Writing
Showcase
the rules
Have you ever wanted to write your own ending or shape a new narrative? That's the theme of my standalone novel Lost Coast Literary and the inspiration for my first writing showcase, which will feature you and your writing.
Here's how it will work:
I've written three short story starts—a mystery, a romance, and something a bit open-ended with a touch of magic. Pick the story that resonates most with you and finish it. It's that simple. Where the story takes us next is entirely up to you. Perhaps your story will wrap up nicely with a neat and tidy bow. Or maybe your ending will leave us wanting more. That's the magic of storytelling. We each bring our own voice and lens to the page. Tap into your creativity. Let words be your guide.
I've written three short story starts—a mystery, a romance, and something a bit open-ended with a touch of magic. Pick the story that resonates most with you and finish it. It's that simple. Where the story takes us next is entirely up to you. Perhaps your story will wrap up nicely with a neat and tidy bow. Or maybe your ending will leave us wanting more. That's the magic of storytelling. We each bring our own voice and lens to the page. Tap into your creativity. Let words be your guide.
Terms & Conditions:
By entering this contest, the entrant indicates that they have read and agree to these terms and conditions set forth by Sweet Lemon Press, LLC and Ellie Alexander.
By entering this contest, the entrant indicates that they have read and agree to these terms and conditions set forth by Sweet Lemon Press, LLC and Ellie Alexander.
- Sweet Lemon Press, LLC is the promoter of this writing contest and the publisher of publications in which winning entries might appear. Author reserves all rights to their work for Sweet Lemon Press, LLC and Ellie Alexander to share on her livestreams and publish on www.elliealexander.co
- Entrants must be 18 years of age or older.
- There are no geographical restrictions; submissions may be submitted from anywhere. However, this competition and any prizes awarded are void in countries, states, or other jurisdictions where such contests are prohibited by law.
- Each submission must be the entrant's own and wholly original work, written in English, and be a comprehensive, standalone short story of 2,000 words.
- In order to be eligible for prizes – i.e., to qualify, submissions must be complete, clearly written, and as free as possible from spelling and grammatical errors. Submissions that fail to meet these criteria will be rejected.
- The following are examples of other reasons Sweet Lemon Press, LLC might reject or disqualify a submission, although this list is not exhaustive, and submissions may be rejected for other reasons: the submission does not comply with terms and conditions, the contest guidelines, or rules; the submission or information submitted with a submission are found to contain false or unoriginal information; entrant is not eligible to enter the competition; the entrant cannot be contacted.
- Writers may submit multiple submissions but must send a completed unique entry via email for each submission.
- Each entrant must provide a cover page with a first and last name, phone number, mailing address, and email address with the submission.
- Awards of $150 (USD, Visa gift card), a Storyventure candle pack, and writer stickers will be issued to the winner of each category.
- The deadline for submission is Sunday, October 23, 2022, at 11:59 pm PST.
- Winners will be announced, and their stories read live online, on Tuesday, November 15, 2022.
- Entrants of Submissions selected for prizes will be contacted at the email address provided and given a time frame to respond to the offer of cash prizes and a publishing contract. Entrants who do not respond in the required time frame will forfeit the prize.
- Previously published works may not be submitted. Entries must never have been previously published, in print or online (including self-published, ebook, magazines, journals, audio, websites, blogs, social network sites), or won a prize in another writing competition. Any submission found to have been plagiarized will be disqualified.
- Sweet Lemon Press, LLC is not responsible for any problems with or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, online systems, servers and providers, computer equipment, software, failure of any email submission to be received on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any website, human errors of any kind, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to participants' or any other persons' computers related to or resulting from participation, uploading and downloading of any materials related to the contest.
- By entering the contest, all entrants agree to release, discharge, and hold harmless Sweet Lemons Press, LLC and its partners, affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising agencies, agents and their employees, officers, directors, and representatives from any claims, losses, and damages arising out of their participation in the contest or any contest-related activities and the acceptance and use, misuse, or possession of any prize awarded.
- Winners will be decided by Ellie Alexander or a panel of readers and will be notified by email at the address provided in the submission. Sweet Lemon Press, LLC has no obligation to inform entrants who are not selected for prizes.
- Sweet Lemon Press, LLC reserves the right to vary the terms and conditions as may be deemed necessary or cancel the competition if deemed necessary.
Choose one or more of the following story starts (click to download). You can write up to one (1) entry per story start for a maximum of three (3) entries:
While you can finish the story any way your heart desires, there are specific guidelines for submitting your entry:
While you can finish the story any way your heart desires, there are specific guidelines for submitting your entry:
- Your portion of the story should be no longer than 2,000 words.
- Stories should be formatted in Times New Roman 12-point font and double-spaced.
- Files must be saved in Microsoft Word document format (.doc or .docx)
- Entries must include a cover page with the author's full name, mailing address, email, phone number, and story title—The Sound of Hello, Sand Doom, The Peculiar Case of Swenson Summers.
- Email your submission to: writingshowcase@elliealexander.co
- Submissions are due no later than Sunday, October 23, 2022, at 11:59 pm PST.
- By submitting a story, entrants are agreeing to the rules below.
the entry how-to
Prizes:
A total of three (3) grand prizes will be awarded, one (1) for each story category:
A total of three (3) grand prizes will be awarded, one (1) for each story category:
- $150 (USD, Visa gift card)
- Storyventure candle pack
- Writer sticker pack
- Winning stories read live on Ellie Alexander's livestream on Tuesday, November 15, 2022
- Winning stories published on Ellie Alexander's website at www.elliealexander.co
Judging:
Entries will be assigned a number that correlates with the cover page so that each story will be read anonymously.
Ellie Alexander will read each entry. If there are more than 50 entries, Ellie Alexander will tap into a panel of pre-selected readers to help with judging. Contest entrants may NOT serve on the reader panels.
Judging criteria will be broken down as follows: creativity (30 points), characterization (20 points), plot (20 points), setting (10 points), writing mechanics (10 points), and writing quality (10 points).
the goods
the decision process
Ellie Alexander's
