Rules

 
  1. The bookends and photo prompt will be posted at 5:00 am (UK time) each Thursday. All entries must be received BEFORE 5:00 am the next day. You have 24 hours to write something amazing. [“What time is it in the UK?” I hear our transatlantic friends say? Look here: http://time.is/London]
  2. Only micros that begin and end with the supplied bookends and incorporate the photo prompt (it’s up to you how you do this) will qualify. You may add punctuation (including hyphens and apostrophes) to the bookends, otherwise leave them bookends alone! Extra credit will be given to micros that use the bookends and prompt in creative and unexpected ways.
  3. Micros should be between 90 and 110 words. The bookends are included in the word count.
  4. Give your story a title – titles are not included in the word count.
  5. Keep it clean: no sexual content. Keep it safe: no violence or profanity unless integral to the plot. If in doubt, leave it out. I reserve the right to delete micros that violate these rules.
  6. Multiple entries will be accepted, but please post each entry in a separate comment.
  7. Spotted a typo? I’ll accept and implement edits received BEFORE the deadline.
  8. Micros will be judged after the contest closes. The winning micro will be announced on Sunday evening. Winners will be invited to judge the next contest.
  9. The winner will get their micro posted on the site, their own winner’s page, and an interview to be published the following week. Most importantly you have bragging rights until the next winner is announced, so get bragging. At the end of each year, all winning micros will qualify for the micro of the year award to be judged by readers. All winning writers will receive a copy of this year’s compilation.
  10. Please feel free to comment on other entries, but be nice. Constructive criticism is acceptable; however I reserve the right to forcibly eject from the premises anyone being rude or obnoxious. We’re all writers here so I know that won’t be necessary.
A word about spam

If your story does not appear in the comments right away then it has probably been intercepted by my anti-spam software. I’ll release it as soon as I can. If you like, you can also submit it via the contact form and I’ll make sure it gets posted.

Legal disclaimer

When you submit your story, you’re giving Micro Bookends first electronic publication rights and non-exclusive subsequent publication rights. This means that we are the first to publish your story, and then, at a later date we can use it in a printed book or promotional material, as long as we give you credit. However; we do not own your story. Once you have posted it, you are free to sell it or do whatever you want with it, so long as the people who buy it know that they’re buying it non-exclusively.