Just received a note from writer, John Kenyon, who's decided to dip his toes in the contest arena. He's got a very cool idea - Crime and Fairy tales. You can check out the details below and you'll find John at this url: http://tirbd.com No entry fees and the prizes are short story collections from Tyrus Books!
Short story contest: Update a fairy tale as crime fiction
Perhaps it is a symptom of reading a lot from a book of fairy tales to my two-year-old of late, but I have been thinking of ways to update Aesop, the Brothers Grimm, et al as modern day crime fiction stories. It’s not a stretch: these stories are filled with sinister people committing fiendish acts against innocents.
Seeing how similar challenges across the web have yielded some top-notch fiction, I thought I would issue a challenge of my own:
Write a crime fiction story of between 1,000 and 3,000 words (with some flexibility on either end) that is based on the premise of an actual children’s fairy tale. For example, a story about a predatory thief based on “Little Red Riding Hood.” Post it to your blog or web site, or find someone who will do that for you. Put the link in the comments here. Do so by midnight on Jan. 14, Cinderella, or your coach to (the relative) fame and fortune (of modest web-based attention) will turn back into a pumpkin.
You don’t need to reveal which fairy tale you used as source material. While some will probably be obvious, others may not. Guessing can be part of the fun.
UPDATE: I will judge the stories, selecting first, second and third place stories. In addition, I’ll have a special “most inventive recasting of a fairy tale” award to present. Prizes come for the great and very generous folks at Tyrus Books. The winner will select two of their top-notch short story collections, and the second and third place finishers will each receive one. The special award will receive the mystery PDF book promised by Spinetingler’s Brian Lindenmuth in the comments below.
So, for those without young kids, refresh your memory of some favorite fairy tales, recast the entire thing as a crime fiction story, and get writing!
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