrators ages 18 and older. 
3. Entries will be judged on content, writing quality, and appropriateness to the target market. 
4. Note that while the word limits are generous, most markets for short stories agree that shorter is better, so please polish your entry as much as possible before sending – competition will be fierce.
5. Multiple entries may be sent in the same package, but each must be accompanied by its own entry form and three copies each of the manuscript. 
6. SmartWriters.com, 2-Tier Software, Inc., and their employees and agents are not responsible for lost entries, late entries, damaged entries, or anything that happens to your entry before it hits our desks. Please package it carefully and use a reputable delivery service. 
7. SmartWriters.com and 2-Tier Software, Inc. staff and immediate family members are not eligible to enter. 
8. SmartWriters.com reserves the right to withhold prizes in any category. Decisions of the judges are final.  
9. SmartWriters.com reserves the right to cancel the contest in the event we do not receive enough entries to cover the costs of the contest. In this event, all entry fees will be returned. 
10. Winners will be announced in the January 2006 Smart Writers Journal and on SmartWriters.com in January.

Returned Check Policy: All checks not honored by the bank will incur a $20 Returned Check Fee to cover our expenses. PLEASE NOTE, we now accept entry fee payment by PayPal and credit/debit card if you want to avoid checks altogether. Also, we can only accept money orders for U.S. funds from those outside the States, or you can pay your entry fees via PayPal, credit card, or debit card. Please see the Other Payment Options on the WIN: Shorts page.

The Prizes:

Grand Prize: $200 cash, plus a 2006 Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market
First Prize, each age category: $50 cash, plus a 2006 Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market

PLUS, the Grand Prize W.I.N.NER and First - Third place finishers in the midgrade and YA category will be published in a 2007 anthology with Blooming Tree Press. In addition, the top fifteen finishers in the midgrade and YA categories will be considered for publication as well. Says publisher Miriam Hees, "I love to publish Anthologies.  They make so many people happy."

We're working on something equally fabulous for the Young Reader category, too!

The Editors who will help judge the competition:
Kelly Milner Halls
Marilyn Singer
Roxyanne Young

Send your entry to:

W.I.N. Shorts/SmartWriters.com
10823 Worthing Avenue
San Diego, CA 92126-2220

Please make your check payable to SmartWriters.com.

Or, pay your entry fee via PayPal (see below) and email your entry to us!

Questions? Email This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it .

*You'll need the most recent version of Adobe Reader in order to download the .pdf version of the entry form, but it's a free download at the Adobe Web site, www.adobe.com.

OTHER PAYMENT OPTIONS:

If you're living outside the U.S. and do not wish to pay by money order, or for whatever reason you prefer to pay your entry fees using PayPal, click on the Add to Cart button below. 

IMPORTANT: So I can track the payment with the entry, PLEASE STAPLE A COPY OF YOUR PAYPAL RECEIPT TO THE ENTRY FORM WHEN YOU MAIL IN YOUR ENTRY. Then, on your Entry Form, please write in "Paid via PayPal" in the Entry Fee space.

OR, send your entry via email by following the directions on this page.

Thank you!
Roxyanne Young, Editorial Director, SmartWriters.com

SmartWriters.com Short Story Competition Entry Fee: $10

Please note that a .60 fee is added to cover the PayPal processing fees. Thank you!

Paypal not available in your area? Use our secured credit card processor provided by 2-Tier Software, Inc. by clicking on the link below.

Secured Credit Card Processor - Coming Soon

IMPORTANT: So I can track the payment with the entry, PLEASE STAPLE A COPY OF YOUR RECEIPT TO THE ENTRY FORM WHEN YOU MAIL IN YOUR ENTRY. Then, on your Entry Form, please write in "Paid via Credit Card" in the Entry Fee space.

If you're entering via Email please write your transaction number on the appropriate line on the Email Entry Form.

W.I.N.: SHORTS FAQ

Q: The word counts seem long for short stories. How come?

A: Because I didn't want to limit anyone here. A lot of people have commented on the generous word limit for each category, many pointing out that some novels are not much longer than 8,000 words. This is a good and valid point, but these are often the exception to the rule (Sarah, Plain and Tall, for instance), and stories of this length are more often categorized as novellas, which, when they are published at all, are placed in magazines that handle longer fiction (often magazines for grown-ups), or in anthologies with two or three other thematically-related stories.

Keep in mind that quality writing is still what we're looking for. Just because you've got 2,500 words to work with, doesn't mean you have to use them. If your story isn't tight and polished, it won't make it to the final rounds of judging. (I may be easy, but Kelly and Marilyn are TOUGH editors. <g>) Don't submit your work until you've cut every extraneous word you can. Make that entry shine, then send it.

Q. Would I automatically surrender any rights to my work by entering?

A: No, absolutely not. You retain all rights to your work except those purchased by Blooming Tree Press for the purposes of producing the anthology of winners.

Q: For winners and others chosen for the Blooming Tree anthology -- what rights would this involve?

A: Blooming Tree Press, as part of the prize package, will purchase one-time anthology rights to print the winners of the WIN: Shorts competition. They will pay for these rights separate from any prize money offered by SmartWriters.com, but I know their pay rates are competitive with other small presses.

Q. For the W.I.N. Shorts Competion, will postmarks by Oct. 31st be accepted or do snail mail entries have to arrive to you by that date?

Entries should be postmarked by October 31st, please. We've got a short reading period for these.

Editorial Request: Please note that the guidelines have changed a bit from the W.I.N. competition, so please read the directions carefully before printing your manuscript and sending it in.

Also, if you're a smoker, please air out your manuscript before sending it. I know it's a hassle, but I'm frightfully allergic to cigarette smoke and, trust me, that is not the first impression you want to make here. Thank you!

Roxyanne Young
Editorial Director, SmartWriters.com