Choose an ordinary setting for a new story: a laundromat, a corner store, a waiting room, a kitchen table. Treat this place not just as background, but as an active force in the lives of your characters. Think about how your characters encounter and become one with this space. How are the lighting choices, particular sounds, and the rhythm of people and objects a factor in shaping the emotions of those who inhabit them? What hidden meaning emerges when you linger on what first seems mundane?
Find details about every creative writing competition—including poetry contests, short story competitions, essay contests, awards for novels, grants for translators, and more—that we’ve published in the Grants & Awards section of Poets & Writers Magazine during the past year. We carefully review the practices and policies of each contest before including it in the Writing Contests database, the most trusted resource for legitimate writing contests available anywhere.