NEO•GRIOT

Hint Fiction (n): a story of 25 words or fewer that suggests a larger, more complex story.

For this contest, Gotham welcomes the expertise of Robert Swartwood, editor of Hint Fiction: An  Anthology of Stories of 25 Words or Fewer (to be published in November by W.W. Norton). Mr. Swartwood will select the winner from the finalists in this competition. And, to help you get started, he provides the following advice: 

Inspired by Ernest Hemingway’s six-word story—"For sale: baby shoes, never worn"—Hint Fiction is not a first sentence, a random thought, or even a sentence or two plucked from a much larger work. Instead Hint Fiction should stand by itself as a complete story, yet also hint at a larger chain of events.

A title is important in Hint Fiction. While the word limit of a story is 25 words, it does not include the title. The title should add another layer of complexity to the story, helping to give the reader a better idea of what is taking place.

Ultimately, Hint Fiction is an exercise in brevity, with the writer trying to affect the reader in as few words as possible.

Here are two examples authored by Mr. Swartwood:

Corrections & Clarifications

It was Fredrick Miller, not his murdered son Matthew, who was executed Monday night at Henshaw Prison.

　10 Items or Less

She saw his picture in the paper and remembered waiting on him two days before: the lighter fluid, her quip about barbequing, his vacuous gaze.

GREAT PRIZES
Submit your unpublished 25 word story to our competition and you could win:

• 10-week writing workshop
• $100
• One-year subscription to The Writer
• Publication of your winning entry in Gotham's Winter 2011 course catalog
• Bragging rights

The top five finalists will each receive a copy of Swartwood's Hint Fiction: An Anthology of Stories in 25 Words or Fewer and a copy of Gotham's Writing Fiction: The Practical Guide. 

CONTEST ENTRY IS EASY AND FREE
To enter, just complete the form below. Limit one entry per person. Entry deadline is October 11, 2010.

 

Entry Form

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By submitting this entry you signify:

1. That you are the author of the entry
2. That you are at least 16 years of age on the date of entry
3. That the work is original, unpublished, and has not been submitted elsewhere
4. That you agree to the rules of the competition
5. That you are entering only one work to the competition

All entries must be received by October 11, 2010 at11:59PM EST, the contest deadline. Limit one entry per person. The competition is open to works of 25 words or less. (The title is not included in the 25 word limit.) Longer entries will be disregarded.

All entries must be original, unpublished, and not submitted elsewhere until the winner is announced. The winner will be notified by October 31, 2010. If you have not been contacted by this date, you may assume your entry has not be selected, and it may be submitted elsewhere. 

As entries are for judging as soon as they are submitted, be sure that you’ve uploaded your best work before hitting the “Enter” button. We cannot accept revisions for any entry.

For complete rules see Hint Fiction Rules.

For more on writing Hint Fiction, check out Robert's essays:

Hint Fiction: When Flash Fiction Becomes Just Too Flashy 
Hint Fiction: One Year Later