CONTEST: First Chapter Challenge

The Writers’ Block hasn’t hosted a major contest in quite some time. Thanks to @curie, we have a generous prize pool to offer and quite an exciting reason to offer it!

If you’ve been following our news, you’ll know that in just a few weeks we’ll be launching a new front-end site for content creators that will filter based on quality, not post value. This will involve some fancy algorithms by site developers, a bit of manual oversight, and a whitelist of authors who we know can produce consistently publishable material.

Soon afterward, we’ll officially announce our crypto-backed publishing house. Steemhouse Publishing will follow the business model of traditional small press in that we will be selective in what we publish, market to the mainstream, and focus on novel-length work. The publishing house and the front-end site will work in tandem to reach as many readers as possible on behalf of our blockchain-based authors.

With this in mind, we are curious about the level of talent we might find in the Steemiverse. There’s no better way to test those waters than offer prize money for good writing!

Contest Rules

This call is for commercially marketable first chapters. These chapters should be shorter than 3,000 words in length and may be part of a finished work or something written specifically for this contest. You can submit a Steemit post or a link to a Google document set to “anyone can view.” We’ll accept any mainstream fiction genre except erotica or work that should be tagged NSFW. You should know the genre you’re representing, so please indicate that in the comment where you provide the link. Any instances of plagiarism will be reported immediately to Steemcleaners and the account will be flagged, so think twice before you submit someone else’s work and claim it is your own. The contest opens with this post. Deadline for submission is MIDNIGHT EST on August 16. That gives everyone TWO WEEKS to produce a polished chapter capable of winning this contest.

What We’re Looking For

We’re looking for writers who demonstrate a mastery of their craft, a working knowledge of how to hook the reader, and a great story. Don’t feel intimidated if you’ve never had any kind of training as a writer. That’s what The Writers’ Block is for! We offer workshops and writing clinics several times a week and are happy to offer tips and advice that will give you an edge in this competition. If you’re not a member of the Block already, by all means click the animated gif below and join us.

Prizes

We will have three winners in this category: first place, second place, and third place. First will win 25 Steem, second will win 15 Steem, and third will win 10 Steem. We’ll have a fourth conditional category in case we get a truly stand-out submission. This fourth prize is not guaranteed. However, should we receive an entry that rocks our world and makes our Steemhouse acquisition editors request more material, that person will receive 50 Steem. We want to reward good writing, and we will know it when we see it.

Advice From The Judges

Our judges are experienced editors and authors. They will know within the first few lines if a writer is in control of the story. Hook them immediately with a great opening, or they won’t keep reading. Info dumps, excessive backstory or anything that slows the pacing, headhopping, and poor grasp of grammar and syntax will leave your submission dead in the water. Make sure you edit well. Get a friend to proofread. Show us you care about your writing. The prizes in this contest are substantial. Careless workmanship will be a liability.

Please take the time to read the articles linked HERE. You will gain insight into our methods and hopefully boost your chances of winning some Steem.

Good luck to everyone who enters!

---

Posted from my blog with SteemPress : http://www.writersblockcentral.com/uncategorized/contest-first-chapter-challenge/

---