txtlit.co.uk - The UK's Easiest to Enter Writing Competitions

Example Story
She denied stealing the shoes, though witnesses had seen her attempt to secrete the red, shiny stilettos. A victim of fashion, the evidence was patent.
 
July 2009 Competition

It's been a while since our last Ghost Story competition, so that's July's theme. Your spookiest effort in 154 characters or less please, preceeded by the word STORY and sent as a text message to 82085.
August 2009 Competition

We'll be announcing the theme for August at the end of July. Please keep coming back for updates and to see who won June's competition which will be announced later this month.
Competiton Entries

To enter a competition please text the word STORY and a space followed by your story in no more than 154 further characters including spaces and punctuation to 82085 from a UK mobile phone.
Text Us a Story Now for a Chance to Win at Least £50

information about new shortcode

Txt Lit is a new literary genre of creative writing using a mobile phone texting system, or SMS (Short Message System). A single mobile phone text message contains just 160 characters, including spaces and punctuation. We like to call stories written within these parameters Micro Stories. woman sends a text message on her mobile

At txtlit.co.uk we provide a platform where you can test your writing skill, have a chance to gain financially and have your work published on the Internet, through what we believe to be the easiest to enter writing competitions in the UK. From your mobile phone, simply text the keyword, STORY followed by a space and then your micro story to 82085 in no more than 154 further characters including spaces and punctuation. Each entry will cost you just £1 plus the normal cost of a text message as charged by your network provider. You can enter each competition as many times as you like.

It takes skill to write a Micro Story, especially one that is well constructed, grammatically correct and entertaining. If you're a writer you'll know that every single word must count to move a story forward. This is never more true than when writing a Micro Story. Every word must work especially hard and bear relevance to the overall piece. There is no room for waffle or flippant asides.

What makes a micro story so challenging to write is what makes it so great to read. A raft of complex thoughts and ideas crammed into just a few lines of text. Subtle messages, clever twists and delicious manipulation of the English language to make you smile, weep or both! In a world that demands that every second of our existence is put to use, how better to be entertained by the written word than in the few seconds it takes to read a micro story.

NB We love the English language and believe that it is so rich and dynamic that micro stories need never be written in the abbreviated language associated with mobile phones. Therefore, stories which contain phrases such as "wud b gr8 2CU B4 satrdy" (Would be great to see you before Saturday) will stand little chance of winning, unless its use is integral to the story.

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