Gotham Twitter Flash Fiction Contest/ How to Submit (Prize: Free Writing Workshop)

Every month Gotham Writers invite you to post a flash fiction story on Twitter using #GWstorieseverywhere for a chance to win a free class.

To apply for the Gotham Twitter Flash Fiction Contest, you must use the hashtag #GWstorieseverywhere. Your stories (which can be true or made up) will be inspired by what you see, know, or do, and they should relate in some way to these monthly “themes”:

In light of this, these are the themes for each month
July: Mirage
August: Instability
September: Feeling nostalgic
October: Doppelgänger
November: Wrong address
December: Mythical

Eligibility for the Gotham Twitter Flash Fiction Contest

The contest is open to anyone from anywhere around the world.
There is no age restriction.
Just be a writer. Therefore, write!
Entry is free.

Submission Guidelines for Gotham Contest

Your submission must not be more than 25 words. They count it.
Additionally, make sure you include the Twitter hashtag #GWStoriesEverywhere or your submission won’t be seen.
An important thing to do after writing is to Proofread what you write. A misspelled word or comma splice is enough to cause an otherwise worthy entry to be passed over.
Do not include the theme in your entry. For example, if the theme is “The bacon I took,” don’t start your story with “The bacon I took was so good that it…” and so on. It often leads to automatically being looked over. Also, keep in mind that the organizers want the theme to resonate within the story without you having to remind them that it does.
More so, make sure that your entry is actually a story. Using a pie theme, if your entry is, “This pie I had was so good that I enjoyed it,” you aren’t going to win. That’s not a story, it’s a statement.
However, if your entry talks about the first pie you ever had in a certain place and how every time you catch a whiff of blueberries baking, you’re transported to the seat in that dining room with the photos of you as a child on the wall… that’s pretty good. Now just make that into a cohesive story that stays under the word limit and you’ve got a great chance.

Writing Tip for Submission

Your submission doesn’t have to sound fancy. They don’t need big words to be impressed by your storytelling capabilities. In other words, use smart, sensible words that tell the story but don’t draw attention to your excessive vocabulary.
Also, make sure it sounds good. Sometimes the best stories have a lyrical component. Through use of such tools as alliteration (so long as it isn’t forced), you can help your story rise above the pack by simply making it a pleasant-sounding story. More importantly, words are instruments to be wielded by a writer. Don’t just toss them on the page. Give them some melody and rhythm.
Further more, making use of always helps. Being able to get your audience to pair with the depth of your story is great.