Monday Musings: How about them short stories?

In a previous post, I mentioned the writing frenzy I got into while enjoying Spring Break at the coast. As well as working on my novel, I beavered away at a couple of short stories.

Short stories are an art unto themselves, an art of which I claim no mastery and limited knowledge. However, one of my beach-inspired shorts has received much encouragement from my critique groups. As a result, I plan to enter it in one (or all!) of the following contests:

80th Annual Writer's Digest Writing Competition (The Big Kahuna)

• Ten different categories, including Mainstream/Literary Short Story, Children's/Young Adult, and Genre Short Story
• Chidren's/YA word limit is 2000 words; Mainstream/Literary and Genre word limit is 4000
• Entry fee: $25
• Entry deadline: May 2, 2011
• Can enter online
• Prizes: Grand Prize is $3000 and a trip to the Writer's Digest Conference in New York City. (Other cash prizes for 1st through 10th place range from $1000 to $25)

[I just received an e-mail saying that if you enter now you will receive "a FREE download of The Writer's Market Guide to Getting Published, with everything you need to know to succeed in the business of writing (a $19.99 value!)"]

The Writer 2011 Short Story Contest

• Word limit is 2000 words
• Entry fee: $10
• Entry deadline: April 30, 2011
• Must enter online
• Prizes: $1,000; a free 10-week creative writing workshop offered online by Gotham Writers' Workshop ($420 value); publication in The Writer and on WriterMag.com; and a one-year subscription to The Writer. (2nd and 3rd prizes also)

And finally, something closer to home:

The Kay Snow Awards, sponsored by my local writers' organization, Willamette Writers.

• Six categories; fiction, nonfiction, juvenile, poetry, student writer and screenwriting
• Adult Fiction - maximum 2500 words. Juvenile Short Story, maximum length 1500 words, (written by adults for juvenile readers.)
• Entry fee: $10 for members of Willamette Writers and $15 for non-members.
• Entry deadline: April 23, 2011
• Cannot enter online--paper entries only.
• Prizes: 1st prize of $300; 2nd of $150; 3rd of $50

(If you scroll down the website you can see a photo of yours truly in a very busy blue shirt, accepting an award in 2009!)

Have you any short stories lurking in your closets? Might be time to dust them off and enter them in a competition! Good luck!!