It may be apocryphal, but the story goes that Ernest Hemingway won a bet by writing a short story that ran fewer than ten words. One version of the story places the bet at the famed Algonquin round table. Whether true or not, there is an actual bet-winning short story attributed to Hemingway:
For sale. Baby Shoes. Never worn.
You have to admit its pretty good. It builds, and there’s a whole world of background and emotion lurking beneath those words.
We would like to make a similar bet with you. Write a great short story in ten words or fewer. (You may use a title, but that goes into the word count.) Submit it to our contest. Entry is free. Winner of the bet gets a free Gotham ten-week workshop. (For any Gotham class except select premium classes.)
We did this contest last year and here’s the winner:
The city burned. Alice lit up, watched. She’d quit later.
Ingrid Bohnenkamp
Springfield, Missouri
To see the finalists, click here.
Submit an original, unpublished 10-word short story.
- Entries must be submitted online by May 5, 2014. Only online entries will be accepted. Entry is free. Limit one entry per person.
- Entry must consist of no more than ten words. You may use a title but that goes into the word count. Longer entries will be disregarded.
- Entry must be original and unpublished.
- Entries will be judged on writing originality, spelling, and grammar.
- Gotham will post the winning entry at GothamWriters.com
- The winner will be notified by June 3, 2014.
Visit the website: http://www.writingclasses.com/ContestPages/10W.php
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