The Writers’ Block hasn’t hosted a major contest in quite some time. Thanks to @curie, we have a generous prize pool to offer and quite an exciting reason to offer it!
If you’ve been following our news, you’ll know that in just a few weeks we’ll be launching a new front-end site for content creators that will filter based on quality, not post value. This will involve some fancy algorithms by site developers, a bit of manual oversight, and a whitelist of authors who we know can produce consistently publishable material.
Soon afterward, we’ll officially announce our crypto-backed publishing house. Steemhouse Publishing will follow the business model of traditional small press in that we will be selective in what we publish, market to the mainstream, and focus on novel-length work. The publishing house and the front-end site will work in tandem to reach as many readers as possible on behalf of our blockchain-based authors.
With this in mind, we are curious about the level of talent we might find in the Steemiverse. There’s no better way to test those waters than offer prize money for good writing!
Contest Rules
This call is for commercially marketable first chapters. These chapters should be shorter than 3,000 words in length and may be part of a finished work or something written specifically for this contest. You can submit a Steemit post or a link to a Google document set to “anyone can view.” We’ll accept any mainstream fiction genre except erotica or work that should be tagged NSFW. You should know the genre you’re representing, so please indicate that in the comment where you provide the link. Any instances of plagiarism will be reported immediately to Steemcleaners and the account will be flagged, so think twice before you submit someone else’s work and claim it is your own. The contest opens with this post. Deadline for submission is MIDNIGHT EST on August 16. That gives everyone TWO WEEKS to produce a polished chapter capable of winning this contest.
What We’re Looking For
We’re looking for writers who demonstrate a mastery of their craft, a working knowledge of how to hook the reader, and a great story. Don’t feel intimidated if you’ve never had any kind of training as a writer. That’s what The Writers’ Block is for! We offer workshops and writing clinics several times a week and are happy to offer tips and advice that will give you an edge in this competition. If you’re not a member of the Block already, by all means click the animated gif below and join us.
Prizes
We will have three winners in this category: first place, second place, and third place. First will win 25 Steem, second will win 15 Steem, and third will win 10 Steem. We’ll have a fourth conditional category in case we get a truly stand-out submission. This fourth prize is not guaranteed. However, should we receive an entry that rocks our world and makes our Steemhouse acquisition editors request more material, that person will receive 50 Steem. We want to reward good writing, and we will know it when we see it.
Advice From The Judges
Our judges are experienced editors and authors. They will know within the first few lines if a writer is in control of the story. Hook them immediately with a great opening, or they won’t keep reading. Info dumps, excessive backstory or anything that slows the pacing, headhopping, and poor grasp of grammar and syntax will leave your submission dead in the water. Make sure you edit well. Get a friend to proofread. Show us you care about your writing. The prizes in this contest are substantial. Careless workmanship will be a liability.
Please take the time to read the articles linked HERE. You will gain insight into our methods and hopefully boost your chances of winning some Steem.
Good luck to everyone who enters!
Posted from my blog with SteemPress : http://www.writersblockcentral.com/uncategorized/contest-first-chapter-challenge/
You guys are on fire! I can’t wait to see the submissions start to roll in, and will be feverishly working on my own. I love the guidelines you have laid out, as they are welcoming to new writers while also setting the bar for quality.
Thank you, Jayna! I am sooo excited to see your entry!
Cool! Great contest, great prizes. Two weeks to submit? Plenty of time.
Now I have to see what I can put together...
I am absolutely counting on an entry from you! shakes pointer finger sternly
Wow! I'm in. Which book should I pull from, I wonder...
Okay, here it is: https://steemit.com/writing/@katrina-ariel/abandoning-rumi-chapter-1-twb-first-chapter-challenge-entry
ABANDONING RUMI straddles the line between commercial women's fiction and paranormal romance, like a wilder version of Elizabeth Gilbert’s EAT, PRAY, LOVE mixed with the small-town crime and magic of Deborah Blake’s WICKEDLY DANGEROUS.
Thank you so much for your submission!
Cool contest, you got me to post some fiction on Steem for the first time.
My genre is chidren's fantasy. https://steemit.com/fiction/@tcpolymath/rocket-ships-of-oz-chapter-one
Thank you so much for your submission!
Hi TWB team. I've just posted my entry to the First Chapter Challenge over on my blog. Quarterlife Crisis sits in the Women's Commercial Fiction genre and will appeal to fans of Lucy Diamond and Liane Moriarty. Thank you for this fantastic opportunity. E x
https://steemit.com/writing/@eveningart/chapter-1-quarterlife-crisis-twb-first-chapter-challenge-entry
I love this entry!!!
Thank you!!
Thank you so much for your submission!
Thank you so much for the opportunity! E x
Can we submit a story already published previously?
No plagiarism, it's mine
Where is it published? That would factor. Some publication venues retain rights.
Here on Steemit
Then yes. You may certainly submit the first chapter. It won't matter if it's past payout, but you're also welcome to submit in a Google doc if you want to make any changes. Just let us know it already appears on Steemit.
Wonderful!
Without much ado then...
https://busy.org/@seesladen/the-dead-still-live
@seesladen, I recommend that you put this in a Google document and submit that link after further editing. The main problem is the copyrighted and watermarked image that you used on the post. That will be an instant disqualifier, and I’d hate to see that happen to you.
Oh... Okay
With a huge anxiety fluttering in my gut, because this is my baby and it's frightening showing it to people for judgement, I will post my chapter and leave this link here before I lose my nerve.
https://steemit.com/fiction/@kaelci/vengeance-chapter-one
My genre is Low Fantasy. :)
Thank you so much for hosting this contest and for the opportunity to be involved in something more. (And I love the idea of a new front-end site that focuses on quality! Looking forward to its release! :D)
The whole "baby" thing is exactly why it's so frightening. But the first step is the hardest. When people start liking what you write, it does a huge amount to encourage you.
(And yes, my entry is nearly ready.)
Thank you so much for your submission!
I'M DONE! jeesh that took forever.
I present for your reading pleasure the first chapter of my fantasy novel, Messandra's Tears.
Thank you so much for your submission!
Okay, I decided to submit this instead. Genre is African supernatural.
https://steemit.com/fiction/@seesladen/the-prophesy
Hope nothing here to disqualify me eh😊
Thank you so much for your submission!
Here's my entry at last. I guess it's paranormal for genre.
https://steemit.com/writing/@viking-ventures/chimera-chapter-one-for-the-writers-block-contest-43b82e7bae4cbest
Thank you so much for your submission!
Adding mine here. Thanks!
The End of Imaginary Friends - Chapter 1 (Fantasy)
Thank you so much for your submission!
Here's my entry: genre-romance
https://steemit.com/fiction/@resuscitate/in-love-with-an-after-one
Thank you so much for your submission!
Thanks for the opportunity. I write more of nonfiction than fiction. Just trying my hands on fiction and probably learn more from your weekly workshops.
Here's my submission. The genre is dark fantasy. Thank you for the contest and opportunity!
Thank you so much for your submission!
Dear Writer's Block,
Below is my entry for your first chapter contest, The Pope of Upper Park Street. The genre is Mystery/suspense and chapter 1 is circa 1000 words.
Sincerely,
Honeypotbadger
https://steemit.com/thewritersblock/@honeypotbadger/the-pope-of-upper-park-street-chapter-1
Thank you so much for your submission!
I forgot to add a link. My submission is literary fiction.
https://steemit.com/writing/@johnthefelon/prologue-traffic-girl-wars-twb-first-chapter-challenge-entry
Thanks.
Thank you so much for your submission!
Here is my entry. The genre is literary fiction. https://steemit.com/contest/@jayna/chapter1marilyn1959-u8so3fkms2
Thank you so much for your submission!
Hello. Here is my submission to this contest.
Title: Promise of Antioch
Genre: Western/Horror
Thank you so much for your submission!
Thank you so much for this really exciting opportunity! Here is my entry from the adventure/fantasy genre:
https://steemit.com/fiction/@blueteddy/the-traitor-s-dragon
Thank you so much for your submission!
I still can't believe my account was approved on time, so here is my first steemit entry :) and the contest entry at once. I will introduce myself soon, I promise!
A short story written for needs of urban planning class turned in social fiction. It is first and still the last story I wrote in English and I believe it is good enough to share it with you.
https://steemit.com/fiction/@klarask/layering-chapter-one
Thanks for such a great contest. I love the previous entries.
Thank you so much for your submission!
I saw your contest very late. Just thought I should share a link of a short story I shared some days ago in steemit. I write mainly short African stories. I don't know if it will be accepted for the contest, I'm just trying my luck. Here's the link
https://steemit.com/stach/@jadyclem/african-short-story-the-rod-of-correction
Thank you so much for your submission!
This is what I'm talking about. This is the way to nurture creativity. This is the way communities grow closer and stronger. Looking forward to participating. Good Times!
Hi there... This is my contest entry
https://steemit.com/writing/@mgaft1/the-glitch-chapter-1-twb-first-chapter-challenge-entry
Thank you so much for your submission!
Thank you for the opportunity to participate. Below is the link to my story. My genre is Christian Fiction.
https://steempeak.com/thewritersblock/@pyemoney/in-search-of-the-truth
Thank you so much for your submission!
wow! I just read some of the very helpful articles and resources and feel like I shouldn't be allowed at a keyboard ever again. Yet I know I will, because I have this story in me that wants to come out, it just needs a little guidance, probably more than I think!
Not only is this a great contest, it will give those that do have talent a chance to showcase it, and others like myself a chance to learn.
How funny!
If you feel like you need a confidence boost, come on into the Block and take part in our workshops. We have them several times a week. No fixed schedule because we try to work around everybody else's schedule. But we'll do our best to accommodate you. :-)
Looking like a good contest. Have enough time so will prepare article and submit on time. Will try my best in post and hope to win. Thanks.
Posted using Partiko Android
Excellent!! I'm really excited to give this a go.. I've only recently got back into writing, but I'd like to pit myself against the best on Steemit and see how my writing stacks up. Thanks to all at the Writers Block for organising the contest and good luck to everyone with their entry.
This is such a great opportunity and I cannot wait to read and write a story. Thank you, @thewritersblock.
Let me start putting my entry together. Though I'm not a professional writer. Just something I do for fun.
A nice sounding contest, and nice to see a time frame that is long enough for people to try and get a quality story out., heck, who knows, I might even give it a try, though I don't think I have written more than 600 words before.
Hey, you're already a member of the Block. Drop into the workshops we have several times a week and pick up some pointers! :-) We'd love to have you.
Thank you I may drop by, I have been experimenting with more writing/stories, so I may do that.
"new front-end site for content creators that will filter based on quality, not post value" ... This is what most of us have been waiting for all along :) I hope it sticks, and implements into the steem
We're going to do our best. We'll also be announcing an SMT tied into this front-end as soon as that comes together.
I like quality. Here's to quality! Here is to quality? Heres too quality. Now it just sounds weird.
LOLOL!!!
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Do I input the link to my contest entry on the comment section of this post?
Yes, or if you are not comfortable sharing publicly, get in touch at The Writers' Block discord channel. Link at the bottom of the post.
Excellent contest, I will be eager to participate and totally eager to write something for you, what a wonderful opportunity; count on my ticket soon.
I'm already hooked! I'm totally in! But I wonder about that restriction related with erotism. I understand the story shouldn't be a porno script. Actually, only a few authors were capable to narrate sex in aesthetically valuable way throughout the history of literature. But what if sex and naked bodies work only as symbols and metaphors? If it helps to reveal the great tragedy of the protagonist? Is it still forbidden?
We’re definitely not prudes. It is just the erotica for the sake of erotica that we don’t wish to deal with. It can be difficult to define, but such as it is with pornography, it’s one of those things that we just know when we see it.
I will try... Even my English not good...
Cool. Can't wait to flow in
Great contest. Really motivating. I know some good writers who may be better fit for this guidelines than myself. Only "problem": they write in Spanish. I'll see if we can work out some partnership. Their stories deserve some display.
@thewritersblock. Am new on steemit but I will like to participate, how do I go about it?
Looking forward to participae in it.😁
I have a query though. We need to post only a chapter, that is a part of story . Right??
Just the first chapter.
Ohk
Great contest @thewritersblock.
I'm still putting my work together. I'll post it before the deadline
I dropped this on the "reminder" post, but I'm dropping it here too just to be on the safe side! https://steemit.com/fiction/@dollarsandsense/wait-calculation-chapter-1-a-sci-fi-novel
This was a lot of fun, thank you all for putting it on and many thanks to @curie for sponsoring!
Thank you. Yes, we did note it on the other post. :-)
Here is my entry. Children's fantasy:
Thank you for the contest.
https://steemit.com/contest/@angelfish/once-upon-a-midnight-chapter-1
Thank you so much for your submission! I saw it on the other post as well.
I decided maybe I was on the wrong post :)
Have a good night.