It's that time of year again when we're rushing around like headless chickens, fighting with our nearest and dearest, squabbling like children and staging wars over the last parking space in Sainsbury's! Yes it's Christmas once again!
But for those of us at Spiney this time of year is truly something to look forward to as we have our
Annual Christmas Ghost Competition. Instead of fighting over the parking space we're more likely to be found buying the groceries online so that we can look forward to sitting down and relaxing with a glass (or two) of mulled wine and reading Christmas Ghost Stories written especially for us all by the best that Spiney has to offer.
However before we can do that there is a little bit of work to be done and we need to get those stories written, submitted and judged. So therefore I am delighted to announce that the
Annual Christmas Ghost Story Competition is now officially open!
So sharpen those quills (and minds) and get scribbling. The rules as always are simple;
- A maximum word count of 5,000 (but if you run over to 5,500 don't worry we won't tell)
- Macabre & Morose? Funny & Uplifting, Ghosts & Ghouls, Possessions & Poltergeists the choice is yours but it must have some link to the "otherworldly" or at least a passing nod to the "Supernatural"
- Christmas must be a central theme - you can't just give it a passing nod or mention that the Christmas lights in Oxford Street were on!
Yes that's it - three rules, let your imaginations run wild. Last year
Jeff Jones kept us all enthralled with his story,
Roof People and
Helen Duke brought us the
Christmas Fairy Cake that had those of us with long hair running to hide the scissors, so what will we have this year? Will 2010 be the year that we have a traditional Ghost Story? Perhaps the classic tale of Scrooge is ready to be brought up to date and given a modern slant, no matter what, no Christmas is complete without the Turn of the Screw or a Headless Horseman, I for one can't wait to see.
The closing date is midnight on the 18th of December and you can submit your story through the website as usual - although if you do we would ask that you put Christmas Ghost Story in the title box and then your actual title in the main body above your story. Or you can email
Lauren lauren@spinetinglers.co.uk and send her your entry as either an attacment to your email or in the body of your email, just don't forget to put Christmas Ghost Story Competition in the Subject heading. Lauren will of course email you to confirm receipt of your story when she has downloaded it and submitted it to the judges.
As always 1st Place wins £100.00 plus a certificate and guaranteed inclusion in a future printed Spinetinglers Anthology, 2nd Place wins £50.00, 3rd, 4th and 5th each win £25.00. All prize money is in British Pounds (stg) or your local currency equivalent.
The winners will be announced one each night starting with 5th place on the 20th of December until we reach our overall winner - 1st Place on Christmas Eve.
All that is left is for me to wish you a Haunted Holiday and a New Year filled with both kinds of Spirits!
Jodi
