[Nathan Carter]

How grateful I am for those little boxes that inform you of how many people have viewed a thread. Obviously, with only 20 people even looking at the prior post (which I have since deleted) I wasn't direct enough in my tag.

ahem...

Fellow writers,

I would like to bring to your attention an incredible opportunity; The Writers Association (http://groups.msn.com/TheWritersAssociation/_homepage.msnw?pgmarket=en-us) is publishing its first full-length anthology. To select only the best work possible we are holding a contest. This is your chance to break into the market and give yourself exposure. Please see our guidelines (http://groups.msn.com/TheWritersAssociation/contest.msnw) and good luck!

Nathan Carter
Manager of The Writers Association

[Nathan Carter]

Ok, forgive me, but I was unable to delete the prior thread concerning the same thing. I trust one of our excellent mods will handle that action for me. Sorry for the clutter.

[Alucard]

This sounds good. I will join your site now. As will all the other people here who are cool or hip, and are not losers that are both stupid and sucky.



(I'm trying for the bandwagon/peer pressure effect here, Nathan)

[milamber_reborn]

Two questions.

How close to the topic of crime does the story have to be? Is a crime somewhere in the story enough even if it doesn't center around the actual crime?

The short story I am writing I plan to be part of a collection of short stories I want to get published when I write them in the next few years. Will publishers dissaprove of one of these short stories already being published?

[Nathan Carter]

Crime needs to be the central theme in some way... people plotting a crime... police work... murder... intergalactic pirating... I mean, use your imagination... but stories that only mention crime in passing will not be accepted. Any genre is acceptable... crime can fit into fantasy, sci-fi or horror easily, be creative.

As for your second question; you may notice when reading a book of short stories, that they have credits stating "First appeared in ****" and whatnot... a book of short stories is sometimes hard to sell to prospective agents, unless the stories contained have appeared in various magazines, or you are a fairly well known author.

[enazwo]

Holy frijoles` Batman a chance to get published?

Even if I have to go to every bar in Salt Lake City I swear by the Gods of Bratwurst that I will find writers to enter this contest.

I'm telling you it's a CRIME that you have to advertise for this. There should be at least a ba-zillion entrants already! It will be my sworn duty to recruit as many future famous writers I can find.

I think that also the winning writers should also get a cape. I know I would love a cape. With the letters TWA err I mean WA no how about a nice pastel with a swirly pattern?

[Alucard]

Now your talking, enazwo. Capes are fashionable (in all time periods), yet they maintain that "mystique" that the ladies so adore. I am wholly convinced that a cape will solve all my women troubles. Nathan, I hope you are listening to this. It will draw people like flies to a dungheap.

[Nathan Carter]

Surely enazwo doesn't need much encouragement to visit every bar in Salt Lake City, and I fear his cape idea is spawned from his alter ego Captain Bonehead, who lost his on an expedition to Vulgaria.

But as for the expression, "Flies to a dungheap" well... I would prefer to think of us as a radioactive hormonal enhancement ray... while dung is simply a petty source of sustenance, our purpose is to make bigger and better flies... able to breath fire and counter Godzilla...

[Alucard]

I apologize. My analogies are often not very flattering. I think it's directly related to my dangerously low self-esteem . . . which a cape would heighten significantly.

[Nathan Carter]

Just a friendly reminder that only two weeks remain until the deadline is here... I hope to see your submissions and good luck!

Nathan Carter