Next Competition Begins In
Twist in the Tale 1000 Word Contest, May 2024
Start Date: May 13, 12:00 AM (UTC)
End Date: May 19, 11:59 PM (UTC)
Word Limit: 1000
FIRST PRIZE: $1200 (US)
All Prizes:Results Due: July 11, 12:00 AM (UTC)
Entry Price: $30.00
Why Join In?
Unique Prompts
All entrants share a main genre but will be given a twisted subgenre (unusual) from a pool of ten. Entrants will also get either an event/character/object/subject (depending on the contest) that they must include. They can reroll subgenre and subject three times each. For example, if thriller is the main genre, you might get occult detective as your subgenre. Rerolling that might give you cyberpunk, environmental, etc. Example Genre.
Community and Support
Join writing groups, participate in beta reading, share stories (anonymously, if you prefer), and add friends so you can message them. Participate in weekly challenges to earn rewards and credits, saving you money on the contests. You can even create writing projects to track your words written and share your progress on your profile.
Retain Your Rights
We don't ask for any rights to your story. In fact, after stories go to judging, we'll help you find a home for them. Use our submission wizard to find publishers and track your submissions. You can track custom stories, too. We'll even help you write your cover letter if needed.
Fair and Transparent Judging
Receive true insight into how your story was scored. You'll see why judges scored your story how they did. Plus, there's an option for more in-depth judges' feedback.
Pets and Rewards
Choose between one of three unique pets to represent you on the forums. Earn new outfits and accessories for them by joining contests, and win rarer items by winning contests. But that's not all: earn credits through your referral link on your profile and save money on contest entries. You can even transfer credit! Spread the word and reduce your entry.
How Does It Work?
Transparency for a Clearer Picture
See exactly what areas your judges thought your story was stronger or weaker in. If your story is purposefully weaker in some areas, that's not a problem - judges will adjust for that with a bonus category where they can award points for stories that excel in unique narrative approaches or creative elements that wouldn’t be recognised in any of the other categories.
Additional Feedback
To keep entry price low for everyone, written feedback is an optional small cost.
Who Are the Judges?
While we keep our judges' identities private, they include professional editors, magazine chief-editors, and NYCM winners.
Your Feedback
If you opt for written feedback, you will find boxes and a rating system for both your judges. Feedback on judges is easy to give and will help shape future contests.
Side Quests
Weekly Writing Challenges
Side Quests offer weekly writing challenges designed to spark your creativity and get you writing regularly. With new prompts each week, you're sure to find something that inspires you. These challenges are free to enter and a great way to improve your writing skills.
Monthly Mini Contests
In addition to weekly challenges, Side Quests feature a special mini contest once a month. These contests come with more open prompts and offer bigger prizes, including cash, contest credits, and exclusive accessories for your pets. It's the perfect opportunity to test your writing in a more competitive setting.
Feedback and Scoring
After submitting your story to a Side Quest, you'll join a pool of submissions eligible for feedback and scoring. Stories are shown to readers almost at random, prioritizing those with the fewest reads to ensure fair exposure. This feedback loop is crucial for honing your writing based on community input.
One Entry Per Challenge
To ensure that feedback is distributed as widely as possible, participants are limited to one entry per Side Quest. This policy helps maintain a level playing field and guarantees that more writers receive the valuable feedback they need to grow.
Engage and Share
At the end of each week, the top 10 submissions are showcased. Writers have the option to share their stories on the beta forum for additional feedback or simply to celebrate their work with the community. These discussions enrich our understanding of storytelling and foster a supportive writing environment.
Current Challenge:
Lost and Found
Submission Wizard
Meet the Wizard
Submission Wizard is a community-run tool that helps you track and submit your story after a contest has moved to the judging stage.
Find Magazines
Select a story you've written and online sites that accept the genre you've written will pop up. Choose which ones look right for you, compare their rates, and submit. The Wizard will even generate a cover letter for you.
Track your Submissions
After you submit, update your status and it will go straight into your submission table for you to keep check of, write notes on, and update.
Community Powered
Magazines (online sites for stories) are added by community members. It's a tool for the community, and the community helps to keep them fresh.
Custom Stories
Have stories you want to track that you didn't write for Twist in the Tale? No problem - add custom stories, find mags, and track, just like you would for a story submitted here.
