500 Word & Winter Theme Picture Challenges now open

Herewith the details of the next 2 story challenges, both of which are open for submissions from today:

1. 500 Word Challenge 2010
Stories and snippets with a maximum word count of 500 words, must have spanking content but can feature whatever theme you wish. Participants can of course submit several entries if they wish.

Closing date for submissions: 8th Dec 2010 (midnight GMT/UTC)
Voting: 9th Dec 2010 to 24th Dec 2010 (midnight GMT/UTC)


2. Winter Theme Picture Challenge 2011
Stories based on either of the following pictures:





Stories must have a minimum of 1,000 words but there is no maximum word count.

Closing date for submissions: 8th Jan 2011 (midnight GMT/UTC)
Voting: 9th Jan 2011 to 24th Jan 2011 (midnight GMT/UTC)


The usual challenge conditions are applicable:

- You can feature whatever orientation you prefer to write about - M/F, F/m etc.
- You can have more than one entry if you wish.
- All stories entered must not have been previously published anywhere on the internet.
- Please note that we do not allow stories that feature sex between an adult and a minor.
- Stories entered for the contest will not show the authors name until after the voting has taken place.
- Voting is for fun only and any site member will be eligible to vote.
- Stories for both challenges should be submitted to our email address or via the Contact Us button making sure the story title, your author name and the challenge you are entering have been included.

Please note that voting procedure has now been changed and readers will now be able to assign up to 10 points for each story.

Thanks and good luck to everyone.

PS - The original picture included an eagle and what appeared to be a US flag. I didn't spot the flag originally, (ooops, norty me) and we have removed it along with the eagle, just to give a bit more scope for the writing. If anyone has already written their contest entry and referred to an eagle and a flag, that's absolutely fine.

Good Choice. Authors can enter either or both contests.

Since the stories that I have written in the past have usually been more than 10 times the limit of the 500 Word Challenge I will try to see if I can write a story of less than 500 words that is interesting enough for people to read. That really will be a challenge.

By the way, here is the most commonly accepted catagories for stories of varying lengths:

Up to 100 words - Micro-Fiction
100 to 1000 words - Flash Fiction
1000 to 7500 words - Short Story
7500 to 20,000 words - Novellette
20,000 to 50,000 words - Novella
50,000 to 110,000 words - Novel
Over 110,000 words - Epics and Sequels

So the 500 Word Challenge would be Flash Fiction and the Picture Challenge would be Short Story and above.

I think I had that picture on a calendar that I had. It is obviously American with the flag and bald eagle.

And obviously not in Florida.

Not in Canada either...it looks too warm!

I think its a union jack and correct me if I am wrong but isn't that a golden eagle?

First, I can't get the bird to talk to me. Perhaps Raptor would have better luck?

Putting the picture on maximum zoom, I'm willing to accept that it could be any of several flags. I see what could be a Christmas tree in one of the windows. Did I miss any other potentially important minutiae?

Guy

It's like that children's game where secret items are hidden within the picture, yet in plain view if you look closely enough. Hmm... I see a paddle obscured by one of the trees, and part of the branches look suspiciously like a cane. And... is that a riding crop behind one of the windows? I'll go get my reading glasses to be sure.

Riding crop? You have magnificent eyesight even without your reading glasses Janine!

I've thought of an idea for one story, and I quite like it!