Eight Tips on How to Win a Siderius Memorial Prize
Generally, the tips for the Andrew Siderius Memorial Contests are much the same as for other contests, but with a couple of little extra things to bear in mind. The most obvious difference is that there's a theme for these particular competitions – this year, you have to reference either REVENGE or TEMPTATION.
All entries first have to clear the 'editorial hurdle' – in other words, we editors have to deem your entry worthy of a place on the website. All of our regulars will be well aware how strict we can be. We throw out anything that: doesn't comply with (7) below; we deem to be in bad taste; is trying to promote some religious or political line; or is trying to promote some business venture of the writer's. And if your story or poem doesn't make it to publication, the judges will never even get the chance to see it at all, far less nominate it for aprize. Our decision is naturally subjective and final, and it being a competition there can be feedback or right of appeal. (The Appeals process is switched off for those two weeks.)
But the main thing to remember is that entering any writing contest should be fun. Good luck!
Gordon Lawrie
March 2025
All entries first have to clear the 'editorial hurdle' – in other words, we editors have to deem your entry worthy of a place on the website. All of our regulars will be well aware how strict we can be. We throw out anything that: doesn't comply with (7) below; we deem to be in bad taste; is trying to promote some religious or political line; or is trying to promote some business venture of the writer's. And if your story or poem doesn't make it to publication, the judges will never even get the chance to see it at all, far less nominate it for aprize. Our decision is naturally subjective and final, and it being a competition there can be feedback or right of appeal. (The Appeals process is switched off for those two weeks.)
- It should be clear that you've referenced one of the themes. The judges are allowed to make their own judgements about whether or not you've managed that. Their decisions are both subjective and final
- Flash fiction should be a story. It might seem obvious, but even in the space of a hundred words, there should be some sense that something happens, even if only a tear falls. The famous story often ascribed to Hemingway – 'For sale, baby shoes, never worn' – gets that sense across somehow. Flash fiction is not descriptive prose about a beautiful piece of scenery, say. We can be more relaxed with poetry submissions, but clearly poetry, good poetry at least, brings its own challenges.
- Your words are precious and should be used sparingly. The best flash fiction and poetry almost always have to be heavily edited. Getting rid of needless fluff from your over-long first draft is part of the fun, to be honest.
- The words should speak for themselves. 'Show don't tell' applies even more to flash fiction than to novels. Personally, I find an author's exclamation marks irritating: I shouldn't need to be told that something is meant to be funny, it should be obvious.
- You need to write well. Spelling, grammar and punctuation should be spot-on, and words should be used correctly. Check the dictionaries if you're not sure. We know some of you live in the US and others live in the UK or Australia, but none of your stories come from a mixture.
- Check your work carefully. Writing is great for developing your language abilities if English is not your mother tongue. But don't assume that the site editor will correct your mistakes – it's your job to send in material that is absolutely perfect. Get someone else to look over your story before you send it in. Poetry can be especially challenging if English isn't your first language, because you're dealing with how the writing sounds out loud, too. Read your poem to others, perhaps even "perform" it.
- Follow the instructions on the entry form. Check the word count. You have no idea how many submissions fail because they're one or two words over (we do check). Fill that box in the top where you write your story title and name EXACTLY as requested. There's a "house style" – please follow it. If you can't be bothered to study how everyone else's story appears, ask yourself if your own story deserves any more respect.
- And finally, don't cheat or take advantage of any publishing site by posting material that isn't yours, or by persistently re-submitting material that has already been published. Friday Flash Fiction checks on that, too, and we have ways of dealing with cheats.
But the main thing to remember is that entering any writing contest should be fun. Good luck!
Gordon Lawrie
March 2025
