In the grim concrete sprawl of the future, it’s up to one down on-his-luck-private dick to protect our lemonade stands.
A Future Hardboiled Detective Contest
The Lemonade Carbonade Award
Writing Prompt
Setting your story in an alternative future, near future, or failed future, writing a piece of fiction with your take on the hard boiled detective genre. Does not have to be Cyberpunk, but it can be.
Short Story Contest Guidelines
-
Due Date
All stories due 6 September 2015
-
Word Count
No more than 800 of your most gritty, streetwise prose
-
Prizes
First prize receives 5000 words feedback from NiTH team. All short listed authors receive feedback on their story.
Story Requirements
-
Characters
Users tropes of the hardboiled detective genre. Feel free to invert those tropes as needed.
-
Setting
It can be set anywhere, but include your future vision of the ‘Lemonade Stand’ as part of the story.
-
Special Requirements
- Use the titles of at least two well known Cyberpunk books in your story. Word play is acceptable ( Altered Carbon / ‘altered car bomb’) but not necessary. If you need help, try NiTH’s list of 5 Cyberpunk’s books to read before you disconnect
- Hard boiled detective fiction is a good chance to try your hand at the unreliable narrator. This article can help with that: Unreliable Narrator
Entry Format
Include the title, author name and contest name like this:
Write your own intro, no more than 150 characters. If you can’t do this leave it blank.
STORY NAME
by Author Name
For the AWARD NAME Contest
Where do I Enter?
Enter at our Submissions page.
Leave a Reply