Please find below some general guidance and advice notes for submitting your micro stories to our competitions. Please also see our FAQ page for further information.
Writing your Micro Story:
Competition entries will be judged on a number of key elements:
- Entertainment value - Whether your story is funny or sad, a mystery or a fantasy, first and foremost it must entertain the reader
just like any other written work. That is, after all, why people read
- Construction - The piece should at least appear to be thought-out and planned, so that it is understandable, readable and
ultimately tells a story
- Grammatical correctness - Don't use the constraints of a text message as an excuse to cut corners with your writing. You should
still strive to write using proper English
Bearing these criteria in mind when writing your micro story will improve your chances of winning, and will hopefully help you to write a better piece. That said, inspiration can come at any time, and one of the great features of the Txtlit competitions is that you can enter a story whenever you have your mobile phone with you. You can't win if you don't enter, so a story written on the bus to work, or whilst you're out socialising or shopping is better than no story at all.
If you use a computer or word processor to write your piece initially, you will probably be using software that has a word-count or character-count facility to help you keep you piece within the strict constraints of the mobile phone texting system.
Sending Your Entry:
Entries can only be placed with a UK mobile phone. Your competition entry must begin with the word STORY followed by a space. This is so that competition entries can be identified through an automated system. The number to send your entry to is 82085. You will receive a confirmation message on your phone to say that your entry has been received.
The competiton theme will change each month and this will be announced on the website, so make sure your entry is relevant when you send it.
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