www.southerner.net Features The Southerner Virtual Short Story Competition The Southerner is proud as punch to announce the Virtual Short Story Competition. This is a unique tale that will be crafted from the approved weekly short fiction additions of worldwide contributors.     The storyline will be established with an initial 500-word installment. Thereafter, each 7-day period (Monday - Sunday) will be open to submissions for the following 500 word installments. Installments should try to adhere to style, yet develop the storyline and characters in striking ways. The goal should be to craft the most superb story possible. All installments will be judged and approved by the staff.     Each week, the winning installments will be posted on Monday to allow development of the overall story, provided a submission worthy of publication is chosen. If not, the contest will continue the next week and the deadline will be moved back a week. At the end of the contest, the 10th week in which an acceptable entry is chosen, submissions will cease and a final "wrap" installment will be posted to end the story.     The completed virtual short story will be posted in the winter issue of The Southerner and published in a special limited edition (both print chapbook and CD e-form) by Mind Fire Press. Each winning contributor will receive a copy of this edition. There is no monetary award or compensation for this contest. The Southerner retains all rights to the completed text, though the contributors will be permanently and individually listed in conjunction with the story. Rules: 1) The competition will run ten (10) weeks or until the judges believe the story is ready for completion. 2) The competition is open to anyone, anywhere. 3) Submissions should be of 500 words or less. One submission per contributor per week. 4) Submissions should be made by electronic mail to mail@southerner.net. Include the words Elvis Lives in the subject line in all caps, like this: ELVIS LIVES. 5) Submissions will be judged by staff members solely for quality and coherency of storyline. 6) One winning submission will be chosen and posted each week that an acceptable entry is chosen. This piece then becomes the official continuation of the story. No exceptions will be made. 7) The weekly period of submission ends each Sunday night at midnight. Chosen installments will be posted each Monday to begin the new week, when an acceptable entry is chosen. 8) Submissions will be closed when the story reaches approximately 5,000 words and an acceptable climax is written. The contest is complete and the final completed text of the story will be published in the following issue of The Southerner. Please contact Editor In Chief Glynn Wilson <mail@southerner.net> with any questions or comments, but do not include ELVIS LIVES in the subject line unless it is a submission. The first deadline is Sunday, Nov. 28 at midnight. Thank you very much. Go to the story from here Next Story Portal Cover Contents Masthead Guidelines Advertise Copyright © The Southerner 1999.