Arrest Us: LitReactor's Crime Fiction Writing Challenge Is Open For Submissions
The time is upon us! LitReactor's crime fiction writing challenge, Arrest Us, is open for submissions! You can learn more about the challenge by reading the announcement post, but to recap:
This is a free, public challenge. Anyone can submit. Also, anyone can read and rate stories, and offer comments and criticism. It's designed to develop new and exciting stories for readers, while pushing writers out of their comfort zones and into new territories.
But we're not exactly making it easy. After all, it is a challenge.
Stories should be between 3,000 and 5,000 words, and CANNOT contain:
- Italian mafia
- Sex crimes
- Hitmen (or hitwomen)
- Serial killers
Why? Because these are some of the most common tropes in crime fiction. So you can't use 'em.
Again, here's the run of show:
- TODAY: The challenge opens, and you can begin submitting stories. The reading period opens on this date, too.
- Tuesday, July 1: The challenge closes to submissions, but the reading period remains open.
- Friday, August 1: The reading period ends, and we start the process of sorting out of the prizes.
Yup. We've got prizes. And they're pretty rad. Like publication in Thuglit. And reader prize packs. And critiques from industry professionals.
Our community manager, Nathan Scalia, will help us report on this event, so expect to hear updates on how things are going.
And we've still got some cool stuff to announce. But you're going to have to wait for that. In the mean time...
Click here to submit and read stories!
News by Rob Hart
Rob Hart is the class director at LitReactor. He also wrote The Warehouse, which sold in more than 20 languages and was optioned for film by Ron Howard. Other titles include the Ash McKenna crime series, and Scott Free with James Patterson. His next novel, Paradox Hotel, is due from Ballantine. Find more at www.robwhart.com.
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Just wrote my first english short story for this challenge in four hours. I'll proofread it tomorrow and ask for some advice from english friends and post it here after that. Thanks for kicking my ass to do something I always wanted to try.
Just a question:
By Italian Mafia do you mean Chinese, Russian, Ukranian Mafias as well?
By Italian mafia we mean Italian mafia.
Hi Rob, can writers from other countries participate aswell?
EDIT - Also are multiple entries allowed?
Thanks!
People from other countries are more than welcome to participate.
As for multiple stories--you can. But you're better served working your ass off and putting everything you've got into one story.
This isn't a terribly long contest--the submission window closes in a month.
Hi Rob. For submitting stories, what technical requirements exist or are recommended? Font and font size, word doc or pdf, headers, etc.
Standard formatting rules apply. 12 point, double-space, Times New Roman, etc. You won't be disqualified if you put your spacing at 1.5 or use Cambria... but always best to go with the standard.
Finally at a point where I want to try writing something other than a screenplay and I can't participate because I'm staff. Sad face.
You can participate. You just can't win a prize.
If I "won," could we burn the prize, so no one gets it?
Really happy to be a part of this. I have been working on Sinister Streets of Briston all month and I am very pleased by how it turned out.
Hey Rob, just happened to notice this contest. It sounds like a lot of fun. Coming a little late to the party, I was wondering when exactly the submission date ends. When you say "July 1st" is that by midnight of June 30th or just anytime on the first? Thanks for the help.