BRATTLEBORO — Think pithy: Flash fiction is the style for this year's Write Action writing contest. The winning entry will be a work of original fiction of up to 820 words.
Organizers say contestants can choose as their theme “planting seeds the day before the end,” “hope in the dark,” or “fixing what can be fixed.”
First prize is $100, second prize is $50, and third prize is $25. The first-prize winner will be invited to read at Write Action's Literary Festival Spotlight, Oct. 4.
The submission deadline is Sept. 25. A writer's first submission is free. A second or third submission per person is possible at $10 per entry. No more than three entries are permitted per person.
According to Write Action's website, Rolf Parker-Houghton is this year's contest judge. His favorite flash fiction writers are given as Terry Bisson, Fielding Dawson, Mark Twain, and Virginia Woolf.
Write Action also notes that its potluck picnic is Sunday, Aug. 17, from noon to 4 p.m. The rain date is Aug 24.
No official definition of flash fiction exists, though the style generally finds writers telling complete stories in 300 to 1,000 words.