Mslexia, the magazine for women who write | www.mslexia.co.uk
Short Story Competition
MSLEXIA 2012 WOMEN'S SHORT STORY COMPETITION
The competition is for previously unpublished stories of up to 2,200 words on any theme.
JUDGE: Tessa Hadley
1st Prize: £2,000 plus a week's writing retreat at Chawton House Library* and a day with a Virago editor**
2nd Prize: £500, 3rd Prize: £250
Three other finalists win £100 each.
All winning stories will be published in issue 54 of Mslexia.
COMPETITION NOW CLOSED.
Winners will be notified mid-May. Good luck!
* The Chawton House Library (CHL) retreat is accommodation only: dates to be agreed between CHL and the competition winner.
** The day with a Virago editor: date to be agreed between Virago and the competition winner.
Both of these additional prizes are optional. The winner is responsible for any other expenses involved with attending the CHL retreat and the day with the Virago editor, i.e., travel, food etc. The prizes must be taken by 31 May 2013.
The Judge
‘There’s no recipe for a good short story – in fact, they need to be unexpected, surprising. The most familiar material can be surprising if it’s seen freshly.’
Tessa Hadley has written four novels – the latest of which, The London Train, was published in 2011 – and one collection of short stories, Sunstroke. A new story collection, Married Love, comes out in January 2012. She publishes stories regularly in the New Yorker, and reviews for the London Review of Books and the Guardian. She teaches on the MA in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University.
Short Story Writing Exercises - STEALING STORIES
If you're having trouble finding inspiration for a story to enter into the competition, try our series of three 'Stealing Stories' exercises by Sarah Salway, designed to inspire imaginative and original stories from 'literary theft'.
- Workshop One: Stories about strangers
- Workshop Two: Family Stories
- Workshop Three: Newspaper Stories
LISTEN TO LAST YEAR'S WINNING STORY
"You put the money in the drawer. You know this. You remember doing it..."
'Concessions' by Cate Bailey is now available to listen to for free at Short Story Radio. The story is narrated by Zehra Naqvi.
THE WRITE LINES SHORT STORY PODCASTS
Originally published as part of National Short Story Week and featured on Short Story Radio, these podcasts with Sue Cook contain interviews with short story writers, and a whole host of tips and tricks for writing – and reading – short stories.
This 38-minute episode is entitled 'British Short Stories' and contains interviews with prize-winning authors Emily Bullock, Stuart Evers, Linda Leatherbarrow and Jonathan Pinnock, as well as discussion about the market for short stories and the increase in festivals and competitions.
To listen to the other two in the series, 'Women's Fiction' and 'Children's Fiction' visit the website.
With thanks to www.thewritelines.co.uk and www.shortstoryradio.com
How to win a short story competition
We have taken the advice from a range of past judges of short stories and compiled it into a selection of top tips that give you some insider information into what short story judges are looking for when they're reading through all those submissions – and what to do to stand out. Click here to find out more.
On Winning...
"Having previously only been published in my high school magazine (circa 2002) and on my parent’s fridge, I am absolutely thrilled that someone other than my immediate family has read (and liked) something I’ve written." – Cate Bailey.
THREE YEARS OF THE MSLEXIA SHORT STORY COMPETITION
- Concessions by Cate Bailey (Jackie Kay – 2011) (Listen to this story on Short Story Radio)
- Love: A Painting by Sarah Klenbort (Tracy Chevalier – 2010)
- Wiggy by Beda Higgins (Helen Simpson – 2009)
More…
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