"Silent Grey" Short Fiction Contest

(Picture by Jess Taylor, my artistically gifted niece)

Whether you're an old friend, or new to The Clarity of Night, welcome!

Now that the curtains of winter are settling on the world (at least where I am), perhaps you need a creative spark to keep the fires warm. You've come to the right place!

Using the photograph above for inspiration, compose a short fiction piece of no more than 250 words in any genre or style. Send your entry to me by email at jevanswriter at yahoo dot com before 11:00 p.m., Wednesday, January 10th (Eastern Time, United States). I'd prefer attachments formatted in Microsoft Word or Word Perfect, but if you have something more exotic, you can paste the text into the body of an email. Each entry will be posted and indexed.

To make things interesting, the following prizes are on the line:

• 1st Place: $25 Amazon gift certificate, 8 x 10 print of the "Silent Grey" photograph (inscribed by Jason Evans)
  
• 2nd Place: $20 Amazon gift certificate
  
• 3rd Place: $15 Amazon gift certificate
  
• 4th Place: $10 Amazon gift certificate
  
• 5th Place: $5 Amazon gift certificate
  
• Readers' Choice Award $15 Amazon Gift certificate, 8 x 10 print of the "Silent Grey" photograph (inscribed by Jason Evans)

But this is about more than prizes. I hope you take advantage of the opportunity to meet and interact with your fellow writers. Read and comment on the entries. Teach, and learn, from others. Let's make writing a less lonely process.

Rules:

1. 250 words maximum.
   
2. Titles are optional, but encouraged. Titles do not count towards your word count.
   
3. One entry per person.
   
4. Any genre or style is welcome. If you choose to submit poetry, you must have narrative movement within the poem if you wish to compete with the prose pieces for the prizes.
   
5. All rights remain with you, the author; however, you consent to the posting of your entry on this blog.
   
6. Judging will be conducted by Jason Evans on the basis of pacing, entertainment value, technical use of language, storytelling, and voice.
   
7. Please provide a name for your byline. If you have a website or a blog, I'd be happy to link your name to it. If you don't have a website or blog, feel free to include a short bio. A bio does not count towards your word count.
   
8. At the close of the contest, I will announce the date and time for the announcement of winners.
   
9. After the winners are announced, I will post what I liked most about each entry. Also, if you send a request to me by email, I would be happy to offer any constructive comments I might have. Constructive comments will be by private email only.
   
10. Public critiques in comments are encouraged, but must remain respectful. I reserve the right to delete comments and ban participants who do not abide by the collegial spirit of Clarity of Night contests.

Let me officially declare the contest open! Spread the word!