Contest

Rev your engines:

 

Mormon Mommy Writers is hosting our 2nd annual Writing Contest.  Last year we did something we'd never done before: We held a contest for short stories based on the theme "Totally Cliche`".

 

 

Then we went through the process of creating first an ebook (which is still available, by the way) and then a trade paperback of it (which is also still available). We showed you the sometimes complicated process, and hopefully it was as informative to you as it was to us. It was so much fun, we decided to do it again!!!

We learned a lot last year putting the book together. And we hope we can use that knowledge to make this year's book that much better.

One thing we learned is that our theme last year was maybe too narrow, as was our submission window. So we've changed that. Our new theme is broader, and hopefully will include more of our readership. Our theme this year is (drum roll please......)

 

"Mormon", "Mommy" or "Writer".

And to add to the changes, we've decided to include not only fictional short stories of up to 4000 words, but personal essays (think "Chicken Soup" type stories), AND poetry!!!! (Hopefully your poems aren't 4000 words.)

The contest will be open  June 1st to September 7th. 

Now that you’re excited (and I’ve got your attention) let’s get down to business. Here’s the contest breakdown: (Warning, it’s long, and just to be clear repeats information you've already read.)
1. "Mormon" "Mommy" or "Writer" is the theme.  You can choose to write on ONE aspect or any combination of the three. Or include all three.

2. The word count is 4000 or less. This count includes body, title and author’s name. 4000. No more. Not a word.  (Unless you're writing poetry, in which case use good judgement)

3. Content must be clean. We will be the first to admit that this is completely subjective. Our version of clean may not reflect yours. So here’s a general rule of thumb: No swearing. No gratuitous sex (never thought I’d post that line). No vulgar romantic stuff. And no graphic violence. The characters DO NOT have to be LDS. We’re open to a lot. Just make the content clean. Show us how creative you can be. Warning: any attempt to glorify inappropriate behavior, for example drug use, will get you booted from the contest.

4. Every writer is welcome to submit up to two stories.

5. There are no professional restrictions. This means entries will be accepted from both published and unpublished authors alike. Everyone will be judged on the same things so make sure your work shines!

6. Any and all submissions must be the original work of the submitter. By entering the contest, each participant accepts responsibility for any liability incurred by false claims of authorship. (Technical enough for ya?) Submissions cannot be previously published anywhere, including online, and cannot be subject to publishing rights from other parties.

7. The big question: Who can submit? Answer: Anyone. That’s right, even those of you with a Y chromosome are welcome to enter your work (i.e. men). Really, we hope that you do! Religious affiliation does not matter and will have no bearing on the judging. Anyone and everyone who feels inclined to participate is welcome to do so. Don’t let our name stop you.

8. Judging will be done by the seven contributors of this blog, with the possibility of independent guest judges, and stories will be assigned anonymous classification so that name and relationship do not influence the results.

9. Stories selected for the compilation are subject to first publishing rights only. We reserve the right to include the work in unlimited ebook sales with no hold beyond that. Since we can’t guarantee any sales of this compilation anymore than we can guarantee a profit beyond our incurred expenses, there will be no compensation beyond the prizes listed (in the nearby future), monetary or otherwise.

Guidelines for Submitting

1. Submissions should be emailed to: mormonmommywriters@gmail.com

2. The subject line should read MMW Contest Submission.

3. The top of the email should look almost EXACTLY like this:

Fanny Price (Your name)

fprice@janeausten.com (Your email address)

fannywrites.blogspot.com (Your web or blog address---if you have one)

Word Count

Entry classification (short story/essay/poetry)

4. Below your personal information, paste (do not attach) your submission. Please include the title and author name before the body of the story.

So, that’s the gist of our contest in several, rather large, nut shells. Through the following weeks we will take you on the journey with us from researching ebooks to the actual digital publication. We know the self-publishing route is a hot topic right now. A lot of writers are taking into consideration this new possibility and we’d like the opportunity to educate not just ourselves but our readers as well. So, stick with us as we explore this new and exciting digital world!