Horror Story Contests

[Bartwald]

With a bunch of horror-obsessed friends I brought to life a genre magazine - check out the cover here: czachopismo.pl/forum/index.php - and we're currently looking for good horror stories to be published in upcoming issues. Here's the most urgent thing:

A horror short that's no longer than 100 words

If you can send me this until Saturday, 25th August (one piece or more) we will have time to read it, evaluate it and - in case it's good enough - translate it into Polish and publish it in issue #3 together with a dozen or so other short stories.

The other contest doesn't have such a short deadline:

A horror short story no longer than 7 pages

That is: 7 pages in Word, Times New Roman font size 12. Deadline: the end of September 2007.

* * *

Please note: as for now there's no money in it, but if your story gets published you'll at least get a copy of the magazine (it's in Polish but, well, it looks pretty damn good - and there will be your name in it!).

[Pulpmariachi]

Very enticing offer, Bart.

[LivingDeadGirl]

Hmmm...I might could make the Sep. deadline for the longer one... I'll have to dig out some of my old stuff and see what I can come up with.

[slayrrr666]

Yeah, I think I might look for the longer one as well. See what I can about the first one but no guarantees.

[Pulpmariachi]

Tell me Bart, are you guys actually looking for serious horror stories or B-movie kind, that are kinda silly but still scary...? Or just a mixture of both?

[Bartwald]

Either one of these or a mixture of both - it really doesn't matter as long as it's good, thrilling and fun. Of course, I won't be the only person to make the final choice but all the members of the jury like B-movies as much as they do serious stuff.

I'm glad that I can count on several entries for the second contest but I encourage you to try the 100-word-long one, too: as soon as you have a good idea it's a breeze.

[Quorthon]

Are you serious? No more than a hundred words?

[Bartwald]

Totally serious, yeah. The idea stems from Graham Masterton's essay on how 100-word stories are the ultimate challenge for a horror writer.

[Bartwald]

Just reminding you that the time's running out for the super-short ones! Hope I get something from you.

[slayrrr666]

Hold on! Hold on! I've got a great idea, and the shortest version of it is about 115, so I'm almost there. If it's not there by the end of tomorrow, then I didn't make it.

[slayrrr666]

Been working on it all morning, and I finally got a version that fits the criteria that I like:

Natalie settles in for a night of movie-watching. Turning on the TV, she goes through the channels and finds a black&white movie involving a woman running up to a door and banging frantically. Out of the darkness, a hooded psycho appears and sticks a machete in her ribs. Lifeless, she slumps to the floor.
The killer disappears, but the camera stays. Thinking it odd, Natalie watches until the floor creaks behind her. Turning around, she realizes too late she’d been watching the closed circuit feed off their surveillance camera and the killer is now standing behind her.

[Bartwald]

Okay, thanks. Now I'm going to translate it and give it to several people for evaluation.

[slayrrr666]

Ok, cool. Hope you like it.

[Bartwald]

Looks like we have a bit more time for the 100 words long stories: Saturday 25th.

If you feel like you have a knock-out idea for this - here's your last chance!

[Quorthon]

Ahhh oops.