Writers who want to test their skills on short narratives have until the end of September to submit a tiny story to a Powell River Public Library contest.
The library has launched the 420 Characters Tiny Story Contest.
Sonia Zagwyn, contest coordinator, explained that 420-character stories are tiny narratives, approximately one paragraph long, in which every letter, space and punctuation mark gets counted.
What inspired the library to create a writing contest that encourages its participants to count their characters and mind their spaces? “It’s a bit subversive,” said Zagwyn. “It’s a way to challenge the status quo of the status update, to inject some imagination and narrative ingenuity into a form that was created as a result of the restrictions imposed by various types of social media. We’re appropriating that form and daring participants to dream big in a small space.”
The first 420-character stories were written by author Lou Beach as status updates on a social networking site. The stories were collected and published in a book called 420 Characters.
The library’s contest runs until September 30. Guest judges selected from local literati will pick the winners and there are prizes “worth writing your guts out for,” said Zagwyn. First place entry wins a Kobo touch eReader, second a $50 certificate to Breakwater Books and Coffee and third $25 worth of baked goodness from Manna from Heaven.
For more details or to read examples of 420-character stories, readers can visit the library’s website.
