Write a winning story!

You could win £1,000 in this year's Fiction Prize and have your story printed in Keep Writing magazine. Ten other lucky people will win a cheque for £100.

Once again, we need people who can write good stories. The judges, who include Mary Littlejohn, the novelist, Michael Brown, the television reporter, and Susan Hitchins, Keep Writing's editor, are looking for interesting and original stories. Detective fiction was extremely popular last year, although the competition winner produced a love story. You can write about whatever you want but here's some advice to start you thinking:
Write about what you know This is the advice which every writer should pay attention to and, last year, nearly everyone who wrote for us did exactly that. Love, family, problems with friends - these were the main subjects of the stories. However, you need to turn ordinary situations into something interesting that people will want to read about. Make the reader want to continue reading by writing about ordinary things in a new and surprising way.
Get your facts right It's no good giving a description of a town or explaining how a jet engine works if you get it wrong. So avoid writing anything unless you're certain about it.
Hold the reader's attention Make the beginning interesting and the ending a surprise. There is nothing worse than a poor ending. Develop the story carefully and try to think of something unusual happening at the end.
Think about the characters
Try to bring the people in your story alive for the reader by using well-chosen words to make them seem real. Your story must be your own work, between 2,000 and 2,500 words and typed, double-spaced, on one side only of each sheet of paper.
Even if you're in danger of missing the closing date, we are unable to accept stories by fax or email. You must include the application form with your story. Unfortunately your story cannot be retumed, nor can we discuss our decisions.
You should not have had any fiction printed in any magazine or book in this country a change in the rules by popular request and the story must not have appeared in print or in recorded form, for example on radio or TV, anywhere in the world.
Your fee of £5 will go to the Writers' Association. Make your cheque payable to Keep Writing and send it with the application form and your story to:
Keep Writing 75 Broad Street Birmingham B12 4TG The closing date is 30 July and we will inform the winner within one month of this date. Please note that if you win, you must agree to have your story printed in our magazine.

1. All prize winners will have their stories printed in the magazine Keep Writing
2. Most people entering the competition last year followed the advice they were given
3. Writers should remember to check that any information they use is correct.
4. The magazine is looking for stories which have an unexpected ending.
5. Writers are encouraged to describe the people in their stories clearly.
6. Stories should either be written clearly by hand or typed.
7. Late entries can be faxed if necessary.
8. The magazine will send back all stories which have failed to be selected.
9 The rules of the competition are different this year from last year.
10. Writers can enter stories which magazines outside Britain have already

Question

Write a winning story!

You could win £1,000 in this year&#x27;s Fiction Prize and have your story printed in Keep Writing magazine. Ten other lucky people will win a cheque for £100.

Once again, we need people who can write good stories. The judges, who include Mary Littlejohn, the novelist, Michael Brown, the television reporter, and Susan Hitchins, Keep Writing&#x27;s editor, are looking for interesting and original stories. Detective fiction was extremely popular last year, although the competition winner produced a love story. You can write about whatever you want but here&#x27;s some advice to start you thinking:
Write about what you know This is the advice which every writer should pay attention to and, last year, nearly everyone who wrote for us did exactly that. Love, family, problems with friends - these were the main subjects of the stories. However, you need to turn ordinary situations into something interesting that people will want to read about. Make the reader want to continue reading by writing about ordinary things in a new and surprising way.
Get your facts right It&#x27;s no good giving a description of a town or explaining how a jet engine works if you get it wrong. So avoid writing anything unless you&#x27;re certain about it.
Hold the reader&#x27;s attention Make the beginning interesting and the ending a surprise. There is nothing worse than a poor ending. Develop the story carefully and try to think of something unusual happening at the end.
Think about the characters
Try to bring the people in your story alive for the reader by using well-chosen words to make them seem real. Your story must be your own work, between 2,000 and 2,500 words and typed, double-spaced, on one side only of each sheet of paper.
Even if you&#x27;re in danger of missing the closing date, we are unable to accept stories by fax or email. You must include the application form with your story. Unfortunately your story cannot be retumed, nor can we discuss our decisions.
You should not have had any fiction printed in any magazine or book in this country a change in the rules by popular request and the story must not have appeared in print or in recorded form, for example on radio or TV, anywhere in the world.
Your fee of £5 will go to the Writers&#x27; Association. Make your cheque payable to Keep Writing and send it with the application form and your story to:
Keep Writing 75 Broad Street Birmingham B12 4TG The closing date is 30 July and we will inform the winner within one month of this date. Please note that if you win, you must agree to have your story printed in our magazine.

1. All prize winners will have their stories printed in the magazine Keep Writing
2. Most people entering the competition last year followed the advice they were given
3. Writers should remember to check that any information they use is correct.
4. The magazine is looking for stories which have an unexpected ending.
5. Writers are encouraged to describe the people in their stories clearly.
6. Stories should either be written clearly by hand or typed.
7. Late entries can be faxed if necessary.
8. The magazine will send back all stories which have failed to be selected.
9 The rules of the competition are different this year from last year.
10. Writers can enter stories which magazines outside Britain have already

Timi · Accepted Answer

False. Only the winner of the competition and 10 other lucky people will have their stories printed in the magazine Keep Writing.

2. True. Nearly everyone who wrote for the competition last year followed the advice they were given, which was to write about what they know.

3. True. Writers should get their facts right, as it&#x27;s no good giving a description of a town or explaining how a jet engine works if they get it wrong.

4. True. The magazine is looking for stories that have an unexpected ending, as a poor ending can be disappointing for the reader.

5. True. Writers are encouraged to bring the people in their stories alive for the reader by using well-chosen words to make them seem real.

6. False. Stories must be typed, double-spaced, on one side only of each sheet of paper.

7. False. The magazine is unable to accept stories by fax or email, even if the closing date is near.

8. False. Unfortunately, stories cannot be returned, nor can the magazine discuss their decisions.

9. True. The rules of the competition have changed this year, as the magazine will no longer accept stories that have been printed in any magazine or book in the country.

10. False. The rules state that the story must not have appeared in print or in recorded form anywhere in the world.

Write a winning story! You could win £1,000 in this year's Fiction Prize and have your story printed in Keep Writing magazine. Ten other lucky people will win a cheque for £100. Once again, we need p...