.png)
FICTION POTLUCK
July Challenge:
Sci-Fi Western
up to 6,000 words
Deadline: August 20
Find submission links below the rules
A Tip from R.A.:
Think about what kind of frontiers your character(s) can explore, what something from today might look like in the future, or even how to repurpose something from the past in a new way.
Prizes!
This quarter is officially sponsored by Duotrope; the first place winner of this quarter's challenge receives Duotrope service for free for two years (valued at $100)!
Submission links are below the submissions guidelines.
One entry per person.
Read past winners here:
July Guest Judge
R.A. Clarke
Rachael Clarke (R.A. Clarke) is an author/illustrator living in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba.
When not writing, she's enjoying family time, acting in community theatre, or relaxing at the lake. Her multi-genre fiction has won international competitions such as the Write Fighters 3-Day Novella Challenge, The Writer's Workout's 'Writer’s Games', the Writers Weekly 24-Hour Contest, and Red Penguin Books’ Humour Contest. She was a 2021 Futurescapes Award finalist, a 2022 Dark Sire Awards finalist, and her children’s book The Big Ol’ Bike was a Hindi’s Libraries finalist in 2021. Her debut sci-fi western novel Race to Novus released in April, 2024. Visit: www.rachaelclarkewrites.com.
The Basics
Fiction Potluck is free to enter and open to fiction writers of all ages around the world. One entry per person per challenge.
Submissions are accepted through Dropbox, Duosuma, and email (submissions [at] writersworkout.net).
Submissions are accepted six weeks at a time, starting in January, April, July, and October. The challenge and guest judge will change each open period. The guest judge picks the challenge—we never know what we'll get!
The selection team reads all entries that follow the submissions guidelines as explained below. Entries are read blind. The team chooses the finalists and contacts everyone.
Finalist author names and bios are posted on this page and announced in our monthly mailer.
The guest judge reads the finalist pieces and chooses three winners. Each of the three winning pieces is published on our blog and linked through this page. Winning entries will be published as received.
The Writer's Workout is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit run by volunteers.
We provide accessible, free creative writing education through competitions, workshops, and publication opportunities. Check our donations page to learn more about how The Writer's Workout strengthens the global writing community.
General Rules
-
All entries must be in English and original works of fiction.
-
The competition runs on UTC time, beginning and ending at midnight.
-
You must keep your entry private until after we post the top three winning stories.
-
The judges' decisions are final.
-
The judges will contact everyone who includes the Title Information listed below.
-
The judges cannot provide feedback for every piece submitted.
-
Winning entries will be published as received.
The following are not accepted:
-
Simultaneous submissions
-
Previously published works
-
AI-generated content
-
Fanfiction, erotica, religious, or political content
-
Pieces longer than the word count limit
-
Pieces submitted outside the competition month
-
Pieces submitted in .pdf or pasted into the body of the email
-
Pieces without the correct Title Information (below) will be rejected unread.
Submissions
July: up to 6,000 words
Keep formatting professional. You can find recommended settings on the submissions page.
Entries must include this Title Information in this order at the top of the document body, aligned left:
Name or Pseudonym, email
Entry Title
Fiction Potluck
Word Count
Accepted file types: .doc, .docx, .odt
Live, unlocked Google Docs or Microsoft Word links are accepted via email (submissions [at] writersworkout.net). We must be able to download your file. We will not request access and we are not responsible for locked docs.
Rights
Your submission grants The Writer's Workout (WW) exclusive electronic rights for 90 days. WW reserves non-exclusive rights to digitally publish winning entries indefinitely. Winning pieces will be published as received.
Seth Cupery
Seth is a freelance writer and editor with a bachelor’s degree in the humanities and a history minor, hoping to help other writers improve and find their audience. Born and raised in rural Wisconsin, Seth still tries to learn as much as he can about the wider world so that he can better understand the people he shares a planet with. He enjoys works of fiction, historical facts, weird information from around the globe, and a well-drawn illustration or map.
Theresa Green
Theresa is a co-founder of The Writer's Workout, a crime fiction writer, and the editor at Premier Literary Services.
premierliterary.com
Sofie Leggett
Sofie is a current college student studying creative writing, Spanish, and music. She enjoys playing instruments, hanging out with her dogs, making art, watching TV, and of course, reading and writing. The historical fiction and mystery genres are her current favorites, but she likes to experiment in every genre of writing. While her current experience is limited to short stories and poetry, in the future, Sofie hopes to expand her horizons by working in different types of media such as television and video games.
Be our guest!
Do you have a big release coming soon? Spread the word by being a guest judge.