The Word Cloud

Short Story Competition run every month

Category: Dark Fiction
Closes: Ongoing on a monthly basis
Fees: Free entry.
Prizes: First Place: £100 and Publication in Spinetinglers Anthology
Second Place: £50
Third, Fourth and Fifth Place:£25

There are no rules regarding content; a spinetingler doesn't have to be macabre and morose. It can be light-hearted, or even uplifting. It may be filled with ghosts or ghouls, possesions or poltergeists, even merely the suggestion of something supernatural. Anything is acceptable. We encourage you to let your imagination run wild, and come up with a tale that will make our spine tingle.
No Entry Fee:

Website: http://www.spinetinglers.co.uk

I've just signed up as a member (haven't submitted anything, though) because dark fiction is my genre of choice... but looking through the forums, I am a *little* concerned at the grammatical mistakes I am finding there (not by posters, but by the site who set it up. "Are their any good dark fiction programmes out there?" as the title of a forum section, for example, does not exactly fill me with confidence...). Does anyone have any experience of this site / competition?

Are their any good dark fiction programmes

I always get a sinking feeling when I see errors like that, especially on a site purporting to be about literature. Even if the stories are brilliant, I would not read them as I would have been sufficiently put off.
The inference I take is 'crap on the outside ... crap on the inside'

Hi Elysia and Alanboy,

I have been associated with the site for some time and it was recently subject to a major hack by an extremist group. So it has been undergoing a major revamp to get everything back up and running. I have spoken to the moderators and they have assured me that the issues you are concerned with will be addressed. My advice (if you are uncertain with the site) is to maybe check back in a few weeks, and it should be back to normal.

Michael

Ahhh, I see. Whilst I do sympathise, obviously I didn't know that (which is why I asked), but it might be worth bearing in mind that things like that can put potential members off (especially if they're serious about writing) - I would tentatively advise that is is probably better to take the site offline for maintenance and get the errors fixed asap rather than letting writers stumble across them. I know it sounds really pedantic, but as with everything in this industry, first impressions really do count for a lot; I expect they don't want people visiting, seeing the errors and sticking the site on their 'bunch of amateurs - don't bother' list. ;-)

So, just to check... they hacked the site to change the grammar?

Thanks for your feedback Elysia. I'll certainly pass on your comments to the administrators of the site.

Michael

So, just to check... they hacked the site to change the grammar?

Perhaps they're a bunch of grammar extremists. WW should watch out. Prime target.

To be fair, I expect the site was mucked around with and in their haste to get it back up and running again, the grammar mistakes were made. Easily done - but also easily fixed ;-)

If they're a bunch of amateurs; yes, easily done. If they're professionals, as writers would hope; no, unforgiveable. (and they can't spell 'possessions', and they only have one spine to be tingled? Hmm, as they say themselves ... anything is acceptable.) A little bit pathetic. Sorry, MMC83.

I just had a quick look at a couple of the stories for may 2011.; 1st and 2nd to be precise. It is late here and I am very tired but the standard seemed quite poor. I'm not sure what they are intending to achieve with the site.

Their submission guidelines seem vague and confused too. I'm quoting (copy and paste) what appears to be the three key things they want since they numbered these. (1) We

(1) We would ask you to keep your stories under 5,000 words if possible. If you go a bit over that is okay. No story will be rejected because it happens to be 5,100 words. (So is 5200 words ok? If your word limit is 5000, say so. If a writer can't get under the word limit then surely their work isn't for Spinetinglers?)

(2) Please make sure that you read through your story carefully before submitting it. Check for spelling mistakes and grammatical errors.(Ok, fair enough)

Stories with quite a few mistakes will be automatically rejected.(What is "quite a few"? More than some but less than lots? This type of vague qualification just makes the site sound amatuerish to me, especially when the 'quite a few' limit results in automatic rejection. Just state that poor spelling and grammar will see your story rejected and be done with it. )
(3) Your story can be violent or leaning towards erotica but please nothing too explicit. Again anything too gratuitous may be automatically rejected.rejected.(are erotica and gratuitous violence acceptable or not? If its gratuitous and the administrators don't want gratuitous then say it WILL be rejected, don't pussy foot.)

I would have serious doubts about submitting work to a site that seems unclear about what it wants itself. Especially looking at the requirement for good grammar and the standard of the May 2011 winner.

would ask you to keep your stories under 5,000 words if possible. If you go a bit over that is okay. No story will be rejected b(1) We would ask you to keep your stories under 5,000 words if possible. If you go a bit over that is okay. No story will be rejected because it happens to be 5,100 words.

(2) Please make sure that you read through your story carefully before submitting it. Check for spelling mistakes and grammatical errors.

Stories with quite a few mistakes will be automatically rejected.
(3) Your story can be violent or leaning towards erotica but please nothing too explicit. Again anything too gratuitous may be automatically rejected.ecause it happens to be 5,100 words.

(2) Please make sure that you read through your story carefully before submitting it. Check for spelling mistakes and grammatical errors.

Stories with quite a few mistakes will be automatically rejected.
(3) Your story can be violent or leaning towards erotica but please nothing too explicit. Again anything too gratuitous may be automatically rejected.

Hi Malcolm, I just nipped over to take a look and read the first couple of stories for May. I have to say you're spot on with your opinion of them.

Didn't mean to submit at that point! Just wanted to add that I wish any site well that has free competitions with a decnt prize and sets out to promote writing.