Click to jump to info on: Short Fiction –or– Flash/Poetry
SHORT FICTION
A picture tells a thousand words, so what does the above picture
tell you? That’s the challenge of our 2005 Halloween Writing Contest.
Your story must explain the picture. Our standard Writers Guidelines apply, with these additional rules for the contest:
- Length of story not to exceed 1,000 words.
- Genre must be Horror.
- No sexual content or offensive language.
- The story must not make the situation a dream, hallucination,
computer simulation or any other form of artificial or simulated
reality.
For the benefit of the visually impaired or those using browsers
unable to display the picture, here are the key points of the
illustration.
- The illustration is of a partially smashed jack o’lantern with a blood-red interior. It rests on a bed of pumpkin leaves. Its top is not on straight.
- Inside is a scantily-clad woman wearing a ripped white t-shirt
and denim shorts. She is also wearing green sandals. She
has blonde hair and orange eyes. She is sitting in a mound of pumpkin pulp inside the jack
o’lantern with her right arm coming through the pumpkin’s right
eye.
- A sledgehammer is leaning against the pumpkin’s left side.
- A two-button computer mouse is coming from the back of the pumpkin on its right side. It
is not clear whether the mouse is coming out of the pumpkin itself
or from something close behind the jack o’lantern.
- Partially wrapped around the jack o’lantern’s exterior is a fire-breathing dragon. It has no legs or wings–just a serpent body. It’s head is of a European-style dragon. It is a dark-grey color with large yellow eyes and two big red horns on its head.
- Through the top of the pumpkin and coming out both sides is a
metal pole with a orb finial at either end. On the jack o’lantern’s left side, a medieval-looking banner hangs from the pole. It is navy blue in color with gold ornaments
in the top two corners. The lettering on the banner, which is
in glowing neon pink, reads “Eat at Joe’s.”
The deadline for entries is October 7, 2005. Multiple entries may be submitted, but each must be eMailed
separately.
Please structure the Subject header of your eMail as shown below:
You may send entries to: 
The winner will be chosen by Dan C. Rinnert, editor of ScienceFictionFantasyHorror.com.
At his sole discretion, he will choose the story that he feels
best explains the circumstances depicted in the illustration.
Up to three (3) runners-up may also be chosen.
The winning story will be published on ScienceFictionFantasyHorror.com.
The publication date, unless circumstances warrant otherwise,
will be October 31, 2005. Runners-up, if any, will be published
on dates to be determined.
The winning story and runners-up will also be published in a limited
edition 2005 Halloween Writing Contest chapbook. Winner and each
runner-up will receive two (2) contributor’s copies of the chapbook.
The winner of the contest will be paid for first rights to the story at a rate of 5 cents per word. Runners-up will be
paid for first rights at a rate of 2 cents per word. All other rights remain with the
writer(s). ScienceFictionFantasyHorror.com retains all rights
to the illustration.
FLASH/POETRY
The challenge of the flash/poetry portion of our 2005 Halloween
Writing Contest is to write a story or poem expressing the theme:
“The Only Good Spider is a Dead Spider.” Our standard Writers Guidelines apply, with these additional rules for the contest:
- Length of story or poem not to exceed 250 words.
- Genre must be Horror.
- No sexual content or offensive language.
The deadline for entries is October 7, 2005. Multiple entries may be submitted, but each must be eMailed
separately.
Please structure the Subject header of your eMail as shown below:
You may send entries to:
Up to three winning stories or poems will be chosen by Dan C.
Rinnert, editor of ScienceFictionFantasyHorror.com. At his sole
discretion, he will choose the stories or poems that he feels
best expresses the theme.
The winning stories or poems will be published on ScienceFictionFantasyHorror.com.
The publication date, unless circumstances warrant otherwise,
will be October 31, 2005.
The winning stories or poems will also be published in a limited
edition 2005 Halloween Writing Contest chapbook. Each winner will
receive two (2) contributor’s copies of the chapbook.
The winners will be paid for first rights to the story or poem at a rate of 5 cents per word. All other
rights remain with the writer(s).
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATION
The illustration was done by Matthew Laznicka of Basement Productions. Matthew has done a number of other illustrations for the site
which you’ll be seeing soon.
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