Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Announcing the 2016 IWSG Anthology Contest!

It’s time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. If you’d like to join us, click on the tab above and sign up. We post the first Wednesday of every month. I encourage everyone to visit at least a dozen new blogs and leave a comment. Your words might be the encouragement someone needs.

Our awesome co-hosts today are C. Lee McKenzie, Rachel Pattison, Elizabeth Seckman, Stephanie Faris, Lori L MacLaughlin, and Elsie Amata!

September’s question of the month - How do you find the time to write in your busy day?


Announcing the 2016 IWSG Anthology Contest!

Eligibility: Any member of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group is encouraged to enter – blogging or Facebook member. The story must be previously unpublished. Entry is free.

Word count: 3000-6000

Genre: Fantasy

Theme: Hero Lost. It could be about a hero turned villain, a villain's redemption, a hero's lack of confidence, a hero's lack of smarts, etc. It can be about any kind of hero including superheroes, mythological heroes, unexpected or unlikely heroes, or a whole new kind of hero. This theme has plenty of scope and we’re open to pretty much anything along these lines. No erotica, R-rated language, or graphic violence.

Deadline: November 1st 2016

How to enter: Send your polished, previously unpublished story to admin @ insecurewriterssupportgroup.com before the deadline passes. Please include your contact details and if you are part of the Blogging or Facebook IWSG group.

Judging: The IWSG admins will create a shortlist of the best stories. The shortlist will then be sent to our official judges.

Prizes: The winning stories will be edited and published by Freedom Fox Press next year in the IWSG anthology. Authors will receive royalties on books sold, both print and eBook. The top story will have the honor of giving the anthology its title.

We’re excited to see the creativity and enthusiasm that’s such a part of this group put into action. So don your creative caps and start writing. And spread the word!

Our amazing judges this year: 

Elizabeth S. Craig writes cozy mystery series for Penguin Random House, Midnight Ink, and independently. She curates links on Twitter as @elizabethscraig that are later shared in the free search engine WritersKB.com.

Richard Harland finished his first novel in 1993 and resigned a university lectureship to become a full-time writer. With seventeen fantasy, SF and horror novels published since, he went international with his steampunk fantasies, Worldshaker, Liberator and Song of the Slums. He has won six Aurealis Awards and the A. Bertram Chandler Award in Australia, the Tam Tam Je Bouquine Award in France. Writing Tips

Laura Maisano has an MA in Technical writing and is a Senior Editor at Anaiah Press for their YA/NA Christian Fiction. She’s excited to release her debut YA Urban Fantasy SCHISM, and she’s finishing up the sequel UNITY.

Russell C. Connor has been writing horror since the age of 5, and has been in the self-publishing industry for a decade. He has published 8 novels and 4 novellas in both paperback and eBook, including the Box Office of Terror Trilogy and "Whitney," an epic horror novel about hurricane survivors fighting a washed-ashore sea monster. He also designs books for clients and assists them with self-publishing endeavors.

Dawn Frederick is the founder of Red Sofa Literary, previously of Sebastian Literary Agency, and she brings a broad knowledge of the book business to the table—with multiple years of experience as a bookseller in the independent, chain, and specialty stores; sales, marketing, & book development at a YA publisher, a published nonfiction author, and an agent associate literary agent at Sebastian Literary Agency.

Michelle L. Johnson is a literary agent, the founder of Inklings Literary Agency and has a business administration background in addition to a lifetime of working with books (sales, editing, and writing) and authors (marketing, promoting, event planning), and also has been a script/story consultant for an independent film.

Ion Newcombe is the editor and publisher of AntipodeanSF, Australia's longest running online speculative fiction magazine, regularly issued since January 1998. His qualifications and employment range from horticulture through electronics into literature and communications.

Author, Public Speaker, and Executive Producer, Lynn Tincher was born just outside of Louisville, Kentucky in the beautiful city of La Grange. She has written four books, with the fifth one currently in the making. Her first book, Afterthoughts was optioned for movie production by Kilted Pictures and Dancing Forward Productions in Los Angeles. It is currently in pre-production with plans to shoot in Louisville, Kentucky very soon.


Now, who's ready to write a fantasy short story about a hero lost?

32 comments:

Pat Garcia said...

This is an excellent selection of judges for the contest. I am sending positive thoughts to all of those fantasy writers out there in the IWSG. Go for it!
Shalom aleichem,
Pat Garcia

Pat Hatt said...

Quite the judges indeed. Hero lost, huh? Hmmm the cat shall have to think on it.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Let the writing begin!

Christine Rains said...

Fantastic theme! I must think of a story. :)

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

Thank you to the excellent judges. I'm so excited to read these. I love the theme.

Jen said...

WOW! What a fantastic panel of judges. A little intimidating but very, very encouraging. I'm excited to be at a place this year to actually participate. Best of luck to everyone submitting to the anthology! And thank you, IWSG, for again providing us all with a chance to not only submit our work but hone our skills and focus our stories. Cheers!

L.G. Keltner said...

That's a great theme! There are so many possibilities there, and you've rounded up another amazing panel of judges this year!

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

This is a great theme, and I can't wait to read the entries. We are surrounded by gifted Fantasy writers. Can't wait.

Mary Aalgaard said...

Great topic/theme. I think you will get hundreds of submissions. Thanks for organizing it!!

Chrys Fey said...

How exciting! We're going to get many great submissions.

Sandee said...

Can't wait to see who enters and read their submissions. Fun.

Have a fabulous day. ☺

Juneta key said...

Great theme. Looking forward to it.
Juneta @ Writer's Gambit

Laura Clipson said...

I can't wait to take part in this, it's an excellent theme!

Michael Di Gesu said...

This will definitely take me out of my writer's slump.... Awesome judges... Awesome theme....

All the best to those who participate....

diedre Knight said...

How exciting! Terrific panel of judges too ;-)

Michelle Wallace said...

There are lots of Fantasy writers, so I have a feeling there will be tons of entries.
Exciting times!

klahanie said...

Hey kids,

Check out all those awesome judges! "September’s question of the month - How do you find the time to write in your busy day?" Simple, I don't bother. Much easier to let Penny the Jack Russell dog and modest internet superstar, do almost all of the writing. You folks might consider doing a similar thing.

Thank you so much for being part of "IWSG" aka "I Was Seeking Gary."

Gary

Sher A. Hart said...

Just when I thought it was safe to go back in the writer's water... I'm still trying to make it to my laptop often enough to edit. Writing though? My hero would have to be a chicken. Maybe literally. Okay, I did write a post for IWSG, and yes it's about chickens. That's something.

Erika Beebe said...

I love the topic!

Yvonne Ventresca said...

Great theme!

Dihiwi said...

Interesting contest! I wish I was in the mood to write more fantasy. I have enjoyed reading and learning more about the bloggers taking part in the Insecure Writer's Support Group. You have been very encouraging to me and I hope to have helped a few writers as well. Have a good weekend! www.dianeweidenbenner.com

H.R. Bennett said...

Mmmmph! Conteeeesssst.

I need to think of something.

Lux G. said...

Oh, wow. Looking forward to read something good. :)

Debra Renée Byrd said...

I need to hit the laptop! Deja vu! lol

Roland D. Yeomans said...

I just sent you my submission, SOMETIMES THEY COME BACK. 5,390 word fantasy about the Caretaker of a very unusual House and grounds. May reading it not make you retch! :-) Thank you for the opportunity! Best of luck, everyone!

Unknown said...

Can't wait to give it a try. I've never written Fantasy before. So looking forward to the challenge.

Theresa Milstein said...

I had something started I thought might work, but it's not fantasy. Hm... must think about it.

Diana Wilder said...

'Hero lost'? Hmmmmmm.....

Tony Laplume said...

Figured I'd enter the contest. Have fun judging!

Henri said...

Got one going, can't wait to send it in.

Anonymous said...

Will you be accepting entries on the 1st?

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Yes, we will be accepting entries on November 1.